Senior Mechanical Project Engineer

We are seeking an experienced Senior Mechanical Project Engineer to serve as the owner’s technical authority for the design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operation of multi-unit simple-cycle gas turbine power generation facilities , including associated Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and auxiliary systems.

This role will support the company’s power generation development and execution portfolio and may become dedicated to a specific project site during the execution phase.

The Senior Mechanical Project Engineer will provide engineering leadership from late-stage development through procurement, EPC execution, commissioning, and long-term asset operation. The position will ensure project solutions meet requirements for performance, efficiency, reliability, environmental compliance, operability, and lifecycle cost .

This individual will serve as a key technical interface between the company, equipment OEMs, Owner’s Engineers, EPC contractors, and internal stakeholders, providing owner-side oversight and technical direction throughout the project lifecycle.

What You’ll Do

Owner’s Engineering Leadership – Gas Turbine Projects

• Serve as the company's mechanical engineering subject matter expert and technical lead for gas turbine generation projects.
• Provide owner-side technical oversight of major equipment and plant systems, including:
  • Gas turbines
  • Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems
  • Heat recovery systems, where applicable
  • Fuel gas systems
  • Lubrication and hydraulic systems
  • Inlet air filtration, conditioning, and cooling systems
  • Exhaust systems, silencers, and stack interfaces
  • Cooling water and heat rejection systems
  • Buildings, enclosures, ventilation, and fire protection
  • Black-start generation systems
• Ensure equipment and plant designs support long-term availability, maintainability, reliability, and lifecycle economics.

Engineering & Design Management

• Establish and validate design basis, boundary conditions, performance requirements, and equipment specifications.
• Coordinate technical interfaces between equipment suppliers, EPC contractors, Owner’s Engineers, offtakers, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee mechanical equipment integration, piping layouts, and balance-of-plant auxiliary systems.
• Support integration of advanced augmentation technologies and hybrid power configurations.
• Perform and review feasibility studies, conceptual designs, and engineering analyses, including:
  • Heat and mass balances
  • Thermal performance assessments
  • Water and heat balance calculations
  • Auxiliary and cooling system evaluations
• Review and validate key engineering deliverables, including equipment datasheets, technical specifications, PFDs, P&IDs, and thermal system documentation.

Project Development & Technology Selection

• Support project development through technology screening, conceptual design, and performance definition.
• Evaluate gas turbine technologies and configurations, including simple cycle, combined cycle, CHP, and primary power applications for data centers .
• Develop owner-level technical requirements, performance guarantees, and specification frameworks for equipment procurement and EPC contracting.
• Provide technical input into project feasibility, execution strategy, and investment decisions.

Technology Innovation & Optimization

• Evaluate technologies designed to improve plant efficiency, flexibility, reliability, and emissions performance.
• Assess turbine power augmentation and inlet air management technologies, including:
  • Mechanical chilling
  • Thermal energy storage
  • Fogging
  • Wet compression
  • Intercooling
  • Absorption chillers
  • Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC)
• Evaluate advanced auxiliary systems for high-reliability and extreme-climate operating environments.
• Lead technical evaluations of emissions-control technologies, including SCR and oxidation catalysts.
• Support decarbonization assessments involving:
  • Hydrogen blending
  • Combined-cycle efficiency improvements
  • Carbon capture readiness and CCUS integration
• Evaluate impacts of emissions and decarbonization technologies on turbine performance, auxiliary loads, backpressure, permitting, CAPEX, OPEX, and lifecycle economics.

Procurement, Contracting & OEM Management

• Lead the technical development of RFQs, bid specifications, equipment requirements, and performance guarantees.
• Conduct technical evaluations of OEM and EPC proposals.
• Support commercial negotiations and contract development with equipment suppliers and EPC partners.
• Review vendor deviations, technical exceptions, change orders, warranty provisions, and long-term service agreements.
• Ensure equipment procurement aligns with project schedule, technical requirements, risk profile, and investment objectives.
• Develop and maintain strong technical relationships with OEMs, EPC contractors, and major equipment suppliers.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Lead and participate in technical risk assessments, including HAZOP and HAZID studies.
• Identify and mitigate technical, operational safety, and reliability risks associated with gas turbine packages and auxiliary systems.
• Ensure applicable safety, environmental, regulatory, and owner requirements are incorporated throughout design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
• Provide technical support for air permitting, emissions modeling, and environmental compliance.

Regulatory & Air Permitting

• Provide owner-level engineering support for environmental and regulatory requirements associated with gas turbine generation.
• Support air permit applications and compliance documentation.
• Provide technical inputs for emissions modeling and control technology evaluations.
• Maintain awareness of applicable requirements, including:
  • EPA NSPS
  • NESHAP
  • PSD/NSR
  • Local air district permitting
  • Noise and thermal requirements
  • Emerging carbon and decarbonization regulations

EPC Oversight & Project Execution

• Serve as a member of the owner's project management team during EPC execution.
• Provide technical oversight of turbine package engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning, and startup.
• Review EPC design packages, interface documentation, installation procedures, and commissioning plans.
• Participate in:
  • Factory Acceptance Tests (FATs)
  • Site Acceptance Tests (SATs)
  • Performance testing
  • Reliability testing
  • Commissioning and startup activities
• Lead resolution of technical issues, equipment problems, vendor claims, and commissioning challenges.

Asset Lifecycle & Operational Support

• Provide engineering support to operating generation assets, including troubleshooting, upgrades, outage planning, and performance optimization.
• Support spare-parts strategies, service planning, and reliability improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate retrofit and upgrade opportunities related to emissions compliance, output enhancement, efficiency, and long-term asset value.
• Capture operational lessons learned and incorporate them into future project development and design standards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive experience supporting open-cycle gas turbine power generation projects through development, EPC execution, OEM environments, or owner/operator organizations.
• Strong technical knowledge of gas turbine packages, turbine auxiliaries, balance-of-plant systems, and equipment integration.
• Demonstrated experience with engineering design review, equipment procurement, EPC execution, and OEM management.
• Experience supporting air permitting, emissions compliance, and environmental control systems .
• Strong understanding of project development, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and operational interfaces.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working for an IPP, power developer, or owner/operator organization .
• Experience with simple-cycle and/or combined-cycle power generation projects.
• Understanding of HRSG and steam-cycle integration.
• Experience with gas turbine technology selection and performance evaluation.
• Knowledge of decarbonization technologies, including hydrogen blending and carbon capture readiness .
• Professional Engineer (PE) license strongly preferred.
• Field commissioning, startup, performance testing, or troubleshooting experience.
• Experience supporting power generation for data center applications .

Core Competencies

• Owner's engineering mindset and strong technical accountability
• Gas turbine and balance-of-plant expertise
• EPC and OEM technical oversight
• Equipment procurement and specification development
• Project development and technology evaluation
• Regulatory and air permitting knowledge
• Strong commercial and contract awareness
• Technical risk identification and mitigation
• Ability to balance innovation with practical project execution
• Strong communication with technical, commercial, and executive stakeholders
• Ability to operate effectively across development, engineering, construction, and operations teams

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