Superintendent South Dakota Power Generation

Northwestern Energy; Aberdeen (SD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K match

Health insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Volunteer opportunities

Job summary

NorthWestern Energy in Aberdeen, SD is seeking a Superintendent of South Dakota Power Generation to direct all O&M activities and capital upgrades for our wholly owned generation assets. The Superintendent will ensure plants operate safely, compliantly, and with reliable power supply, aligning with environmental, safety, and regulatory standards.

This role leads budgeting, staffing, project management, and outages coordination, with travel up to 25% and liaison with regulators, the executive

Qualifications

• High School degree or equivalent.
• Bachelor's Degree or 8-10 years of equivalent experience with 5 years plant experience.
• 10 years power generation experience preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years' experience supervising technical, professional, and administrative personnel.
• Strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to testify and meet challenging deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Direct all O&M activities and capital upgrades for South Dakota generation assets.
• Manage budgets, personnel, and procurement to ensure safe, reliable operation.
• Lead outages coordination and plant maintenance oversight to meet capacity and safety goals.
• Oversee supplier contracts for fuel and services and negotiate terms.
• Coordinate with regulators, executive team, and stakeholders; travel up to 25% as required.

Skills

Leadership

Safety leadership

Power generation

Supervisory experience

Oral and written communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or 8-10 years equivalent experience

High School degree or equivalent

Job description

Superintendent South Dakota Power Generation

Work Location: Aberdeen, SD

Pay range: $105,100 to $157,700 per year

Employment Status: Regular Full-time

About this position:

The Superintendent, South Dakota Power Generation is responsible for directing all Operation and Maintenance (O&M) activities and Capital upgrades for NorthWestern Energy's fleet of wholly owned generation assets in South Dakota including any future additions. The Superintendent will assure that the plants are operated in compliance with applicable safety, environmental, regulatory, and power generating requirements while maintaining an available and adequate supply of manpower, tools, equipment, consumables, and spare parts at all times to provide for the safe and efficient operation of the plants.

We offer great benefits:

NorthWestern Energy is a fully regulated electric and natural gas utility serving Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. We employ over 1,600 amazing people and serve over 800,000 customers who are our neighbors in our communities. We are a top employer and offer competitive benefits, including:

• 401K with company match up to 4% and non-elective contribution up to 7%
• Healthcare and wellbeing programs, including dental and vision for you, your spouse and dependents, Health Savings Account (HSA), healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account (FSA)
• Employee Assistance Programs (Offering up to six free counseling sessions, per person, per issue, per year for employees, spouses and dependents to include financial heath)
• Life Insurance (Company pays basic employee policy; spouse, dependent insurance also available)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Competitive pay (Scheduled performance-based wage increases and annual incentive opportunities.)
• Paid company endorsed volunteer opportunities
• Paid parental leave
• Paid bereavement leave
• Paid training opportunities
• Paid time off starting on your first day, plus 11 paid holidays

Benefits may vary by position or as negotiated as part of a collective bargaining agreement.

About this job:

• Demonstrates leadership consistent with NorthWestern Energy's code, values, policies, processes and controls
• Utilizes effective management practices to maintain employee engagement and productivity
• Effectively manages budget, ensuring proper cost controls
• Leads special projects as required utilizing effective change and project management techniques
• Assure the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of NorthWestern Energy's South Dakota's wholly owned thermal and wind assets through compliance with applicable safety, environmental, FERC/NERC standards, and NorthWestern Energy's internal processes and procedures including personnel management, budgets, and alignment with NorthWestern Energy goals
• Implement training and qualification programs to assure that procedures are understood and properly followed by all plant personnel
• Develop and monitor capital and expense budgets and control expenditures, overseeing the preparation of required environmental and compliance reports, etc.
• Accountable for long-range planning, including the development of new concepts, of the South Dakota wholly owned generation assets
• Verify that the certification status of affected operation and maintenance personnel is maintained
• Manage and oversee the performance of planned and unplanned plant outages to minimize any impact for NorthWestern Energy to meet capacity requirements. Outages will be coordinated with Market Operations to maintain generation optimization
• Manage supply contracts for both natural gas and liquid fuel
• Review maintenance schedules and maintenance practices to ensure proper performance and procedures are being followed
• Communicate information, including through written pre-filed and oral testimony to internal and external stakeholders including the NorthWestern Energy executive team, board members, regulators, and federal and state agency personnel
• Conduct periodic reviews of plant policies and procedures to assure that they reflect current plant operating requirements
• Direct the sourcing, screening and hiring of new or replacement personnel as needed
• Engage in the strategic planning processes
• Develop department goals that align with the company's strategic plans, and communicate goals and expectations with employees
• Ensure all plant personnel are performing duties in compliance with all environmental permits at all times and in compliance with the applicable NERC Standards and in such a way to result in efficient, cost effective operation.
• Support the development of long-term service agreements as needed and applicable
• Assess companies involved in the supply and repair of machinery to determine the greatest value.
• Assist and direct implementation and integration of NorthWestern Energy's wholly owned South Dakota generation assets into the Southwest Power Pool ISO-RTO
• Serve as NorthWestern Energy's operating committee representative for power purchase providers in South Dakota.
• Negotiate and develop contracts as needed that meet NorthWestern Energy objectives for safety, environmental compliance, operations, maintenance, and cost effectiveness
• Assist in the development of NorthWestern Energy generation facilities as needed
• Assist other departments in the development of energy supply tracker and rate case filings, prepare pre-filed testimony, respond to inquiries and data requests, and testify in rate case proceedings
• Conform to the companies safety standards and policies specific to (PPE) Personnel Protective Equipment
• Position requires extended working hours at times with the possibility of weekend and holiday work, as required by schedules, work load and plant conditions. The Superintendent is expected to be available as needed to resolve problems or provide input for a variety of issues as they could arise
• Travel up to 25% to other plant locations and company meetings as needed
• The ability to maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance is an essential function of this position, consistent with applicable laws and reasonable accommodation requirements
• All NorthWestern Energy employees are required to adhere to company safety standards and the Code of Business Conduct & Ethics
• Ensure self and others actions are consistent with NorthWestern Energy's values, mission, and strategic business objectives

Am I right for this job? Here's the success profile:

• Demonstrate and maintain a good safety record
• High School degree or equivalent
• Bachelor's Degree or 8-10 years of equivalent experience with 5 years plant experience
• 10 years power generation experience preferred
• Minimum of 5 years' experience supervising technical, professional, and administrative personnel preferred. Must possess and demonstrate strong oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to testify and meet challenging deadlines
• Proven performance demonstrating strong leadership and motivational skills with supervisory, technical, and administrative personnel
• Physical requirements include: Sitting and standing on a regular basis with some stair and ladder climbing and working at heights. Some work can be outside in a variety of extreme weather conditions including travel to remote plant locations
• Must have a valid Driver's License and satisfactory driving record
• Get Into Energy - Energy Industry Fundamental 2.0 certification is a plus (click the link to certify at no cost)

Requisition #5076

Posting Dates: September 21, 2026 through October 5, 2026

Department/Division: Operations

Employment Physical: Required

Drug Test: Required

Background Check: Required

Relocation Benefit: Negotiable

Telecommuting: Part-time Negotiable within NorthWestern Energy Service Territory

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected class in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and statutes. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act, should you have a disability that requires assistance and/or reasonable accommodation with the job application process, please contact the Human Resources department at 1-800-245-6977 or at [e-mail].