Power Plant Technician Senior - For Current Austin Energy Employees Only

Austin, Texas


Employer: City of Austin
Industry: Technical
Salary: Competitive
Job type: Full-Time

Minimum Qualifications
Education and/or Equivalent Experience:
  • Graduation from an accredited high school or equivalent, plus four (4) years experience performing a maintenance or operations craft in a power plant or heavy industrial environment.
  • Associates Degree may substitute for two (2) years of experience.



Licenses or Certifications:
  • None.
Notes to Applicants
Decker Creek Power Station is seeking a qualified Power Plant Technician Sr with experience in both operations and maintenance of a Natural Gas Combustion Turbine Power Plant.

This position will be required to work a 12-hr 7on/7off schedule which includes working weekends and holidays.

Qualified applicants must have experience performing AT MINIMUM ONE of the following:

Operation experience must include operating simple cycle, gas combustion turbine, power plants, three part communication, developing and completing daily operation summary reports, developing work orders for operational trips/failures or other plant needs, and operating simple cycle combustion turbines, conduct shift change by fully briefing incoming shift regarding current plant conditions, plans, and expectations, perform chemical analysis of plant water to determine chemical constituents and take corrective action to maintain quality.

WHEN COMPLETING THE CITY OF AUSTIN APPLICATION :

The City of Austin employment application is an official document; incomplete applications will not be considered. Please be sure that your application is a reflection of your entire work history. A detailed and complete employment application is required to help us better evaluate your qualifications and will be used to determine salary if you are selected for this position. Describe your specific experience for each position. Include all job duties, responsibilities, and employment dates. Please be sure that your application is a reflection of your entire work history.

Resumes will not be accepted. Statements such as "see resume" will not be accepted. You may use "N/A" for fields that are not applicable. Starting salary will be based on overall relevant experience from your employment application. Supplemental information or changes to your application will not be accepted after the job posting closes.

The responses to the supplemental questions must reference the employment history listed in the employment history section. Once the requisition has closed, the application cannot be changed to update work history, supplemental questions, or any other information.

We reserve the right to verify high school and college education for the top candidate(s).

Assessments: Your skill level in some of the competency areas for this job may be assessed through skills testing.

If you have any questions regarding your City of Austin employment application, please use the official website of the City of Austin as reference. www.austintexas.gov.

This position requires a criminal background investigation.

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred Experience
  • Experience with the operation and maintenance of simple cycle, aeroderivative, gas turbines.
  • Experience as an outside operator at a natural gas or coal fired steam electric generating station, making equipment rounds, starting and stopping equipment locally, looking for potential equipment issues and monitoring individual equipment performance.
  • Experience with chemical analysis of plant water to determine chemical constituents and ability to take action to maintain quality.
  • Duties, Functions and Responsibilities
    Essential duties and functions, pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other related duties may be assigned.


    The following is required for mastery of the Operations Craft:
  • Estimates starting time for the idle generation units and follows prescribe startup procedures to bring units on line at a specified time.
  • Implements the Changes the loading of turbine/generator as required from the DCS (Distributed Control System) console or through other electronic control systems.
  • Reads meters and records data at specified intervals in appropriate logs and computers and interprets results from the readings.
  • Duties 4-12 are available at any of the Austin Energy Power Plants.


  • The following is required for mastery of the MECHANICAL craft:

  • Responsible for installing, repairing and maintaining structural or mechanical equipment at the plant including, turbines; pumps; piping systems; boilers; cooling towers; condensers; scrubber; pressure vessels; and all other associated systems and equipment to maintain efficient plant production of electrical energy.
  • Performs or directs millwright functions in setting up; aligning; balancing; and testing various machinery and equipment, such a turbines; pumps; shafts; bearings; gearboxes; and valves.
  • Work with precision tools and instruments within close tolerances to maintain precision alignment and balance which is critical for maximum life and performance of machinery and equipment. Evaluate the measurements to ensure they meet designed tolerances.
  • Duties 4-11 are available at any of the Austin Energy Power Plants.


  • The following is required for mastery of the ELECTRICAL craft:

  • Troubleshoot, maintain, repair, program, and replace complex electrical equipment, A/C and D/C control circuits, magnetic starters, interlock systems, and alarms, to ensure reliable and safe electric generation.
  • Maintain and calibrate electrical equipment such as circuit breakers, main generator, voltage regulator, exciter, protection circuits and relays, in plant transformers, bushings, transfer switches, and other electrical devices.
  • Set up and test various electrical equipment with the use of special testing devices to measure voltage, current, and resistance or locate faults, malfunctions, or device failures. Duties 4-8 are available at any of the Austin Energy Power Plants.

  • The following is required for mastery of the INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL craft:
  • Responsible for installing, calibrating, testing, troubleshooting, and maintaining protective circuits, computers, metering, monitoring, and control systems on boilers, turbines, generators, and plant auxiliary equipment.
  • Remove, dismantle; clean; maintain; and assemble instruments and replace defective components. Perform in shop bench work and component troubleshooting on instrumentation.
  • Reads, and interprets electric generating plants piping & instrument diagrams, wiring and logic diagrams to locate, identify, troubleshoot, and repair plant systems, instrumentation interlocks, etc.
  • Duties 4-9 are available at any of the Austin Energy Power Plants.

  • Responsibilities- Supervision and/or Leadership Exercised:
    • Provides leadership, work assignments, evaluation, training, and guidance to others.
    Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
    Must possess required knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience and be able to explain and demonstrate, with or without reasonable accommodations, that the essential functions of the job can be performed.

    • Knowledge of lock out/tag out procedures for removing equipment from service for maintenance.
    • Knowledge of proper methods and procedures used in cleaning work area and equipment.
    • Knowledge of applicable procedures, methods, equipment, tools, and materials involved in the operations, maintenance and repair of large equipment.
    • Knowledge of safety rules, codes and regulations applicable when working on or near energized electrical systems, steam systems, and high-pressure water systems.
    • Ability to make accurate gauge readings.
    • Skill in establishing and maintaining good working relationships with other City employees and the public.
    • Skill in performing basic mathematical calculations.
    • Skills for mastery in one maintenance craft or in the operations craft.
    • Ability to reference/interpret technical manuals sufficient to perform job tasks.
    • Ability to work in extreme environments. (Hot or Cold)
    • Ability to climb ladders and work in a noisy environment.
    • Ability to lift 50 pounds.
    • Ability to wear a respirator where work environment requires.
    • Ability to work 12 hour rotating shifts if work assignment requires.
    • Ability to sit in front of a computer control console for a 12 hour shift if work assignment requires.
    • Ability to use various hand and power tools.
    • Ability to train others and assign work.
    Criminal Background Investigation This position has been approved for a Criminal Background Investigation. EEO/ADA
    The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require reasonable accommodation during the application process or have a question regarding an essential job function, please call (512) 974-3210 or Texas Relay by dialing 7-1-1.

    The City of Austin will not discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, age, religion, veteran status, disability, or sexual orientation. In addition, the City will not discriminate in employment decisions on the basis of an individual's AIDS , AIDS Related Complex, or HIV status; nor will the City discriminate against individuals who are perceived to be at risk of HIV infection, or who associate with individuals who are believed to be at risk.


    Created: 2024-06-09
    Reference: 118758
    Country: United States
    State: Texas
    City: Austin
    ZIP: 78749


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