Power Plant Engineer, Entry Level

About the role

The Plant Engineer, entry level supports the safe, reliable, efficient, and compliant operation of La Paloma Power Facility. Located approximately 40 miles west of Bakersfield in McKittrick, California, La Paloma Power Facility operates as a 1,022 MW natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant.

Responsibilities

• Assist with tracking forced outages, derates, and loss of generation events, supporting Root Cause Analyses (RCA) and reporting activities.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of combustion turbines, HRSGs, steam turbine systems, and balance-of-plant equipment to identify opportunities for improving reliability and efficiency.
• Support the analysis of plant heat rate, operating data, and performance trends to identify operational and maintenance improvement opportunities.
• Assist with the evaluation, maintenance, and optimization of the plant's Distributed Control System (DCS), turbine control systems, PLCs, and instrumentation systems.
• Support control system modifications, alarm management, operator graphics updates, and automation improvement projects.
• Participate in condition monitoring programs, including vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, and performance monitoring activities.
• Assist with maintaining plant instrumentation and measurement systems, including calibration programs and process monitoring equipment.
• Assist with investigations involving equipment failures, plant incidents, and operational issues, assisting in identifying root causes and corrective actions.
• Maintain engineering documentation, technical drawings, configuration records, and plant files to ensure information remains accurate and current.
• Cook with OEM representatives, contractors, vendors, and engineering support personnel on technical issues and plant improvement activities.
• Coordinate with outage planning, contractor coordination, and project execution to support safe and efficient completion of maintenance activities.
• Participate in reliability studies, engineering evaluations, and performance improvement initiatives to enhance plant availability and long-term asset performance.
• Aid in NERC compliance activities, documentation, and audit readiness efforts, while supporting NAES Safety, Environmental, and Regulatory Compliance Programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline is required.
• Relevant power generation, industrial, or military experience may be considered in lieu of education on a year-for-year basis.
• One (1) to two (2) years of engineering experience in power generation, industrial operations, manufacturing, military service, internships, co-op programs, or a related technical environment.
• Familiarity with equipment performance analysis, plant operating data, heat rate, reliability metrics, and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) methodologies.
• Working knowledge of plant control and automation systems, including Distributed Control Systems (DCS), PLCs, instrumentation, and process control applications.
• Familiarity with NERC Reliability Standards, regulatory compliance programs, audit processes, or related utility and industrial compliance requirements.
• Basic understanding of condition monitoring techniques, instrumentation systems, calibration programs, and data acquisition systems, including vibration analysis, thermography, oil analysis, CEMS/DAHS, and plant historian applications such as OSIsoft PI.
• Knowledge of environmental regulations, safety programs, and industry standards applicable to power generation or industrial facilities.
• Strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities, prepare technical reports, and work effectively with Operations, Maintenance, contractors, and other stakeholders.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted U.S. driver’s license and ensure it remains in good standing at all times.