Plant Technical Specialist/Sr/Principal

The plant technical specialist provides technical work and directs others in technical work in the planning, designing, procurement and construction of additions, changes or maintenance to MidAmerican Energy Company's generating units plant logic and control systems. The plant technical specialist will participate in the direction of work for the plant engineer I and II, plant technical specialists, drafting technicians, contractors and craft personnel. The plant technical specialist will also provide assistance to plant engineer I and II, senior engineers, managers, and principal engineers on higher level projects.

Provide technical support for control system administrative functions including patches, upgrades, and troubleshooting of distributive control systems (DCS), PLC control systems and electronic control instruments. Assist in performing tuning of complex DCS systems to improve heat rate, emission reductions, and other plant performance parameters and positively affect availability or reliability. (40%) 

Provide technical direction for troubleshooting, calibrating and maintaining plant control systems and equipment. Diagnose distributed control system issues and implement enhancements or solutions. Provide technical support for the planning, design and construction of project additions or maintenance of control systems. (20%) 

Provide technical support for remote equipment monitoring and data collection including maintaining an accurate alarm management system and data history. (20%) 

Assist in control equipment maintenance, calibration and control logic diagnosis. Assist in troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical and operational issues. (20%) 

Perform additional responsibilities as requested or assigned. (10%) 
 

Bachelor's degree in engineering or a power plant appropriate science discipline. (Typically, six years of related, progressive work experience would be needed for candidates applying for this position who do not possess a bachelor's degree.) 

Five or more years of experience in direct power plant or related utility industry experience with hands-on practical experience needed to fully understand the plant processes and ability to make modifications as needed to reduce equipment downtime and minimize costs.

Eight or more years of experience in direct power plant or related utility industry experience with hands-on practical experience needed to fully understand the plant processes and ability to make modifications as needed to reduce equipment downtime and minimize costs required for senior plant technical specialist.

Ten or more years of experience in direct power plant or related utility industry experience with hands-on practical experience needed to fully understand the plant processes and ability to make modifications as needed to reduce equipment downtime and minimize costs required for principal plant technical specialist. 

High level of technical knowledge, judgment and capability in controls and instrumentation. 

Effective communicator with technical and managerial personnel within and external to MidAmerican Energy Company. 

Effective problem-solving and decision-making skills. Advanced analytical skills. Advanced project management skills. Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks and projects concurrently. 

Ability to use Microsoft Office tools, Excel, Access, and Word. 

MidAmerican Energy Company, a Midwest utility, provides regulated electric and natural gas service to more than 1.6 million customers in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. The company owns and operates a portfolio of power-generating assets, approximately 61% of which is wind generation.