Power Plant Production Specialist III

Are you looking for an exciting job where you can put your skills and talents to work at a company you can feel proud to be a part of? Do you want a workplace that will challenge you and offer you opportunities to learn and grow? A position at Xcel Energy could be just what you’re looking for.

This position can be based in Amarillo, Lubbock, Littlefield, or Earth, Texas, or Hobbs, New Mexico, with the ability to travel to those other sites periodically.

Applies thorough knowledge and utilizes advanced technical expertise in a specific specialty area in support of operations and maintenance across the Xcel Energy fleet. Specialty areas include, but are not limited to Process Controls, Operational Technology (OT), Electrical, Turbine-Generators/Rotating Equipment, Boilers/Heat Recovery steam generators, and/or Non-Destructive Testing (NDE/NDT). Provides technical support consisting of diagnostic analysis, short and long-term maintenance/outage planning, resource development, documentation, and reliability centered operations and maintenance program direction and support.

Interfaces extensively with other departments, plants, and OEMs and may oversee craft employees. Responsibilities are generally 50% in technical support, 30% in outage support, and 20% in maintaining fleet-wide programs and processes. Extensive travel within a region and across the fleet may be required. Some international travel may also be required.

• Provide technical expertise, direction, and alternatives for control systems and major equipment problems at all facilities. Troubleshoot system problems, assess equipment condition, and coordinate corrective maintenance work on equipment. Manage major maintenance projects (turbine overhauls, pump repair, maintenance of auxiliaries, etc.) including scoping, planning, scheduling, and supervision of craft employees.
• Provide major facility maintenance project supervision for scheduled and unscheduled outages. Develop computerized scheduling techniques for modifications and new systems.
• Conduct periodic audits of Quality Assurance procedures. Develop standards and procedures to support consistent methods to improve equipment/generation reliability. Communicate identified best practices between plants, regions, and subsidiaries. Ensure plants are kept abreast of new technology.
• Coordinate and evaluate generation asset maintenance programs to increase facility reliability. Assist or perform testing, generate reports, and interpret results for generation facilities. Direct and coordinate technical root cause analysis.
• Design system modifications. Provide recommendations for modifications of systems to improve operations and maintenance processes for improved reliability.
• Coordinate maintenance/capital projects with plant and engineering staff. Perform system testing, compile data, and submit results for management review. Provide proper documentation for all projects.
• Provide detailed justification for multi-year budgets and outage work plans. Write specifications and purchase requisitions for services to support fleet reliability activities. Act as a liaison with contractors/service providers and the Company.
• Provide technical direction in lieu of architect/engineer or OEM technical representative in specialty area. Functions in a lead role in major O&M and capital projects.

• 9+ years of work experience in power generation, or equivalent industrial manufacturing/power generation setting, or OEM operations/maintenance that demonstrates thorough knowledge of standard engineering principles/practices/techniques and power generation operations/maintenance processes with expertise in one or more of the following areas: process control, operational technology (OT), electrical, turbine-generators/rotating equipment, boilers/heat recovery steam generators, and/or non-destructive testing (NDE/NDT).
• Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) experience is helpful.
• Some college coursework in engineering is desirable.
• Must have the ability to travel extensively and work non-typical schedules. Must be self‑motivated and work with minimal supervision.
• Expe…