Job Summary
We are seeking an experienced Director, Fuel Cell & Power Generation Operations to lead the operation, reliability, and continuous improvement of on-site power generation supporting mission-critical data center infrastructure.
This role will have operational responsibility for fuel cell systems serving as a primary source of on-site power, along with backup and emergency generator systems and associated electrical and balance-of-plant infrastructure.
A strong understanding of fuel cell technology, operating characteristics, controls, maintenance requirements, and system integration is critical to success in this role. The Director will establish the teams, operating practices, maintenance strategies, and technical procedures necessary to safely operate these assets while maintaining continuous protection of critical compute load.
The ideal candidate brings leadership experience from fuel cell operations, fuel cell technology or service organizations, mission-critical power operations, or power generation environments with direct fuel cell experience. This leader will also play a key role in commissioning new generation assets and establishing a scalable operating model as our on-site power generation capabilities grow.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, develop, and scale teams responsible for the operation and maintenance of fuel cell power generation systems, backup and emergency generators, and associated electrical and balance-of-plant infrastructure.
- Provide technical and operational leadership for fuel cell systems, including equipment performance, operating characteristics, controls, maintenance requirements, troubleshooting, and lifecycle management.
- Establish operating strategies that maximize fuel cell availability, reliability, and performance while ensuring continuous protection of mission-critical compute load.
- Develop, document, test, and continuously improve Methods of Procedure (MOPs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Operating Procedures (EOPs), and maintenance procedures.
- Establish procedures to safely manage generation transitions, load transfers, ramp events, equipment outages, utility events, and other normal and abnormal operating conditions.
- Partner with engineering, commissioning, data center operations, training, and technology providers to develop effective technical qualification, repair, preventive maintenance, and training programs.
- Lead operational readiness, commissioning, acceptance, and turnover of new fuel cell generation assets and associated electrical infrastructure.
- Develop maintenance strategies using equipment condition, operating history, manufacturer requirements, and performance data to maximize generation availability and reliability.
- Establish, monitor, and report performance metrics for system availability, reliability, efficiency, equipment health, maintenance effectiveness, and incident response.
- Manage operational relationships and agreements with fuel cell technology providers, service organizations, generator providers, utilities, and other critical partners.
- Recruit, hire, develop, and retain specialized operations and maintenance personnel with the technical capabilities required to support fuel cell and backup generation systems.
- Serve as the senior operational escalation point for high-severity generation incidents, coordinating troubleshooting, recovery, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.
- Champion a culture of safety, operational discipline, compliance, and continuous improvement across the organization.
- Maintain knowledge of emerging fuel cell and power generation technologies, operating practices, and regulatory requirements relevant to mission-critical facilities.
Internal Responsibilities
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant technical and operational experience.
- Significant experience operating, maintaining, commissioning, engineering, or technically supporting fuel cell power generation systems.
- Strong working knowledge of fuel cell technology and its application in continuous power generation environments.
- Demonstrated understanding of fuel cell operating characteristics, balance-of-plant systems, controls, maintenance practices, failure modes, and equipment performance.
- Experience integrating primary generation systems with critical electrical loads and backup/emergency generation.
- Demonstrated leadership experience building and developing technical operations, maintenance, field service, or engineering teams.
- Experience establishing operating procedures, maintenance programs, technical qualification programs, and operational readiness processes.
- Demonstrated ability to lead troubleshooting and operational decision-making in high-availability environments.
- Strong safety mindset and experience operating within structured environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
- Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to work effectively across operations, engineering, commissioning, technology providers, utilities, and business organizations.
Highly Relevant Experience
Experience in several of the following areas would be particularly valuable:
- Fuel cell technology and power generation
- Fuel cell operations and maintenance
- Fuel cell field service or technical operations
- Fuel cell installation and commissioning
- Fuel cell balance-of-plant systems
- Natural gas systems supporting fuel cell generation
- Generation controls, SCADA, and power monitoring systems
- Mission-critical electrical infrastructure
- Data center power operations
- Backup and emergency generator systems
- Commissioning and operational turnover of new power infrastructure
- High-availability power generation environments
Preferred Qualifications
- Leadership experience within a fuel cell technology, power generation, field service, or technical operations organization.
- Significant hands-on or leadership experience with fuel cell systems, including operations, maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning, or field service.
- Experience managing technology-provider maintenance and service relationships and driving equipment reliability improvements.
- Experience operating primary on-site generation alongside backup and emergency generator systems.
- Experience integrating on-site generation with utility service and mission-critical electrical infrastructure.
- Familiarity with CMMS, SCADA, power monitoring, and generation control systems.
- Knowledge of applicable OSHA, EPA, utility, and power-generation regulatory requirements.
- Experience building or scaling an operations organization during commissioning and ramp-up of a new facility.
Location
This position is located onsite -Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Relocation to a daily commutable location is required for this role.
#LI-PH8
External Responsibilities
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant technical and operational experience.
- Significant experience operating, maintaining, commissioning, engineering, or technically supporting fuel cell power generation systems.
- Strong working knowledge of fuel cell technology and its application in continuous power generation environments.
- Demonstrated understanding of fuel cell operating characteristics, balance-of-plant systems, controls, maintenance practices, failure modes, and equipment performance.
- Experience integrating primary generation systems with critical electrical loads and backup/emergency generation.
- Demonstrated leadership experience building and developing technical operations, maintenance, field service, or engineering teams.
- Experience establishing operating procedures, maintenance programs, technical qualification programs, and operational readiness processes.
- Demonstrated ability to lead troubleshooting and operational decision-making in high-availability environments.
- Strong safety mindset and experience operating within structured environmental, health, safety, and regulatory requirements.
- Strong communication and cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to work effectively across operations, engineering, commissioning, technology providers, utilities, and business organizations.
Highly Relevant Experience
Experience in several of the following areas would be particularly valuable:
- Fuel cell technology and power generation
- Fuel cell operations and maintenance
- Fuel cell field service or technical operations
- Fuel cell installation and commissioning
- Fuel cell balance-of-plant systems
- Natural gas systems supporting fuel cell generation
- Generation controls, SCADA, and power monitoring systems
- Mission-critical electrical infrastructure
- Data center power operations
- Backup and emergency generator systems
- Commissioning and operational turnover of new power infrastructure
- High-availability power generation environments
Preferred Qualifications
- Leadership experience within a fuel cell technology, power generation, field service, or technical operations organization.
- Significant hands-on or leadership experience with fuel cell systems, including operations, maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning, or field service.
- Experience managing technology-provider maintenance and service relationships and driving equipment reliability improvements.
- Experience operating primary on-site generation alongside backup and emergency generator systems.
- Experience integrating on-site generation with utility service and mission-critical electrical infrastructure.
- Familiarity with CMMS, SCADA, power monitoring, and generation control systems.
- Knowledge of applicable OSHA, EPA, utility, and power-generation regulatory requirements.
- Experience building or scaling an operations organization during commissioning and ramp-up of a new facility.
Location
This position is located onsite -Doña Ana County, New Mexico. Relocation to a daily commutable location is required for this role.
#LI-PH8
