Staff Operations Engineer

FuelCell Energy is a global leader in decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through 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, we offer the only technology capable of capturing carbon from an external source while producing power, and the only technology capable of producing hydrogen, power, and water simultaneously.

The pay for this position ranges from $135,000 - $150,500.

About the Role

This Staff Operations Engineer role is responsible for providing technical leadership for the safe and reliable startup, commissioning, performance validation, and operational improvement of FuelCell 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 FuelCell Energy in project meetings, client site meetings, and technical discussions with customers and external stakeholders. Day travel to Connecticut-based facilities and some extended domestic and international travel will be required.

This role reports to the Manager of 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 will 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.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for the commissioning of FuelCell Energy’s emerging distributed power generation, hydrogen production, and carbon capture technologies, including cross-functional planning and field execution for balance of plant, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls systems.
• Lead and influence commissioning activities for mature technology projects, including startup planning, execution readiness, performance validation, punch list closure, and acceptance testing.
• Act as a senior technical resource in aligning engineering, field service, project management, and customer expectations to achieve successful project closure.
• Provide senior-level support to ongoing product reliability and operational improvement efforts across the commercial fleet and new product introductions, including identifying recurring issues, prioritizing technical risks, and supporting root cause investigations.
• Monitor performance against corporate objectives and key business metrics related to product reliability, project execution, commissioning quality, and project closure.
• Serve as the technical lead for root cause analysis and corrective action processes, providing structured technical leadership for investigations and resolution of complex operational and project-related issues.
• Lead development, update, and execution of commissioning plans, procedures, checklists, and field validation activities for mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control systems during initial plant startup and project closure.
• 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 to ensure alignment on commissioning strategy, performance expectations, issue resolution, and turnover requirements.
• Provide advanced support for plant process controls, including control philosophy development, tuning strategies, alarm management, troubleshooting, and system optimization.
• Lead or influence technical reviews of design packages, commissioning readiness, startup issues, and field changes, providing practical recommendations that balance safety, operability, schedule, cost, and customer commitments.
• 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, with clear ownership for issue escalation and resolution during high-consequence project phases.

Requirements

• 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.
• High degree of latitude and independent judgment, with expert knowledge of the subject matter and the ability to provide leadership, coaching, and mentoring to less experienced engineers and field personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and lead commissioning plans, procedures, and execution strategies while adhering to corporate business processes, quality requirements, and safety standards.
• Strong safety-based operating perspective with the judgment to lead technical decision-making in dynamic field and startup environments.
• Deep technical expertise in plant performance, integrated system commissioning, troubleshooting, and issue resolution across multidisciplinary engineering environments.
• Strong experience with root cause analysis and corrective action tools, with the ability to lead investigations and drive effective resolution of technical and operational issues.
• Experience with power control systems, power generation, and the chemical, petroleum, or natural gas industries is valuable but not required.
• Strong capability to plan, schedule, and report on commissioning and project execution activities in a timely and professional manner, with effective communication skills for engaging leadership, project teams, customers, and site personnel (Microsoft Project or Primavera P6 experience preferred).

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package
• Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-paid life and disability insurance
• 401(k) plan
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Generous paid leave