Facility Project Engineer

Facility Project Engineer

Location: Dresden, NY
Employment Type: Full-Time | Individual Contributor
Salary: $115,000–$140,000 + 10–15% Annual Bonus
Relocation: Relocation Assistance Available
Recruiting Partner: Sheridan HR, on behalf of Vulcan Infrastructure and Power

About the Opportunity

Sheridan HR is partnering with Vulcan Infrastructure and Power to identify an experienced Facility Project Engineer to support capital projects, facility improvements, maintenance initiatives, and carbon mitigation projects across its Dresden site.

This unique engineering opportunity spans both a 106 MW natural gas-fired steam (Rankine-cycle) power plant and a co-located data center operation, providing exposure to complex power-generation, industrial, and mission-critical infrastructure.

Reporting to the Plant Manager, the Facility Project Engineer will take projects from initial concept through scoping, engineering, budgeting, procurement, execution, commissioning, and closeout. This individual will work closely with plant operations, maintenance, electrical engineering, data center teams, vendors, and contractors to deliver projects safely, on schedule, and within budget.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on project engineer who combines strong technical and project-management capabilities with sound business judgment. This role will also play an important part in identifying opportunities to improve plant efficiency, reliability, emissions performance, and overall site value.

What You'll Do

Project Development & Execution

• Develop and execute capital, improvement, maintenance, reliability, and carbon mitigation projects across the power plant and data center.
• Lead projects from initial concept and feasibility through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout.
• Develop project scopes, engineering requirements, cost estimates, schedules, budgets, and execution plans.
• Monitor project costs, schedules, risks, and performance and provide regular updates to site leadership.
• Coordinate internal resources and outside engineering firms, contractors, and vendors.
• Ensure projects are executed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with applicable specifications and requirements.

Capital Planning & Reliability

• Identify and evaluate opportunities for capital improvements, major equipment replacements, reliability upgrades, and facility improvements.
• Develop business cases and cost-benefit analyses to justify and prioritize capital investments.
• Apply reliability-centered approaches, including Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA), asset criticality assessments, and predictive data.
• Help develop and maintain a long-term capital project pipeline prioritized by value, risk, reliability, and emissions impact.
• Identify projects that improve site performance, reliability, compliance, efficiency, and operating economics.

Carbon Mitigation & Energy Efficiency

• Develop and execute projects focused on emissions reduction, carbon mitigation, energy efficiency, and improved plant performance.
• Evaluate potential technologies and improvement opportunities that can reduce emissions and operating costs.
• Track project outcomes and measure progress against site carbon and emissions objectives.
• Incorporate emissions and energy performance into project prioritization and business cases.

Thermal Performance & Heat Rate

• Serve as the site's heat rate and thermal performance leader.
• Act as the subject-matter expert for the ETAPRO performance monitoring system.
• Monitor and analyze unit thermal performance and identify opportunities to improve efficiency.
• Use operational and performance data to identify potential equipment, process, and system improvements.
• Develop and support projects designed to improve heat rate, efficiency, reliability, and overall unit performance.

Outage Planning & Execution

• Lead engineering support for planned outages and major maintenance events.
• Develop project scopes, work packages, inspection lists, and execution plans in partnership with operations and maintenance.
• Coordinate contractors and vendors during outage activities.
• Help ensure outage work is completed safely, efficiently, and with minimal impact to power generation and data center operations.
• Support commissioning and return-to-service activities.

Contractor & Vendor Management

• Manage engineering firms, contractors, suppliers, and vendors throughout project execution.
• Review project deliverables, schedules, specifications, and field work.
• Coordinate site access, work activities, safety requirements, and project logistics.
• Monitor contractor performance and ensure work meets project scope, quality, safety, schedule, and budget requirements.

Engineering & Compliance

• Oversee the site's high-energy piping inspection program, including scheduled inspections, documentation, and compliance requirements for high-energy steam piping and associated systems.
• Review and interpret P&IDs, engineering drawings, specifications, and technical documentation.
• Maintain accurate engineering records, project documentation, and project reporting.
• Support auditability, regulatory readiness, and compliance requirements.
• Coordinate with plant operations, maintenance, EHS, electrical engineering, and data center teams on technical and compliance matters.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is an engineering professional who enjoys solving complex problems, managing projects from concept to completion, and working in a hands-on industrial environment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline, with approximately 3–7 years of relevant project or plant engineering experience; equivalent applicable experience will be considered.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing capital, maintenance, reliability, or facility improvement projects.
• Experience in a power-generation, data center, heavy-industrial, manufacturing, or similarly complex facility environment preferred.
• Experience with project scoping, cost estimating, scheduling, budgeting, procurement, and contractor management.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Experience

Experience or knowledge in one or more of the following areas is highly desirable:

• Power generation or steam-cycle facilities
• Data center infrastructure
• Carbon mitigation and emissions-reduction projects
• Energy-efficiency initiatives
• Thermal performance and heat rate analysis
• ETAPRO or similar plant performance monitoring systems
• Reliability engineering and Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA)
• Asset criticality and predictive maintenance methodologies
• High-energy piping systems and inspection programs
• Industrial power distribution, cooling, or balance-of-plant systems

Key Skills & Competencies

Project Management

Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining disciplined control of scope, cost, schedule, documentation, and risk.

Technical Engineering

Strong technical foundation with the ability to understand complex industrial systems and evaluate engineering solutions.

Contractor & Vendor Management

Ability to plan, coordinate, and oversee contractors and outside resources to ensure safe and successful project execution.

Reliability & Problem Solving

Ability to use reliability data, RCFA, asset criticality, and predictive information to identify problems and prioritize improvement opportunities.

Carbon & Energy Awareness

Understanding of energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and carbon mitigation strategies and their application to industrial facilities.

Power Plant & Data Center Systems

Working knowledge of power-generation systems-including turbines, generators, and balance-of-plant equipment-as well as data center power and cooling infrastructure.

Technical Communication

Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, engineering drawings, specifications, and technical documentation and communicate complex information effectively.

Business Acumen

Ability to develop cost justifications and translate engineering decisions and project outcomes into financial, operational, reliability, and emissions-related impact.

Team & Reporting Structure

Reports to: Plant Manager

Works Closely With: Head of Power Plant Maintenance, Head of Power Plant Operations & Pipeline, Electrical Engineer, and Data Center Operations & Infrastructure Teams

Role Type: Individual Contributor - leads project teams and contractors without direct reports

Why This Is a Great Opportunity

This is more than a traditional project engineering position. The Facility Project Engineer will have the opportunity to work across power generation and data center infrastructure, while playing a key role in capital planning, reliability improvement, plant efficiency, and carbon mitigation.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Earn $115,000–$140,000 base salary
• Participate in a 10–15% annual bonus opportunity
• Receive relocation assistance
• Work across a complex 106 MW power generation facility and co-located data center
• Lead projects from concept through commissioning
• Influence capital investment and reliability strategy
• Drive energy-efficiency and carbon-reduction initiatives
• Develop expertise in thermal performance and heat rate optimization
• Work with experienced operations, maintenance, engineering, and infrastructure professionals
• Take advantage of career advancement opportunities

Location

The position is based in Dresden, New York, in the Finger Lakes region. Relocation assistance is available for qualified candidates.

How to Apply

Sheridan HR is conducting this search on behalf of Vulcan Infrastructure and Power. Qualified engineering professionals with experience in complex industrial, power-generation, data center, or similar facilities are encouraged to apply.

Sheridan HR is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a fair and inclusive recruitment process.