xAI Sr. Manager of Power Plant Operations at SpaceXSI overseeing Memphis gas turbine power generation facility. Responsible for 24/7 operations, maintenance, commissioning, and expansion to deliver reliable power to Colossus data center.
Responsibilities
The Sr. Manager of Memphis Power Plant Operations provides strategic and operational leadership for the gas turbine power generation facility supporting SpaceXSI's Colossus data center campus in Memphis, Tennessee. This role oversees all plant operations, maintenance, commissioning, and continued construction/expansion of the dedicated power plant, with full ownership of delivering reliable, high-availability electrical power to the Colossus AI training clusters. The position is responsible for driving operational excellence, ensuring 24/7 power reliability and quality, safety, environmental compliance, and leading cross-functional teams to achieve aggressive scale-up, availability, cost, and schedule objectives in a high-growth, fast-paced environment.
Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Memphis gas turbine power plant, including 24/7 operations, maintenance, commissioning, and ongoing construction and capacity expansion
Own end-to-end delivery of electrical power to the Colossus data center sites, ensuring industry-leading reliability, availability, power quality, and redundancy
Lead multidisciplinary teams of operators, maintenance technicians, engineers, contractors, and support staff in a 24/7 operational and construction environment
Oversee plant performance, commissioning, testing, and seamless integration with data center electrical infrastructure and load
Develop and execute comprehensive operations and maintenance strategies, including preventative/predictive maintenance, outage planning, hot gas path management, and OEM coordination for gas turbines, generators, balance of plant, and high-voltage electrical systems
Manage concurrent construction, equipment installation, civil works, and phased capacity expansions while maintaining safe, reliable operation of the existing plant
Ensure full compliance with environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements, including air permits, emissions controls, TDEC, EPA, OSHA, and local authorities
Partner closely with SpaceXSI data center operations, engineering, fuel suppliers, OEMs, utilities, and regulatory agencies
Formulate and execute operating budgets, fuel management, O&M, capital projects, and annual operating plans
Drive continuous improvement in plant availability, heat rate, emissions, cost, safety metrics, and operational processes
Establish and promote a culture of uncompromising safety, accountability, operational excellence, rapid execution, and collaboration
Qualification
Bachelor’s degreeExperience in fast-pacedDemonstrated ability to manage budgets
Required
Bachelor’s degree
8+ years of experience in power generation operations, plant management, or related industrial or aerospace operations
3+ years of leadership experience managing teams of operators, technicians, and engineers
Experience operating or managing gas turbine power plants (simple cycle or combined cycle)
Preferred
Experience managing large-scale gas turbine facilities (100 MW+), preferably with high-availability critical power applications (data centers, industrial, or similar)
Proven track record of achieving and sustaining high plant availability, reliability, and low forced outage rates
Hands-on experience with plant construction, commissioning, start-up, and concurrent operations/expansion of gas turbine facilities
Deep knowledge of gas turbine technology (aeroderivative and/or heavy-duty frames), performance optimization, emissions controls (SCR, etc.), and balance of plant systems
Experience with high-voltage electrical systems, generators, switchgear, protection, and data center or industrial interconnection
Strong understanding of environmental permitting, air quality compliance, and regulatory reporting for combustion turbines
Experience in fast-paced, high-growth environments requiring simultaneous operations and major construction
Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, fuel costs, contractors, and complex stakeholder relationships
