Assistant Plant Manager

Buffalo, NY, US

The future is bright at DTE Energy! We are one of the largest Fortune 500 diversified utilities in the United States with an aspiration to be the best-operated energy company in North America and a force for good in the communities we live and serve. We have businesses in 26 states and are comprised of regulated utility and non-utility businesses.  Our utility business provides electric and gas service to approximately 3 million customers.  Our non-utility businesses include a diversified portfolio of energy related companies, ranging from gas storage and pipelines to renewable power development.

DTE Energy’s utility and non-utility businesses are poised for significant growth.  We look forward to working with highly motivated and team-oriented individuals to energize our efforts of growing economically and environmentally.

Recently, DTE Energy has been recognized as an outstanding place to work and has received the following accolades:

* Gallup Great Workplace Award for multiple years
* Civic 50 Award for corporate citizenship excellence
* Indeed’s annual “50 Best Places to Work” award for two years running
* Metropolitan Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Companies to work For
* J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Award
* Professional Women’s Magazine/Black EOE Journal “Best of the Best”
* Computerworld’s 100 Best Places to Work in IT
* Best Employers for a Healthy Lifestyle Gold Award
* Detroit Free Press Green Leaders Award

Assistant Plant Manager

Job Summary

• This is a leadership position with responsibility for utility and energy-related assets located within a powerhouse and throughout the associated facility. Utility systems and powerhouse infrastructure experience is required, particularly in the competitive, non-regulated energy market. Experience managing unionized labor is important.
• As a leader, this position is an integral part of the site management team.  A high degree of communication and collaboration with others is required. Proactive leadership (by example) to reinforce DTE’s core values of Safety, Reliability, Efficiency, and Responsibility to continuously improve and develop employee culture is critical for the success of this position.
• The person holding this position provides leadership to the operations and maintenance groups on the daily operation of equipment under the general direction of the Plant Manager. He or she manages the daily operation of the facility to insure the environment and plant personnel are safe.
• This person will be knowledgeable of all environmental and compliance permits and how they are implemented in an operating plant. They will also have a demonstrated knowledge of the maintenance management function of a cogeneration power plant managing the planned outage activities; focused on optimization of scope, schedule and budget.
• Reporting to the Plant Manager, the employee functions as part of the site leadership team utilizing their technical expertise, discretion, and judgment within established policies, procedures and practices.
• Results are reviewed through the achievement of set goals and adherence to the OnSite Business Unit and DTE Energy policies, procedures and practices.

Key Accountabilities

• Maintains a strong safety culture.  Complies with all site safety and environmental requirements and procedures.  Identifies safety hazards and takes corrective actions as necessary.  Assists with the development of and ensures that all site safety requirements and procedures are properly implemented, consistently observed and corrective actions are initiated when applicable.
• Develops, implements and manages consistent plant operating philosophies and best practices to maximize plant availability, efficiency and productivity.
• Ensures Contractors comply with all OnSite Business Unit and DTE Energy policies, procedures and Safety requirements.
• Constantly reviews and improves operational processes and ensures that operating personnel are properly trained and adhere to established policies, procedures and standards.
• Manages the Plant Operating Engineers to ensure safe and efficient operation and maintenance of the plant while actively managing schedules to minimize overtime and comply with administrative guidelines.
• Establishes, reviews and modifies as required all predictive/preventive maintenance requirements programmed into the maintenance management system in alignment with maintenance strategy.
• Develops performance goals and reviews in a comprehensive, open, and objective manner to align employee accountabilities and conduct with operational processes in accordance with administrative guidelines.
• Investigates operating abnormalities and incidents to improve equipment availability and performance and to minimize maintenance requirements.
• Prepares necessary plant operation reports in a timely manner and investigates all forced outages; reporting them in accordance with the BU practice through SharePoint.
• In collaboration with Plant Manager, prepares and continually evaluates the operating department’s budgets and/or makes recommendations to the Plant Manager relative to optimization of operations and maintenance costs.
• Assists with maintenance engineering evaluations and troubleshooting of equipment abnormalities.
• Maintains a consistent and effective level of communications with Plant Manager, Administrative staff, Operating Engineers and Skilled Trades on shift.
• Assist the Plant Manager with project management of all planned outage activities, including long term planning for capital improvements.
• In collaboration with the Plant Manager, drives continuous improvement of established metrics on the plant huddle board.  Continually stretching goals toward the plants True North.
• Lead / support development of plant personnel in skillsets, equipment/system knowledge and solving critical operational concerns.
• Support management of change process to ensure traceability and collaboration on execution.
• Lead / support problem solving activities and coach and mentor the 4 CI capabilities within the team.
• Assures proper staffing, scheduling, orientation and training of the plant staff, and manages compliance with all company policies and procedures. Supports recruiting, interviews and assigns operations and maintenance employment candidates.

Minimum Education & Experience Requirements

• A high school diploma or GED.
• At least 5 years of supervisory or managerial experience in a Powerhouse or Similar role providing Utility Services.

Other Qualifications

 Preferred:
• Additional consideration provided for technical degrees.

Other Requirements:

• Thorough, demonstrated understanding of plant operations and maintenance, with strong knowledge of chillers, boilers, electrical distribution and water treatment processes.
• Ability to analyze and improve operations business processes.
• Proven planning and scheduling experience working with O&M, and other technical personnel involved with preventative/predictive maintenance and corrective maintenance.
• Solid knowledge of plant engineering and plant maintenance functions and how they relate to operations.
• Experience with accounting practices as it relates to analyzing cost impacts to budget.
• Demonstrated skill in planning, coordinating and directing varied programs and tasks directly effecting the overall plant operation.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work shifts and extra/irregular hours and to work under unusual and special conditions that can arise in a generation station.
• Ability to pass respirator fit tests to use respiratory protective equipment or self-contained breathing apparatus at all times.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands characterized here epitomize those that must be met by an employee to properly perform the integral functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• In order to properly perform the integral functions of this job, the employee is frequently required to: stand, walk, stoop, kneel or sit. It is crucial to the outcome of job tasks that the employee is able to: talk or hear; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms extensively.
• Must be able to enter and work in confined space areas, including boilers, condensers, tanks, etc. to evaluate equipment condition or inspect work efforts by assigned resources.
• The employee in this classification will be required to frequently lift objects of up to 10 pounds in weight and occasionally lift or move objects of up to 40 pounds in weight.

• Vision requirements for this position include close, distance and peripheral vision, along with depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Working Conditions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee works both in a business office setting and out in the plant. In the course of working at the plant site, the employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions, including wet and/or humid conditions, extreme heat, and may work near moving mechanical parts and/or machinery. The employee is occasionally exposed to fumes or airborne particles and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate in the office but may become loud out in the plant.

DTE Energy is an equal opportunity employer and considers all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, citizenship, height, weight, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other status protected by law.