---
title: 'Operations Manager (Power Plant) at SpaceX'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/operations-manager-power-plant-spacex-starbase-hcm1ncmqcv88'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-27'
---

# Operations Manager (Power Plant) at SpaceX

- **Company:** SpaceX
- **Location:** Starbase, TX
- **Posted:** 2026-10-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-27
- **Apply:** https://boards.greenhouse.io/spacex/jobs/8907665002?gh_jid=8907665002

## Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.

## OPERATIONS MANAGER (POWER PLANT)

SpaceX is seeking a Power Plant Operations Manager to lead the daily operation and performance of power generation systems supporting the Starbase supercomputer. This position is responsible for ensuring gas turbines, generators, supporting utilities, and balance-of-plant systems operate safely, efficiently, and reliably to meet the demands of mission-critical infrastructure.

This is a hands-on engineering leadership role. You will build and manage the plant operations team, establish operating procedures, monitor plant performance, and lead troubleshooting during startups, shutdowns, equipment trips, and abnormal operating conditions. The ideal candidate has direct power plant operating experience, strong technical judgment, and the ability to lead operators through complex situations while maintaining safety and equipment reliability.

## RESPONSIBILITIES:

- Lead daily power plant operations, including gas turbine startup and shutdown, generation monitoring, load management, and balance-of-plant operation
- Build, train, and manage a team of plant operators and shift supervisors responsible for safe and reliable plant operation
- Develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs), method of procedure documents (MOPs), emergency operating procedures (EOPs), and shift turnover processes
- Monitor operational performance, including plant output, turbine efficiency, heat rate, equipment temperatures, pressures, vibration, and alarm conditions
- Direct operating response to turbine trips, equipment failures, system alarms, and abnormal plant conditions; coordinate safe restoration of generation
- Work directly with engineering and maintenance teams to troubleshoot equipment issues and minimize unplanned downtime
- Coordinate plant operating schedules, planned shutdowns, maintenance clearances, and equipment return-to-service activities
- Oversee plant control room operations and ensure operators are proficient with turbine controls, DCS, SCADA, and associated monitoring systems
- Support commissioning, startup, performance testing, and operational turnover of new power generation equipment
- Lead root cause investigations related to operating events, procedural deficiencies, and equipment performance issues
- Coordinate with electrical infrastructure and supercomputer operations teams on generation availability, load changes, and system reliability
- Ensure operational compliance with plant safety procedures, environmental permits, equipment operating limits, and applicable regulatory requirements

## BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in power plant operations, including gas turbine, combined-cycle, or comparable industrial power generation facilities
- Experience directing plant operations, leading operating personnel, or supervising control room activities
- Demonstrated experience with plant startup, shutdown, troubleshooting, and equipment performance monitoring

## PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

- Direct operating experience with industrial gas turbines, generators, HRSGs, steam turbines, or associated balance-of-plant equipment
- Experience with GE, Siemens Energy, Mitsubishi Power, or comparable turbine and control systems
- Strong understanding of turbine operating parameters, combustion systems, generator synchronization, and plant performance
- Experience with DCS, PLC, SCADA, and turbine control systems
- Ability to interpret P&IDs, electrical single-line diagrams, control logic, and operating manuals
- Experience developing and improving startup, shutdown, emergency response, and equipment restoration procedures
- Demonstrated ability to manage 24/7 operating teams, shift schedules, and technical training programs
- Experience investigating turbine trips, forced outages, and operational reliability issues
- Familiarity with electrical switching, lockout/tagout, NFPA 70E, and industrial process safety
- Experience operating power generation assets supporting data centers or other mission-critical facilities
- Strong ability to make sound technical decisions under pressure and communicate effectively across engineering, maintenance, and operations teams

## ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Must be able to work onsite at Starbase, TX
- Must be available to provide on-call support during critical operating events
- Must be willing to work extended hours, nights, and weekends as operational needs require
- Ability to work outdoors and in industrial plant environments while wearing appropriate PPE
- Ability to safely access operating equipment, climb stairs and ladders, and work in confined spaces when required

## ITAR REQUIREMENTS:

- To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR [here](https://www.pmddtc.state.gov/?id=ddtc_kb_article_page&sys_id=24d528fddbfc930044f9ff621f961987).

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to EEOCompliance@spacex.com.

## About SpaceX

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft while building a global satellite broadband network and AI infrastructure to enable interplanetary life.
- **Entity Type**: Public (Nasdaq: SPCX) – IPO priced at $135/share on June 12, 2026
- **Headquarters**: Starbase, Texas (primary); Hawthorne, California (historical headquarters)
- **Founded**: 2002
- **Founders**: Elon Musk

## Core Business
- **Industries**: Aerospace & Defense, Spaceflight, Satellite Telecommunications, Artificial Intelligence
- **Target Customers**: Government (NASA, U.S. Armed Forces, international agencies), Commercial satellite operators, Broadband consumers (Starlink), Defense/intelligence (Starshield)
- **Mission**: To make humanity multiplanetary by building the integrated hardware and software infrastructure of the future across space, connectivity, and AI.

## Products & Services
- **Falcon 9**: Reusable two-stage rocket – the world’s most launched orbital rocket, with over 630 successful first-stage reflights.
- **Falcon Heavy**: Heavy-lift launch vehicle composed of three Falcon 9 cores; capable of lifting nearly 64 metric tons to orbit.
- **Starship**: Fully reusable super-heavy launch vehicle and spacecraft (largest ever built) designed for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
- **Dragon 2**: Crew and cargo spacecraft used for NASA Commercial Crew and private missions to the ISS and beyond.
- **Starlink**: Low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation providing high-speed, low-latency broadband internet to over 10.3 million people globally.
- **Starshield**: Military-grade satellite services for national security and defense customers.
- **SpaceXAI**: Division focused on AI compute infrastructure, frontier models, and real-time data processing (including AI compute satellites).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Conflicting reports – Internal share offer in 2025 valued SpaceX at **$800 billion**; IPO pricing (June 2026) implied a market capitalization of approximately **$75 billion** for the shares offered.
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue of **$15.0 billion** (2025); total funding raised **$15.2 billion** across 56 rounds.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Google (led $1B Series G), Intesa Sanpaolo, NASA, U.S. Space Force, and numerous institutional investors.
- **Growth Signals**: Employee headcount of **11,387** (monthly growth +2.5%); **1,671 active job postings**; Falcon 9 launch cadence of 1–3 per week; Starlink subscriber base covering ~10.3 million people; recent acquisition of xAI (February 2026).

## Competitive Advantages
- **Full reusability**: Only company with a fleet of reusable orbital rockets (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy), dramatically lowering per-launch cost.
- **Vertical integration**: Designs, manufactures, and operates its own rockets, spacecraft, satellite constellation, and AI platform – enabling rapid iteration and cost control.
- **Scale and reliability**: More orbital launches per year than any other provider (public or private); proven track record with NASA and DoD.
- **First-mover in commercial spaceflight**: Established crew transport, satellite internet, and now AI compute in orbit.

## Strategic Focus
- **Starship development**: Complete testing and operational deployment of the fully reusable Starship system for lunar (Artemis) and Mars missions.
- **Starlink expansion**: Grow subscriber base, launch V3 satellites, and extend mobile and direct-to-cell services.
- **AI integration**: Leverage SpaceXAI for on-orbit compute and real-time data analytics; build AI compute satellites.
- **Interplanetary infrastructure**: Develop technologies for sustained human presence on the Moon and Mars.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-driven culture**: Employees directly contribute to making life multiplanetary – “hard work and innovative solutions result in big gains.”
- **Impactful projects**: Work on reusable rockets, crewed spacecraft, global broadband, and AI systems that are actively changing the space industry.
- **Compensation**: Competitive salaries, comprehensive health benefits, and equity packages.
- **Work locations**: Primary campuses in Hawthorne, CA and Starbase, TX (with additional sites in Cape Canaveral, FL and Vandenberg, CA). Roles span engineering, software, manufacturing, and support.
- **Engineering culture**: Merit-based, fast-paced, with high ownership; top talent sourced from Tesla, Boeing, NASA JPL, and other aerospace leaders.
- **Open roles**: Over 1,600 active positions across software, AI, avionics, propulsion, supply chain, and more – including internships.

## Sources
1. [SpaceX Careers Page](https://www.spacex.com/careers)
2. [LinkedIn – SpaceX Company Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/spacex)
3. [SpaceX IPO Factsheet (PDF)](https://content.spacex.com/cms-assets/FINAL_Documents%20and%20Updates/SpaceX%20IPO_Factsheet.pdf)
4. [SpaceX IPO Pricing Press Release](https://ir.spacex.com/updates/releases-details/2026/Space-Exploration-Technologies-Corp--Announces-Pricing-of-Initial-Public-Offering/default.aspx)
5. [SpaceX Jobs Board (Greenhouse)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/spacex)

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