Power Plant Operator (Starbase)

SpaceX • Starbase, TX, TX

14d • Onsite

About The Position

SpaceX is seeking a Power Plant Operator for its Starbase, TX facility. This is a hands-on role supporting day-to-day operations, maintenance, and troubleshooting at a power generation facility. You will inspect running equipment, respond to issues as they come up, restore systems, and keep generation and balance-of-plant online. You will work across mechanical, electrical, and controls equipment — pumps, piping, chillers, cooling towers, HVAC, generators, motors, water systems, UPS, switchgear, and plant control systems — following procedures and engineering direction in a fast-paced environment.
This position entails ownership of equipment performance and reliability by monitoring process parameters and maintaining components, with a keen eye for leading indicators of instability or malfunction, and a drive to correct those issues in advance of undesirable events. Ideally, the operator has experience working with industrial processes that utilize engines, motors, fluid piping, electrical equipment, and instrumented controls.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalency certificate
• 3+ years of hands-on experience as a technician or operator working with industrial mechanical, electrical, and/or control systems

Nice To Haves

• Associate’s degree in a technical field (e.g., Power Plant Technology, Controls, Mechatronics, Automation) or equivalent experience
• Experience operating or maintaining equipment in a power plant, process plant, or similar industrial facility
• Experience writing and executing MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs
• Basic understanding of process parameters and engineering units for temperature, pressure, flow, and power
• Ability to read and understand P&ID and schematic wiring diagrams
• Experience troubleshooting industrial equipment, including use of PLC/HMI/SCADA platforms (e.g., Ignition, Siemens, Rockwell, SEL)
• Experience with generators, UPS, switchgear, HVAC, chillers, cooling towers, pumps, or plant water systems
• Familiar with 120V, 480V, and 4160V electrical switchgear and components
• Familiar with lock out tag out, job hazard analysis, and hot work permitting
• Strong documentation, communication, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently in a team environment

Responsibilities

• Provide operational and maintenance support for plant mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and process systems, including pumps, piping, chillers, cooling towers, HVAC, generators, motors, water systems, UPS, switchgear, and related balance-of-plant equipment
• Perform daily inspections of critical systems, identify issues early, and self-report problems before they affect generation
• Identify equipment and process deviations and perform corrective actions
• Troubleshoot and repair operational issues found during normal plant operation, start-up, outages, or commissioning
• Assist with maintenance and troubleshooting of plant control systems, including PLC, HMI, SCADA, and related industrial controls for generation, cooling, power distribution, and safety
• Support HMI/interface monitoring and help maintain automated controls for fire protection and emergency shutdown
• Read and interpret P&IDs, schematics, data sheets/manuals, drawings, and equipment documentation
• Work with engineers and technicians to create operating procedures
• Write, follow, and execute MOPs, SOPs, and EOPs, and learn and run standard operating procedures on the machinery
• Support lockout/tagout, hot work, confined space, and site safety and environmental requirements
• Coordinate and support scheduled system shutdowns, outages, and utility events as directed
• Support commissioning by witnessing equipment start-up, assisting with functional testing, and monitoring construction and turnover progress
• Coordinate with operations, maintenance, and engineering to restore equipment and keep the plant running

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED