Sr. Power Plant Engineer

United States Digital Space LLC; Starbase (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

United States Digital Space LLC seeks a Senior Power Plant Engineer to design, build and operate a full-scale power plant with gas turbines and balance-of-plant systems. You’ll own commissioning in the control room at startup and troubleshoot in the field to keep the plant at rated output.

Requires hands-on experience with utility-scale turbines, field deployment, and strong problem-solving skills in high-pressure startup and outage scenarios.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical/electrical engineering or related field.
• 5+ years of hands-on gas turbine commissioning, operations or maintenance.
• Experience reading P&IDs, single-line diagrams, and turbine control logic.

Responsibilities

• Support full lifecycle of gas turbine assets: installation, commissioning, startup, operations, and long-term maintenance.
• Lead/assist commissioning: combustion tuning, control system checkout, protective relay testing, performance verification.
• Own RCA for turbine trips, outages, and degradation; drive corrective actions.
• Develop and refine operating procedures, startup/shutdown sequences, and abnormal conditions playbooks.
• Interface with OEMs (GE, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi, Doosan) on warranties, LTSA, outages, issues.
• Plan and execute inspections, outages, and inspections per OEM intervals.
• Analyze turbine performance data to identify efficiency losses and actions.
• Coordinate with balance-of-plant teams to ensure integrated performance.
• Build relationships with EPCs during construction handoff for smooth transition to operations.

Skills

Gas turbine commissioning

Root-cause analysis

Field troubleshooting

Startup/shutdown

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering

Tools

SOLIDWORKS

Siemens NX

Mark VIe / SPPA-T3000

Job description

the company was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today the company is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal ofenabling human life on Mars.

SR. POWER PLANT ENGINEER

the company is building and operating combined-cycle gas turbine power plants that must come online, stay online, and perform. This role owns the design and build of the full power plant: gas turbines, mechanical and electrical balance of plant, and everything else that keeps the plant running at rated output, day after day. This is not a desk job. You will be constructing the power plant, owning commissioning in the control room during startup, and in the field troubleshooting.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support the full lifecycle of gas turbine power generation assets — installation, commissioning, startup, operations, and long-term maintenance

• Lead or support commissioning activities including combustion tuning, control system checkout, protective relay testing, and performance/reliability run verification

• Own root-cause analysis and corrective action for turbine trips, forced outages, and performance degradation; drive fixes that prevent recurrence

• Develop and refine operating procedures, startup/shutdown sequences, and abnormal operating condition playbooks

• Interface directly with OEMs (GE, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, Doosan) on warranty issues, LTSA scope, outage planning, and technical issues

• Plan and execute major/minor inspections, hot gas path outages, and combustion inspections in line with OEM maintenance intervals

• Analyze turbine performance data (heat rate, capacity factor, degradation curves) to identify efficiency losses and recommend corrective action

• Coordinate with balance-of-plant teams (HRSG, steam turbine, cooling systems, water treatment) to ensure integrated performance

• Build and maintain relationships with EPC contractors during construction handoff to ensure a clean transition from construction to commercial operation

• Develop spare parts strategy, critical spares inventory, and maintenance budgets

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a relatedengineering discipline

• 5+ years of hands-on experience with utility-scale gas turbines in commissioning, operations, or maintenance roles

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES:

• Working knowledge of combined-cycle plant systems: gas turbines, HRSGs, steam turbines, generators, and balance-of-plant equipment

• Experience reading and interpreting P&IDs, single-line diagrams, and turbine control logic

• Direct commissioning experience with GE 7/9HA, Siemens Energy SGT6/8-8000H, Mitsubishi M501/701JAC, or Doosan H-class turbines

• Experience with DCS/turbine control platforms (Mark VIe, SPPA-T3000, or equivalent)

• Familiarity with LTSA structures, OEM contract negotiation, and outage scope development

• Background in root-cause failure analysis (RCA/5-Why/Fishbone) for rotating equipment

• Experience with performance monitoring tools and heat balance modeling

• Exposure to grid interconnection requirements, PPA performance obligations, or capacity market rules

• Experience integrating power generation with co-located industrial or data center loads

• A bias toward action: comfortable making a call in the field without waiting for a committee

• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure during startup, outages, or unplanned events, with a sense of urgency and ownership over outcomes

• Experience using SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, or similar CAD software

• Knowledge of engineering standards and best practices such as ASME B31.3, ASME BPV Code Section VIII, and AFSPCMAN 91-710

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Schedule varies depending on site operational needs; must be willing to work extended hours and/or weekends as business needs require

• Flexibility to travel to other the company sites

• Ability to perform job duties that require standing, kneeling, crouching, twisting upper body, working in cramped positions in small openings and climbing hand over hand

• Stand: Up to 3 hours per day

• Sit: Up to 6 hours per day

• Push/Pull: Up to 50lbs. (unassisted) Up to 15 minutes per day

• Overhead reach: Up to 3 hours per day

• Walk: Up to 3 hours per day

• Lift/Carry: Up to 25lbs. (unassisted) Up to 15 minutes per day

• Climb (ladder/stairs): Up to 1 hour per day

• Kneel/Crouch: N/A

• Upper body twist: N/A

• Ability to work in temperatures over 80 degrees: up to 30 minutes per day

• Candidate must be capable of safely working at heights (up to 500ft), in confined spaces, using an air purifying respirator, and performing the physical requirements of the job listed in the job description. Candidate may be required to complete a pre-employment questionnaire and/or physical to confirm these capabilities, which may include a medical history review.

ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

the company is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with the company is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of the company’s Affamative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out [e-mail]*.*