Director, Electrical Engineer – Gas Fired Power Plant

Hanwha Energy USA • Houston, TX

11h

About The Position

Hanwha Energy USA is seeking a Director of Electrical Engineering to lead the electrical engineering strategy, system architecture, and technical governance for utility-scale gas-fired power plants integrated with mission-critical data center loads. This owner-side role involves managing all aspects of electrical system design, grid interconnection, and high-availability power delivery throughout the project lifecycle. A key part of this role is direct technical engagement with data center customers to translate their requirements into executable electrical designs and ensure alignment with internal teams, EPC contractors, OEMs, and utilities. The position also includes responsibility for customer-led validation, such as FAT and SAT participation, for project acceptance. The employee may be required to perform other job-related duties as requested by management.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering (Master’s preferred).
• 15+ years of experience in power plant electrical engineering, EPC, Owner’s Engineering, or project development.
• Proven experience with gas-fired power plants (SCGT, CCGT, or engine-based).
• Demonstrated experience acting as a technical authority or discipline lead.
• Deep expertise in power plant electrical systems and substation design, high-voltage and medium-voltage equipment, protection and grounding systems, and grid interconnection and system studies.
• Strong understanding of data center power requirements and high-availability design, power quality, transient performance, and system stability.
• Familiarity with applicable standards (IEEE, NEC, IEC, NFPA).
• Strong ability to lead technical discussions with sophisticated customers (e.g., data center developers/operators).
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting data center power supply projects.
• Exposure to ERCOT or other U.S. ISOs/RTOs.
• Experience with BESS or hybrid power plant configurations.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license.

Responsibilities

• Establish and own the overall electrical system philosophy for gas-fired power plants (SCGT, CCGT, and gas engine–based).
• Act as the final technical decision-maker for electrical system architecture, equipment selection and configuration, and reliability and redundancy strategies.
• Define company-wide standards for high-voltage and medium-voltage system design, substation and switchyard configurations, and protection philosophies.
• Lead direct technical discussions with data center customers to interpret and clarify power requirements, translate requirements into electrical system design criteria, and act as the primary technical interface between the customer and internal engineering teams.
• Drive alignment on redundancy architecture, power quality and ride-through expectations, and interface points between plant and data center electrical systems.
• Support customer-facing presentations, technical workshops, and design reviews.
• Lead and manage customer involvement in factory and site-level validation activities, including Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) for major electrical equipment and Site Acceptance Tests (SAT) and commissioning validation.
• Act as the owner-side authority to coordinate, facilitate, and respond to customer review and approval processes during testing phases.
• Ensure all electrical systems meet customer-defined performance, reliability, and compliance requirements through pre-test planning, test procedure validation, real-time issue resolution, and post-test documentation.
• Manage and align stakeholders (customer, EPC, OEM, OE) to ensure successful test execution and timely system acceptance.
• Lead electrical scope for grid interconnection strategy and execution with ERCOT and utilities such as Oncor.
• Oversee and validate power flow, short circuit, and dynamic stability studies, voltage control and reactive power strategies, and compliance with ISO/RTO and utility requirements.
• Define owner positions in technical negotiations with utilities and interconnection authorities.
• Define electrical architectures to meet high availability targets (e.g., 99.9%+) for mission-critical loads.
• Lead design decisions for redundant power paths and system topology, reliable power distribution to data center campuses, and transformer configurations and bus arrangements.
• Ensure coordination between generation systems, electrical systems, and control systems.
• Lead electrical engineering engagement with EPC contractors, OEMs, and Owner’s Engineers (OE).
• Review, challenge, and approve key deliverables, including Single Line Diagrams (SLDs), protection and control philosophies, electrical equipment specifications, and system studies and technical reports.
• Ensure designs align with owner objectives for reliability, operability, and lifecycle cost.
• Provide electrical engineering leadership during Pre-FEED and FEED decision gates, and project acquisitions and technical due diligence.
• Identify electrical-system-related risks affecting grid compliance, interconnection approval, CAPEX and OPEX, and schedule and long-lead equipment procurement.
• Support mitigation strategies and owner positions in commercial and technical negotiations.
• Lead integration of BESS and hybrid power systems, black-start solutions and grid-forming capabilities, and future expansion.
• Evaluate emerging electrical technologies and architectures from an owner’s perspective.
• Provide technical direction and mentorship to electrical engineers across multiple projects.
• Coordinate closely with Control & Automation leadership, Mechanical engineering leadership, Development, commercial, and operations teams.
• Translate complex electrical 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