Principal Geothermal Engineer

Invenergy is North America’s largest privately held developer, owner, and operator of power infrastructure. With 25 years of trusted execution, we deliver reliable, affordable energy through a diverse portfolio that includes natural gas, solar, land-based wind, energy storage, transmission, and domestic manufacturing. Headquartered in Chicago, we develop, own, and operate large scale projects that power communities and support the energy future.

This position will be open for application for at least 3 calendar days from the posting date. This position will remain open for application based on business need, which may be before or after the 3-day posting window.

Job Description

Position Overview

As a Principal Geothermal Engineer, you will guide and coordinate subsurface technical efforts for the team assigned to a geothermal power plant during the execution phase, while supporting multiple projects in the development phase. You will support efforts across multiple teams inside and outside the organization, from development to the commercial operation date (COD). In this position, you will manage multiple workstreams and collaborate with resources to support the project design, execution and construction efforts, while supporting all other technical, economic, and commercial aspects of the project. This position requires a strong technical background, with demonstrated past working experience in related engineering fields and a good understanding of geosciences and geophysics. The position will be based at the Invenergy office in Chicago, IL. Technical supervision during project execution, specifically site surveys, reservoir modelling, exploratory/production drilling, construction and commissioning phases, including travel to the project site, will also be required.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate efforts in the project throughout its lifecycle, under close guidance and supervision provided by the senior management from development to COD, to deliver the project according to the required scope, meeting budget and schedule.

• Advise on the feasibility of projects based on available geothermal technologies and project constraints.

• Lead technical efforts during the development phase, including reservoir modelling, heat transfer and efficiency of the geothermal project, and collaborate with other engineering resources during the detailed design process.

• Research publicly available information and propose prioritization of parcels based on geothermal favorability, in coordination with the geoscience group.

• Manage workload, assist resources and the different groups assigned to a specific geothermal project, promoting seamless coordination across different disciplines.

• Coordinate internal administrative workload in the project, including purchase orders, service orders, MSAs and EPC agreements for consultants and contractors.

• Understand project interfaces across multiple contractors and work packages and monitor performance, ensuring adherence to project budget and schedule.

• Report project risks, performance, progress and schedule to management.

• Coordinate contractual and administrative work with contractors, consultants, project partners and third parties as required.

• Work in collaboration with the GIS and geoscience groups in the preparation of geothermal favorability maps and reservoir modelling.

• Work in collaboration with the thermal engineering team in the preparation of site layouts and optimization of general arrangements for different equipment and project components above ground.

• Prepare reporting for management and customers as required.

• Ensure record keeping for the entire project by adhering to company document management policies.

• Collaborate with the relevant engineering areas to optimize the design, CAPEX, and OPEX of this infrastructure.

• Liaise with the procurement team in the preparation of SOIs, RFIs, RFPs, RFQs, or any other documents.

• Participate in the evaluation of suppliers’ technical and economic proposals.

• Participate in discussions with manufacturers and vendors, as needed, in coordination with the procurement team.

• Assist in the preparation of contracts with OEMs, suppliers, and vendors.

• Assist in the permitting and development efforts, including electrical interconnection.

• Monitor project progress and performance, reporting key indicators to management.

• Coordinate efforts to prepare financial model along with the commercial finance & economics team and support project finance.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in physics or civil, structural, petroleum, mechanical or chemical engineering are preferrable. Alternatively, bachelor’s degree in geology, geophysics, or related geosciences with a proven track record of past geothermal projects could be considered as well.

• 5+ years of experience in the management of technical and engineering teams for geothermal projects.

• Experience in site surveys, heat transfer and reservoir modelling is required.

• Excellent solution-seeking, teamwork, leadership and communication skills which extend across all organizational and management levels.

• Self-motivated, resourceful, and experienced in researching geothermal, geophysics or geochemistry fields.

• Proficient with Microsoft Office products, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.

• Strong verbal skills are required, including being an effective leader and communicator.

• Ability to travel up to 25% is required, and travel frequency must be adjusted during the project execution phase.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in a relevant science or engineering field with proven experience in the geothermal industry for power generation.

• 2+ years of experience in management of exploratory/production drilling and construction of geothermal projects.

• Experience using GIS tools and mapping for geothermal purposes (e.g., QGIS, Global Mapper, ESRI Enterprise/ArcGIS Pro).

• Site experience in projects under construction.

• Ability to multi-task and manage deliverables for multiple packages of the same project at a time.

• Desire to work in a dynamic environment alongside people with multiple interests and backgrounds.

• Experience managing interfaces between contractors and contract negotiation.

• Excellent organizational, writing, and interpersonal skills.

• High degree of integrity and understanding of ethical industry standards.

Base Pay

155,000.00-195,000.00 USD Annual
Bonus: 25% - 40%

The base pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target salary for the position. Invenergy considers a number of factors when determining base pay offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education and skills.


In addition to base pay, the total annual compensation package may also include eligibility to participate in our bonus program(s) which are designed to reward individual and company performance. Your recruiter can share more about bonus eligibility for this position during the hiring process.


Invenergy offers a variety of other benefits including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401k, paid time off, etc.

Invenergy LLC is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, status as a protected veteran, or disability.