Senior Plant Engineer: Reliability & Performance Lead

American Electric Power; Avinger (TX); On-site; USD 88,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

American Electric Power is seeking a Plant Engineer to provide technical leadership and support for safe, reliable, and compliant plant operation. You will monitor performance, improve reliability, and lead initiatives with operations, maintenance, vendors, and regulators.

The role includes troubleshooting, data analysis, and managing capital projects while ensuring documentation and regulatory compliance. PE license is preferred, ABET degree required, with 2+ years of related experience.

Qualifications

• ABET-accredited engineering degree with 2+ years of related engineering experience.
• Alternative: non-ABET bachelor's in engineering plus ABET-accredited master’s or PhD in engineering.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) license preferred

Responsibilities

• Provide engineering support and technical execution for plant operations and maintenance by diagnosing equipment and system issues, supporting startup and shutdown activities, and implementing timely corrective actions.
• Perform structured troubleshooting and root cause analysis for equipment failures and performance issues, developing practical solutions that improve system reliability and minimize recurrence.
• Monitor and analyze plant operating data, including turbine and auxiliary system performance, to identify performance gaps and improvement opportunities impacting availability, heat rate, and efficiency.
• Support and execute reliability and condition monitoring programs (e.g., vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, controls diagnostics), ensuring accurate data interpretation and follow-through on identified issues.
• Maintain configuration control and technical documentation, including drawings, procedures, engineering records, and Management of Change documentation, ensuring accuracy and compliance with plant standards.
• Coordinate and support capital projects, modifications, and maintenance activities, working closely with vendors, contractors, and internal teams to ensure work is completed safely and in accordance with engineering requirements.
• Support compliance with regulatory and code requirements (e.g., NERC, pressure systems), including monitoring, documentation, and audit readiness activities.
• Contribute to plant performance improvement by providing data-driven insights and recommendations to plant leadership, supporting safe, reliable, and efficient operations.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

Equipment reliability

Plant performance

Control systems

Instrumentation

Data analysis

Communication

MS Office

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

Professional Engineer (P.E.) license preferred

Tools

Vibration analysis tools

Controls diagnostics software

Thermography tools

Job description

American Electric Power is seeking a Plant Engineer to provide technical leadership and support for safe, reliable, and compliant plant operation. You will monitor performance, improve reliability, and lead initiatives with operations, maintenance, vendors, and regulators.

The role includes troubleshooting, data analysis, and managing capital projects while ensuring documentation and regulatory compliance. PE license is preferred, ABET degree required, with 2+ years of related experience.