Outage Project Manager

About the role

The Linden Cogeneration Plant is a 980 MW natural gas combined‑cycle cogeneration facility located within a major refinery in Linden, NJ. In addition to generating electricity, the plant supplies process steam to the refinery. The facility features five GE 7EA gas turbine generators and one GE 7FA gas turbine generator, each exhausting into an HRSG. The HRSGs feed a common steam header supplying three steam turbines and the adjacent refinery.

The Outage Project Manager leads major maintenance outages at the Linden Cogeneration Plant, ensuring safe, reliable, and cost‑effective outage execution while minimizing downtime and maintaining compliance with safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements. Working closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Supply Chain, OEMs, contractors, and vendors, this position is responsible for outage planning, scheduling, execution, contractor management, budgeting, reliability improvements, and capital project support.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage planned and forced outages for combined‑cycle and cogeneration plant systems, ensuring safe, reliable, and cost‑effective execution.
• Develop outage schedules, manpower plans, resource strategies, and critical path activities to optimize execution and minimize plant downtime.
• Coordinate outage activities among Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Supply Chain, contractors, vendors, and OEM representatives to maintain alignment throughout planning and execution.
• Manage outage budgets, cost forecasting, performance metrics, and schedule adherence while identifying opportunities to improve reliability and reduce maintenance costs.
• Lead outage planning meetings, coordination sessions, and risk assessments to resolve technical issues, communicate priorities, and maintain project milestones.
• Oversee contractor and vendor performance, ensuring compliance with plant safety procedures, technical specifications, and contractual requirements.
• Coordinate outage logistics, including procurement, tooling, material staging, contractor access, scaffold management, and field support activities.
• Ensure outage activities comply with OSHA, NERC, ASME, environmental regulations, and all applicable plant safety and operational standards.
• Support root cause analysis investigations and integrate inspection findings, predictive maintenance recommendations, corrective actions, and reliability improvements into future outage planning.
• Oversee the Management of Change (MOC) process and maintain outage documentation, including work packages, turnover packages, technical reports, lessons learned, and final outage closeout records.
• Provide leadership, technical guidance, and effective communication throughout outage execution while supporting timely decision‑making, issue resolution, and continuous improvement.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Plant Manager in support of safe, reliable, and efficient plant operations.

Requirements

• Physical requirements include standing for extended periods of time, climbing stairs and ladders, working from elevated platforms and walkways at varying heights, and routinely lifting up to 50 pounds.
• Work in a power plant environment that may involve entering confined spaces, crawling through narrow areas, and handling hazardous materials, with exposure to fumes, extreme temperatures, and noise.
• May include high heat near equipment and varying outdoor weather conditions.
• Use of protective equipment such as hard hats, safety glasses, eye protection, air masks/respirators, ear protection, chemical suits, flame‑resistant clothing (FRC), hot gloves, high‑voltage protective gear, and fall protection may be required.
• Fit testing for respirators may be required.
• Strict smoking restrictions apply in and around the facility.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted U.S. driver’s license and ensure it remains in good standing at all times.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent technical training and applicable power generation, industrial, or military experience may be considered.
• Demonstrated experience leading planned and forced outages in utility‑scale combined‑cycle power plants or large industrial facilities with a strong focus on safety, quality, and schedule performance.
• Proven experience managing major maintenance outages involving gas turbines, steam turbines, HRSGs, generators, and associated balance‑of‑plant systems.
• Strong knowledge of outage planning, scheduling, manpower coordination, critical path management, outage logistics, and maintenance execution.
• Experience coordinating cross‑functional outage activities involving Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, contractors, OEM representatives, and third‑party service providers.
• Working knowledge of OSHA, NERC, ASME, and environmental compliance requirements with the ability to ensure adherence to plant safety and regulatory standards.
• Experience managing contractors and vendors, including bid evaluations, contract administration, mobilization, safety oversight, and field performance throughout outage execution.

Skills

• Proficiency with outage scheduling and maintenance management software such as Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Maximo, SAP, or equivalent systems used in power generation.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem‑solving skills with experience supporting root cause analysis, corrective actions, equipment reliability improvements, and outage cost management.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, provide clear direction, and support efficient outage execution in a fast‑paced plant environment.

Pay

This position offers an annual base salary ranging from $176,900 to $206,200 and includes eligibility for an annual performance bonus.

Schedule

The Outage Project Manager typically works a Monday through Friday day shift schedule. Extended hours, flexible schedules, weekends, holidays, and periodic on‑call responsibilities may be required to support outage schedules, workload demands, and plant conditions. Some travel may be involved to participate in Manager, Owner, User Group, or other offsite meetings.