Sr. Manager, Power Plant (Starship)

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

SENIOR MANAGER

SpaceX is building and operating combined-cycle gas turbine power plants that must come online, stay online, and perform. This role owns the design and build of the full power plant: gas turbines, mechanical and electrical balance of plant, and everything else that keeps the plant running at rated output, day after day. This is not a desk job. You will be constructing the power plant, owning commissioning in the control room during startup, and in the field troubleshooting.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Build, lead, and develop a multi-disciplinary power plant team spanning gas turbines, mechanical and electrical balance of plant, controls, and commissioning

Own the full lifecycle of gas turbine power generation assets — installation, commissioning, startup, operations, and long-term maintenance — and be accountable for plant availability, reliability, and performance

Set technical direction and execution plans for commissioning, including combustion tuning, control system checkout, protective relay testing, and performance/reliability run verification

Own root-cause analysis and corrective action for turbine trips, forced outages, and performance degradation; drive fixes that prevent recurrence and hold the team to a no-repeat standard

Establish and continuously improve operating procedures, startup/shutdown sequences, and abnormal operating condition playbooks

Serve as the primary technical and commercial interface with OEMs (GE, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, Doosan) on warranty issues, LTSA scope, outage planning, and technical issues

Plan, staff, and execute major/minor inspections, hot gas path outages, and combustion inspections in line with OEM maintenance intervals; own outage cost, duration, and quality of return-to-service

Drive turbine performance analysis (heat rate, capacity factor, degradation curves) to identify efficiency losses and convert findings into funded corrective action

Coordinate across balance-of-plant teams (HRSG, steam turbine, cooling systems, water treatment) to deliver integrated plant performance, not siloed subsystem success

Own the construction-to-operations handoff with EPC contractors; ensure a clean transition from construction to commercial operation

Develop and own spare parts strategy, critical spares inventory, and maintenance budgets; manage spend against reliability and availability targets

Hire, coach, and retain engineers and technicians; set performance standards and grow the next generation of plant leadership

Represent the power plant organization to internal stakeholders (operations, grid interconnection, commercial, construction) and make timely field decisions under pressure

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor’s degree and 10+ years of experience working in one or more of the following; or 14+ years of experience working utility-scale gas turbines in commissioning, operations, maintenance, or plant engineering roles

2+ years of project management experience leading operations

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCES

Working knowledge of combined-cycle plant systems: gas turbines, HRSGs, steam turbines, generators, and balance-of-plant equipment

Experience reading and interpreting P&IDs, single-line diagrams, and turbine control logic

Direct commissioning or operations leadership experience with GE 7/9HA, Siemens Energy SGT6/8-8000H, Mitsubishi M501/701JAC, or Doosan H-class turbines

Experience with DCS/turbine control platforms (Mark VIe, SPPA-T3000, or equivalent)

Familiarity with LTSA structures, OEM contract negotiation, and outage scope development

Background in root-cause failure analysis (RCA/5-Why/Fishbone) for rotating equipment

Experience with performance monitoring tools and heat balance modeling

Exposure to grid interconnection requirements, PPA performance obligations, or capacity market rules

Experience integrating power generation with co-located industrial or data center loads

Proven ownership of plant or fleet reliability metrics (availability, forced outage rate, heat rate) and of the budgets that fund them

Experience standing up a new plant, commissioning organization, or operations team from construction through commercial operation

A bias toward action: comfortable making a call in the field without waiting for a committee

Demonstrated ability to work under pressure during startup, outages, or unplanned events, with a sense of urgency and ownership over outcomes

Experience using SOLIDWORKS, Siemens NX, or similar CAD software

Knowledge of engineering standards and best practices such as ASME B31.3, ASME BPV Code Section VIII, and AFSPCMAN 91-710

ITAR REQUIREMENTS

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here .

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com .