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xAI seeks a Director of Power Plant Operations to lead strategic and operational oversight of a gas turbine power generation facility supporting the Colossus AI data center campus in Memphis, Tennessee. This is a hands-on leadership role with full ownership of delivering reliable, high-availability electrical power to AI training clusters.
Key responsibilities include:
- Provide strategic and operational leadership for 24/7 gas turbine power plant operations, maintenance, commissioning, and ongoing construction/expansion
- Own end-to-end electrical power delivery to data center sites, ensuring industry-leading reliability, availability, power quality, and redundancy
- Lead multidisciplinary teams of operators, maintenance technicians, engineers, contractors, and support staff in a 24/7 operational environment
- Oversee plant performance, commissioning, testing, and seamless integration with data center electrical infrastructure
- Develop and execute comprehensive operations and maintenance strategies, including preventative/predictive maintenance, outage planning, and OEM coordination for gas turbines, generators, and high-voltage electrical systems
- Manage concurrent construction, equipment installation, and phased capacity expansions while maintaining safe, reliable operation
- Ensure full compliance with environmental, safety, and regulatory requirements (air permits, emissions controls, TDEC, EPA, OSHA)
- Partner with xAI data center operations, engineering, fuel suppliers, OEMs, utilities, and regulatory agencies
- Formulate and execute operating budgets, fuel management, O&M, capital projects, and annual operating plans
- Drive continuous improvement in plant availability, heat rate, emissions, cost, and safety metrics
- Establish a culture of safety, accountability, operational excellence, and collaboration
- Serve as site leader and primary representative to Memphis community, regulators, and stakeholders
- Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing talent; manage staffing and contractor oversight
Required qualifications: Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or related engineering discipline; 8+ years in power generation operations, plant management, or industrial/aerospace operations; 5+ years leading teams of operators, technicians, and engineers; experience operating or managing gas turbine power plants.
Preferred: Experience with large-scale gas turbine facilities (100+ MW) in high-availability critical power applications; proven track record of high plant availability and low forced outage rates; hands-on experience with plant construction, commissioning, and concurrent operations/expansion; deep knowledge of gas turbine technology, emissions controls, and balance of plant systems; experience with high-voltage electrical systems and data center interconnection; understanding of environmental permitting and air quality regulations.
