Performance Engineer - Electric Generation

NiSource•Valparaiso, IN

About The Position

Performance Engineer – Electric Generation Job Summary The Performance Engineer monitors, identifies, tracks, analyzes, and reports on the performance and health of electric generation assets to maximize availability, reliability, and net energy production. This role interprets Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Asset Management software data, develops expected actual performance baselines, and delivers clear, stakeholder-ready reports that quantify losses from equipment conditions, controls issues, operating constraints, environmental limits and risk management. The Performance Engineer partners closely with Operations and Maintenance, Environmental, and Real-Time Systems to investigate and track lost production, recommend and track corrective actions, and validate results. Through trend analysis and early-failure detection, the role supports predictive and preventative maintenance planning. Recommends, evaluates, oversees and verifies performance improvement of assets and asset management software. This position is posted as a five-level job family (Associate through Senior); placement will align with the selected candidate’s education, experience, and qualifications.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Engineering Preferred or Engineering Technology from an ABET-accredited program (degree completion by May 30, 2026).
0-12+ months of relevant experience (including internships, co-ops, or research).
Basic knowledge of power generation and renewable assets (wind, solar, and battery), including performance metrics and common causes of lost production.
Basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Word, AutoCAD, time-series data, drawings
Ability to research and extract information from drawings, manuals and tag lists
Ability to create basic reports with assistance
Continuously learns and builds job-related technical and professional skills through training, mentorship, office and field work.
Valid driver’s license
1+ years relevant experience
Improved performance of all duties and responsibilities of the Associate Engineer level plus
Perform routine monitoring of renewable generation asset performance and basic data analysis.
Support the development of expected vs. actual performance baselines under supervision.
Assist in investigations of lost production, equipment degradation, or controls issues.
Contribute to KPI reporting and production of stakeholder-ready analytics with guidance.
Participate in SCADA and Asset Management data validation activities.
Support outage planning activities by gathering performance data and completing assigned analysis tasks
Ability to prepare cost estimates under supervision
4+ years of equivalent experience.
Improved performance of all duties and responsibilities of the Engineer 1 level plus
Independently conduct performance monitoring and detailed analysis of renewable generation assets.
Develop, refine, and maintain performance baselines with limited oversight.
Participate in complex investigations and assist in root-cause analysis for performance losses.
Produce KPI reports, operational analytics, and performance summaries for engineering and operations stakeholders.
Validate and troubleshoot instrument health and tag configuration issues.
Support outage planning and post‑outage performance reviews through advanced performance analysis.
Contribute to process improvements and documentation updates.
Growing expertise in engineering principles and project execution
9+ years of equivalent experience
Improved performance of all duties and responsibilities of the Engineer 2 level plus
Lead performance engineering activities across multiple renewable generation sites.
Build advanced analytics models, performance monitoring tools, and reliability assessments.
Lead investigations into equipment degradation, controls issues, or recurring production losses.
Coordinate corrective action planning across Maintenance, Environmental, and Real-Time Systems teams.
Manage medium‑to‑large engineering projects, ensuring objectives, schedules, and deliverables are met.
Provide guidance and mentorship to junior engineers and co‑ops.
Support fleet‑wide data quality improvement initiatives and standardize analytical methods.
Comprehensive knowledge of asset performance monitoring, data analytics, and root-cause troubleshooting in a power generation environment.
Ability to manage complex projects and mentor junior engineers
12+ years of equivalent experience
Improved performance of all duties and responsibilities of the Engineer 3 level plus
Provide strategic direction and technical leadership for fleet-wide performance engineering programs.
Lead complex, high-impact investigations and oversee root-cause analysis across renewable portfolios.
Develop and maintain performance engineering standards, compliance practices, and data governance frameworks.
Oversee major cross-functional initiatives to improve availability, reliability, and net energy production.
Mentor and coach engineers across all levels, supporting professional development and technical training.
Lead major outage planning and fleet-wide performance improvement projects.
Act as a subject matter expert for SCADA, Asset Management systems, and advanced analytics.
Expert knowledge of engineering principles, compliance standards
Strong leadership, coaching, and project management skills

Nice To Haves

Basic knowledge with a programming language (Python, SQL, C/C++, R)
Experience in the electric utility industry.
Basic knowledge with a programming language (Python and SQL)
Experience in the electric utility industry.
PMP certification or advanced project management skills.
Experience in the electric utility industry.
EIT/PE certification
PMP certification
Experience in the electric utility industry.
EIT/PE certification
PMP certification
Advanced degree in Business or Engineering

Responsibilities

Monitor, trend, and report generation asset performance and health to maximize availability, reliability, and net energy production.
Analyze SCADA and asset management software data to produce stakeholder-ready reports, KPI reporting, and actionable reports.
Develop and maintain expected vs. actual performance baselines and lost production accounting for derates, outages, dispatch & transmission constraints, equipment degradation, controls issues, and environmental constraints.
Lead/participate in investigations of lost production, equipment degradation, controls issues and data related outages; partner with Operations and Maintenance, Environmental, and Real-Time systems to prioritize corrective actions and validate results.
Plan and support performance, analytics and acceptance testing of SCADA data and Asset Management data as new sites reach commercial operations
Support outage planning and post-outage reviews by providing performance-based work prioritization and tracking return-to-service performance.
Improve data quality and repeatability by validating instrument health and tag configuration, maintaining documents and calculation methods.
Work with Operations and Maintenance to ensure proper planning, execution and validation of instrument calibration process.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and participating in professional societies
Crosstrain with Reliability, Mechanical and Electrical Engineers on Renewable and Conventional Generation Assets