POWER PLANT OPERATION SUPERVISOR-SHIFT

El Paso Electric Company•El Paso, TX

6d•$102,800 - $143,588

About The Position

The Operations Shift Supervisor at Newman Power Plant is responsible for the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of 11 generating units, including two combined cycle units equipped with Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs), auxiliary equipment, and balance-of-plant systems. The role also oversees water systems, including ultra-pure water production, water treatment chemistry, and wastewater management through the plant’s Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system, supporting regulatory compliance, water recovery, and reuse. Under the general direction of the Superintendent of Plant Operations, the supervisor leads daily plant operations in accordance with safety, environmental, operational, and NERC standards. The role coordinates with maintenance teams and other departments, leads troubleshooting and emergency response, supervises and develops operations staff, and promotes safety and continuous improvement. The position may require responding to emergent operational conditions and performing additional duties necessary to maintain safe and reliable plant operations. The supervisor directly leads the Operations Department team of 28 employees and provides oversight and coordination for contractors, maintenance crafts, engineering personnel, other departments, and external stakeholders. The position also coordinates shift staffing and coverage, works rotating shifts and extended hours as needed, and supports plant reliability, compliance, and performance objectives.

Requirements

At least five years of experience in a highly responsible role within an electric utility company, specifically in power plant operations.
Experience operating electric utility-scale equipment, including conventional steam turbines, boilers operating above 1800 psig and 1200°F, gas-fired turbines, electric generators, combined-cycle HRSGs, auxiliary systems, balance-of-plant systems, and water treatment systems and equipment.
Demonstrated expertise in the operation and maintenance of power plant generating equipment, thermodynamic cycles for conventional steam and gas turbines, heat rates, efficiencies, and operating practices.
Knowledge of Distributed Control Systems such as Foxboro, Ovation, or similar; operational and maintenance procedures; OSHA safety standards; and EPA/TECQ environmental regulations.
In-depth knowledge of high-energy steam processes and systems and the hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, and mechanical systems commonly found in power plants.
Understanding of power plant maintenance needs and the interdependencies among operations, maintenance, engineering, and environmental departments.
Ability to serve as a liaison between the power plant and internal departments or external stakeholders and coordinate activities and projects effectively.
Ability to interpret OEM manuals, operational logic and parameters, reports, and drawings, including P&IDs, F&IDs, one-line and three-line diagrams, and control-system diagrams.
Availability and willingness to work rotating shifts and extended hours as needed.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to foster productive working relationships with managers, team members, and peers.
Discretion and ability to handle confidential matters with integrity and professionalism.
Extensive knowledge of LOTO procedures and ability to lead and enforce plant safety processes and protocols.
Leadership and decision-making skills to lead an Operations Department team of 28 employees, with over 90% exempt staff, and coordinate contractors, maintenance crafts, engineering personnel, other departments, and stakeholders.
One of the following education and experience pathways: extensive knowledge and experience operating and maintaining electric utility-size power plant equipment; a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or a related Engineering field plus extensive industrial/utility power plant experience; an associate’s degree plus at least eight years of relevant industrial/utility power plant operation and maintenance experience; or a high school diploma plus at least ten years of industrial/utility power plant operation and maintenance experience.
Personnel supervision experience is preferred for the education and experience pathways.

Nice To Haves

Personnel supervision experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee power plant operations during assigned shifts and while onsite, ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient electricity generation.
Evaluate operating conditions, make timely decisions, initiate corrective actions, and resolve routine and emergency operational issues.
Supervise, mentor, assign duties to, develop, and evaluate shift operations staff.
Coordinate work among operations, maintenance, engineering, safety, environmental, contractors, external agencies, and other stakeholders.
Develop, implement, revise, and enforce plant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Ensure compliance with NERC standards, OSHA regulations, environmental requirements, permits, and internal policies.
Communicate with System Operators and dispatch centers about unit status, load demands, outages, and return-to-service timelines; coordinate with other departments as needed.
Oversee and participate in routine and event-driven monitoring and inspection of plant systems and equipment; review rounds data and approve documentation before official logging.
Lead or support troubleshooting and root cause analysis, initiate work requests, coordinate corrective actions, and prepare incident documentation.
Coordinate maintenance and repair schedules and priorities to minimize operational disruption and maintain safety compliance.
Lead the shift Lock-Out/Tag-Out (LOTO) process and ensure personnel follow required procedures.
Verify equipment functionality and safety compliance before returning systems to service after maintenance or outages.
Oversee environmental compliance, emissions limits, monitoring systems, reporting, and operations staff training in environmental requirements and practices.
Ensure accurate and timely operational logs, reports, records, and data reviews; identify trends and issues and provide findings and recommendations.
Facilitate or assist with operational training, safety briefings, and job-specific instruction.
Support shift schedules, overtime, time-off requests, and coverage planning.
Promote and enforce safety procedures, participate in safety audits and reviews, and model hazard-mitigation practices.
Apply company policies, union contract provisions, and conduct standards fairly and consistently.
Take command during plant emergencies or abnormal conditions, coordinate response, communicate with management, and initiate recovery procedures.
Identify and pursue improvements in operations, reliability, and performance; participate in root cause analysis, reliability reviews, and strategic planning, while seeking to reduce costs without compromising safety, reliability, or efficiency.
Perform special assignments, projects, and other duties as assigned.