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About the Role
The Principal Engineer - Thermal Projects will manage third parties in the design and engineering of thermal power generation projects through development, construction, and operation. This role involves engineer management, design reviews, contract document development and negotiation, procurement specification preparation, and other technical support. The successful candidate will serve as the lead project engineer for assigned projects, mentor other engineers, and drive innovation and institutional change.
Responsibilities
- Support EPC engagement by preparing contract exhibits and supporting RFIs during contract negotiations.
- Seek and evaluate proposals for engineering services.
- Manage engineering consultants and EPC contractors through development of project construction drawings and support materials.
- Perform technical project due diligence and project engineering design reviews to ensure compliance with company and industry standards.
- Lead external and internal design review meetings.
- Coordinate feedback from internal stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) on design reviews.
- Value engineer system designs to maximize reliability and reduce overall project cost.
- Establish/review technical specifications of owner furnished equipment in coordination with Procurement and Sourcing.
- Manage Procore RFIs and submittals and ensure complete and timely responses in coordination with other internal teams.
- Respond to contractor requests for information (RFIs).
- Support field quality assurance (QA)/quality control (QC).
- Review test reports for compliance with contract requirements and technical standards.
- Support the technical resolution of punch list items.
- Support startup, commissioning, performance testing, and commercial operation activities.
- Support internal Owner’s Engineering team through financing activities.
- Support Operations/Asset Management teams to resolve technical issues at operating sites.
- Assist Development and Project Management teams with development of key financial inputs.
- Develop and implement technical solutions to market specific requirements in coordination with market manager.
- Review and evaluate major equipment performance guarantees, reliability guarantees, availability guarantees, operating constraints, heat rate performance, emissions requirements, and project design assumptions.
- Support fuel supply and infrastructure evaluations, including natural gas and LNG systems, in coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
- Support permitting, environmental, and interconnection activities by providing technical input related to plant design, equipment selection, operating profiles, and emissions characteristics.
- Contribute to process improvement initiatives for the execution of safe, quality, and high-performance projects.
- Provide timely feedback on EPC and external engineer performance, and document lessons learned to influence internal process enhancements.
- Mentor and educate team on changing trends in technology, best practices, code enforcement, and safety.
- Direct mentorship of other Engineers on job requirements and technical acumen.
- Support the team as a technical subject matter expert.
- Support evaluation of emerging technologies and companies for the Approved Vendor List.
- Lead technical evaluations of new thermal generation technologies and provide recommendations to support project development, technology selection, and long-term business strategy.
- Attend site safety walks and identify jobsite hazards.
- Obtain and maintain safety training certifications (NFPA 70E, OSHA 10-hour, and CPR/first aid).
- Lead by example.
Requirements
- Undergraduate degree in engineering (mechanical preferred) or equivalent technical field.
- 10+ years professional experience in energy system design, project or land development, and/or construction.
- Advanced degrees in a related field may be credited towards years of experience.
- 5+ years of experience in project management, consulting, or as a project engineer.
- Engineering design experience with thermal power generation facilities, including gas turbines, RICE power plants, combined-cycle facilities, simple-cycle facilities, cogeneration systems, HRSGs, steam turbines, and associated balance-of-plant systems.
- Ability to evaluate technical decisions with consideration for cost, schedule, constructability, operability, maintainability, and project risk.
- Experience reviewing operations and maintenance requirements, maintenance philosophies, outage planning considerations, and long-term asset performance expectations.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including ability to successfully work cross-functionally across a large organization.
- Self-starter with ability to work effectively in a remote and/or distributed team environment.
- Ability to effectively manage third party consultants, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
- Proficient with MS Office Suite.
- Direct project experience with Procore.
- Graduate degree in engineering
- EIT or PE qualifications
- Knowledge of thermal power plant codes, standards, and industry practices
- Experience with air permitting, emissions compliance, and environmental regulations applicable to thermal generation facilities
- Understanding of generator interconnection processes and grid compliance requirements
- Experience with fuel systems, including natural gas and LNG infrastructure
- Experience with ETAP, SKM, AspenTech, GT PRO, Thermoflow, or other advanced power system and thermal performance modeling tools
- Substation/High Voltage design experience
- Structural/SCADA/commissioning engineering design experience
- Experience with AutoCAD Civil3D
- Fluency in Spanish or Portuguese
Skills
- Thermal power generation project management
- Third-party management
- Engineering design review
- Contract document development and negotiation
- Procurement specification preparation
- Technical support
- Mentoring and training
- Subject matter expertise
- Innovation
- Institutional change
- Gas turbines
- RICE power plants
- Combined-cycle facilities
- Simple-cycle generation
- Cogeneration systems
- Hybrid thermal generation projects
- Heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs)
- Steam turbines
- Balance-of-plant systems
- Natural gas systems
- LNG systems
- Electrical interconnections
- Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
- Microgrids
- Renewable energy integration
- Data center power solutions
- Communication skills
- Task management
- Planning skills
- MS Office Suite
- Procore
- ETAP
- SKM
- AspenTech
- GT PRO
- Thermoflow
- Power system modeling
- Thermal performance modeling
- Substation design
- High Voltage design
- Structural engineering design
- SCADA engineering design
- Commissioning engineering design
- AutoCAD Civil3D
- Spanish fluency
- Portuguese fluency
Location
- US Renewables & Power offices
- Remote
Work Type
- Remote
- Hybrid
Experience Level
- Principal
- 10+ years professional experience
- 5+ years of experience in project management, consulting, or as a project engineer
Education Level
- Undergraduate degree in engineering (mechanical preferred) or equivalent technical field
- Advanced degrees in a related field
- Graduate degree in engineering
- EIT or PE qualifications
Salary/Compensations
- $145,000 and $181,050/year
Benefits
- Market competitive medical, dental, vision
- Life insurance
- Market leading 401(K)
- Generous Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Parental leave
About the Company
- The AES Corporation is the largest US-based global power company with a team of 8,300 employees across 12 countries.
- AES has been ranked #1 by BloombergNEF in renewable energy sales to corporations in the US and Americas for five consecutive years.
- AES provides electricity for millions of people worldwide.
- AES fosters a strong workplace culture, earning prominent positions in Great Place to Work™ rankings.
- AES was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the 13th consecutive year in 2026.
- AES is the only seven-time winner of the Edison Electric Institute’s Edison Awards in the twenty-first century.
Equal Opportunity
- AES is an Equal Opportunity Employer who is committed to building strength and delivering long-term sustainability through diversity and inclusion.
- Respecting all backgrounds, differences and perspectives enables us to improve the lives of our people, customers, suppliers, contractors, and the communities in which we live and work.
- All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and/or expression, race, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical condition, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.
- E-Verify Notice: AES will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I-9 to confirm work authorization.