Director, Controls Engineer

Hanwha Energy USA • Houston, TX

13h

About The Position

Hanwha Energy USA is seeking a Director, Controls Engineer to oversee the control, automation, and operational intelligence of utility-scale gas-fired power plants. This role is crucial for ensuring the reliable and high-availability operation of these facilities, particularly those supporting mission-critical loads like data centers. The Director will act as the owner-side technical authority throughout the project lifecycle, from development and engineering to commissioning and operations, defining control philosophies and governing designs to ensure optimal performance and integration of multi-layer control architectures.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Control, or Automation Engineering.
• 15+ years of experience in power plant control systems, automation, or protection engineering.
• Proven experience with gas fired reciprocating engine–based and/or gas turbine power plants.
• Demonstrated experience acting as a discipline lead or technical authority in owner-side, EPC, or OEM environments.
• Deep expertise in Power plant DCS, PLC, and SCADA systems, Gas engine and generator control systems, PMS and EMS architectures, and Protection, sequencing, and interlock design.
• Strong understanding of Plant dynamic behavior and transient response, Grid-connected and islanded operation, and Black start and resynchronization logic.
• Familiarity with applicable standards (IEEE, IEC, NEC, NFPA, ISO 8528).
• Ability to define technical direction and enforce standards across multiple projects.
• Strong engineering judgment balancing reliability, cost, schedule, and risk.
• Confident communicator with EPCs, OEMs, utilities, and executive stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in complex, fast-moving project development environments.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting data center power supply projects or other mission-critical loads.
• Exposure to ERCOT or other U.S. ISOs/RTOs.
• Experience with BESS control integration or hybrid power plant operation.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Responsibilities

• Establish and own the overall control, protection, and automation philosophy for gas-fired power plants (SCGT, CCGT, and gas fired reciprocating engines).
• Act as the final technical decision-maker for control system architecture, design acceptance, and performance-related issues.
• Define company-wide standards for DCS, PLC, and SCADA architecture, control system redundancy and fail-safe strategies, and protection, sequencing, and interlock philosophies.
• Define and govern the hierarchical control architecture for gas reciprocating engine–based power plants, including engine package controllers, unit- or block-level controllers, Plant-level Power Management System (PMS), and Supervisory Energy Management System (EMS).
• Clearly define control boundaries, interfaces, and responsibilities between OEMs, EPCs, system integrators, and the owner.
• Ensure stable coordination across all control layers during start-up and shutdown, load changes and transient events, islanded and grid-connected operation, and abnormal and failure scenarios.
• Own and define PMS architecture and control philosophy, including generator and engine dispatch logic, load sharing and load shedding / restoration schemes, islanding, black start, and resynchronization logic, and frequency and voltage control coordination.
• Govern PMS implementation by EPCs and integrators to ensure compliance with owner requirements and performance targets.
• Provide technical leadership for EMS concepts supporting plant- and campus-scale power systems.
• Define EMS strategies for energy dispatch and operational optimization, coordination between engines, BESS, and grid supply, and data center–driven load profiles and availability requirements.
• Ensure seamless integration between EMS, PMS, plant DCS, and utility interfaces.
• Ensure control strategies meet high-availability and transient performance requirements, including mission-critical data center loads.
• Oversee evaluation of load step response, frequency and voltage excursions, and transient performance (e.g., ISO 8528 criteria).
• Define control strategies for black start, island operation, and rapid load recovery.
• Lead control & automation engagement with EPC contractors, OEMs (engine, generator, and control system suppliers), and Owner’s Engineers (OE).
• Review, challenge, and approve key deliverables, including control narratives and functional descriptions, Cause & Effect matrices, protection and automation philosophies, and network architecture and control system redundancy concepts.
• Ensure EPC and OEM designs align with owner objectives for reliability, operability, and lifecycle cost.
• Provide control engineering leadership during Pre-FEED and FEED decision gates, and project acquisitions and technical due diligence.
• Identify control-system-related risks affecting availability and reliability, CAPEX and OPEX, and schedule and commissioning.
• Support mitigation strategies and owner positions in commercial and technical negotiations.
• Define long-term control and automation strategy to support BESS integration, future SCGT → CCGT conversion, and digitalization and advanced plant monitoring.
• Evaluate emerging control technologies, vendors, and architectures from an owner’s perspective.
• Coordinate closely with electrical engineering leadership, mechanical and process engineering teams, and development, commercial, and operations teams.
• Translate complex control and automation topics into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership.

Benefits

• Equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees