Operations Engineer

Staff Operations Engineer

Location:

Danbury, CT, US, 06810 Date:
Jul 16, 2026

Fuel Cell Energy is a global leader in decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through our proprietary fuel cell technology. Our mission is to enable a world powered by clean energy. As an innovator and manufacturer of fuel cell clean power platforms, Fuel Cell Energy has the only technology in the world capable of capturing carbon from an external source and producing power at the same time.

In addition, we offer the only technology in the world capable of producing hydrogen, power and water simultaneously.

The pay for this position ranges from $135000 - $150500.

Summary:

This Staff Operations Engineer role is responsible for providing technical leadership for the safe and reliable startup, commissioning, performance validation, and operational improvement of Fuel Cell Energy's advanced technology fleet of power generation, hydrogen production, and carbon separation projects. The role carries a high level of ownership across project execution, customer-facing technical engagement, and cross-functional coordination, serving as a senior technical leader from project development through commissioning, turnover, and early operations support.

The engineer will interface with engineering, field service, project management, procurement, quality, and operations teams, while also representing Fuel Cell Energy in project meetings, client site meetings, and technical discussions with customers and external stakeholders. Day travel to a range of Connecticut based facilities and some extended domestic and international travel will be required. The Staff Operations Engineer is expected to apply deep experience across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, and integrated plant operations to validate individual component and system functionality, resolve complex technical and execution issues, and lead corrective action efforts that support successful commercialization and long-term fleet performance.

This role reports to the Manager, Power Plant Test & Operations Engineering and is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, technical judgment, and leadership across multiple projects and operating assets. Office work would be conducted in one or both of our Danbury and Torrington, Connecticut offices with part time remote flexibility. Field work will be distributed across projects in Connecticut, California, and selected international locations for limited periods.

In addition to field execution responsibilities, this position will contribute to project reviews, readiness reviews, customer meetings, and internal business discussions related to schedule, risk, technical performance, and successful project delivery.

Essential Functions/

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategy
• First Article Project Commissioning
• Commercial Project Commissioning
• Product Reliability and Fleet Support
• Benchmarking

Responsibilities:

• Serve as the technical lead across a range of root cause analysis and corrective action processes
• Lead development, update, and execution of commissioning plans, procedures, checklists, and field validation activities
• Provide senior technical leadership during project meetings, commissioning readiness reviews, client site meetings, and customer technical discussions
• Serve as a key technical interface between engineering, field service, project management, operations, and the customer
• Provide advanced support for plant process controls
• Lead or significantly influence technical reviews of design packages, commissioning readiness, startup issues, and field changes
• Own completion of performance testing, acceptance test execution, and reporting required for customer acceptance, commercial operation declaration, and project closeout
• Drive design verification, corrective action, and lessons learned activities associated with first article deployment and integration into commercial project execution
• Initiate, lead, and support root cause investigations and continuous improvement efforts across the commercial fleet and development projects
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to less experienced engineers and field personnel
• Support on-call responsibilities during critical commissioning and startup activities

Qualifications and

Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Chemical, Process, Mechanical, Electrical, or Instrumentation and Control Engineering or a related discipline with 10+ years of relevant experience in commissioning, plant operations, field engineering, or complex industrial project execution; or a Master's degree or PhD in a related discipline with 6+ years of relevant experience.

Performs work with a high degree of latitude and independent judgment, handles the most complex technical and execution issues, possesses expert knowledge of the subject matter, and provides leadership, coaching, and mentoring to less experienced engineers and field personnel. Demonstrated ability to develop and lead commissioning plans, procedures, and execution…