SpaceX Sr. Commissioning Manager at SpaceX leading multi-disciplinary teams to build and operate combined-cycle gas turbine power plants. Own full lifecycle of gas turbine assets ensuring plant availability and performance.
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
Qualification
Familiarity with LTSA structures
Required
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
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