What are the responsibilities and job description for the Manager-Operations Power Generation position at Tallgrass?
Job Description
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading and directing all operational activities at the Tallgrass Cheyenne Energy Center-an off-grid, large-scale AI-dedicated critical power, multi‑unit generation campus that is planned to produce approximately 2.5 GW of initial capacity with expansion capability up to 10 GW from a fleet of simple‑cycle gas turbines and combined‑cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technologies. This role ensures the safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally compliant operation of all generating assets in alignment with Tallgrass Energy’s operational excellence standards, data center commercial commitments, and long-term asset strategy.
The Operations Manager provides strategic and daily leadership to the control room and field operations teams, supports optimization of plant output and heat rate, and plays a critical role in maintaining high availability and flexibility. The Operations Manager works closely with Maintenance, Planning, Scheduling, Procurement, Reliability Engineering, Supply Chain, EHS, and the O&M Contractor to meet Tallgrass Energy’s safety, regulatory, environmental, and mission critical data center commercial objectives.
The Operations Manager establishes and sustains Human Performance (HP) and Tallgrass culture expectations across plant operations. The manager ensure HP principles and Tallgrass values are embedded in operating procedures, training programs, shift turnovers, and abnormal and emergency response. This role balances safety, reliability, learning, and production demands by reinforcing conservative decision‑making and disciplined operations. The Operations Manager leads learning‑focused investigations of operational events and near misses, addressing latent procedural, system, and organizational contributors and reinforcing leadership accountability for sustained operational excellence.
The Operations Manager is accountable for plant‑wide operational execution quality and minimal rework, ensuring production priorities are aligned with safe and reliable execution. Performance is measured through key indicators including plant operations rework rate, first‑pass yield of operational evolutions, event recurrence, schedule adherence, and operational readiness metrics. KPI trends and HP insights are used to drive leadership accountability, continuous improvement, and long‑term operational reliability.
Responsibilities
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
Required Qualifications
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed. This position may perform other duties as assigned.
About Us
Tallgrass was named one of the 2023 Top Workplaces USA and highlighted in Colorado's Top Workplaces for the past seven consecutive years. Tallgrass is a leading energy infrastructure company focused on safely, reliably, and sustainably delivering the energy and services that power our nation and enable our quality of life.
At Tallgrass, we value our teams and strive to create an environment where employees feel respected, and their contributions are valued. We aim to support employees' physical, mental, and financial well-being through a comprehensive Total Rewards Program.
Compensation: Compensation ranges are provided in good faith based on what we anticipate when researching wages for this position at the state and national levels. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This salary range may also be modified in the future.
Notice to External Search Firms: Tallgrass does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Tallgrass property; therefore, Tallgrass will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral. Approved vendors may be invited to refer talent for specific positions at Tallgrass's request only. A fully executed agreement with Tallgrass must be in place and current in these cases.
EEO Statement: Tallgrass complies with all Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) affirmative action laws and regulations. Tallgrass does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender Identity and expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy status, or other status protected by law.
The Operations Manager is responsible for leading and directing all operational activities at the Tallgrass Cheyenne Energy Center-an off-grid, large-scale AI-dedicated critical power, multi‑unit generation campus that is planned to produce approximately 2.5 GW of initial capacity with expansion capability up to 10 GW from a fleet of simple‑cycle gas turbines and combined‑cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technologies. This role ensures the safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally compliant operation of all generating assets in alignment with Tallgrass Energy’s operational excellence standards, data center commercial commitments, and long-term asset strategy.
The Operations Manager provides strategic and daily leadership to the control room and field operations teams, supports optimization of plant output and heat rate, and plays a critical role in maintaining high availability and flexibility. The Operations Manager works closely with Maintenance, Planning, Scheduling, Procurement, Reliability Engineering, Supply Chain, EHS, and the O&M Contractor to meet Tallgrass Energy’s safety, regulatory, environmental, and mission critical data center commercial objectives.
The Operations Manager establishes and sustains Human Performance (HP) and Tallgrass culture expectations across plant operations. The manager ensure HP principles and Tallgrass values are embedded in operating procedures, training programs, shift turnovers, and abnormal and emergency response. This role balances safety, reliability, learning, and production demands by reinforcing conservative decision‑making and disciplined operations. The Operations Manager leads learning‑focused investigations of operational events and near misses, addressing latent procedural, system, and organizational contributors and reinforcing leadership accountability for sustained operational excellence.
The Operations Manager is accountable for plant‑wide operational execution quality and minimal rework, ensuring production priorities are aligned with safe and reliable execution. Performance is measured through key indicators including plant operations rework rate, first‑pass yield of operational evolutions, event recurrence, schedule adherence, and operational readiness metrics. KPI trends and HP insights are used to drive leadership accountability, continuous improvement, and long‑term operational reliability.
Responsibilities
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Operational Leadership
- Direct daily operation of all GT and CCGT units, including gas turbines, steam turbines, HRSGs, emissions control systems, and balance‑of‑plant equipment.
- Coordinates with the data center customer to meet contractual availability and service‑level commitments.
- Oversee real‑time plant performance to ensure safe, compliant, and reliable operations across all units in the ~2.5 GW fleet.
- Lead and mentor Control Room Operators and Plant Operators; manage scheduling, staffing, performance planning, and training programs.
- Maintain operational procedures, black start readiness, emergency response, shift turnover practices, and plant operating guidelines consistent with Tallgrass standards.
- Champion Tallgrass Energy’s safety culture with visible leadership, adherence to OSHA regulations, and consistent application of safety policies.
- Ensure full compliance with environmental permits, air quality regulations, emissions limits, and all state and federal requirements.
- Support and lead investigations, root‑cause analyses, and corrective action planning for operational incidents, forced outages, and safety events.
- Analyze operating data, trends, alarms, and KPIs to optimize heat rate, reliability, ramping capability, and overall plant performance.
- Coordinate closely with Maintenance, Engineering, and OEM partners to troubleshoot equipment issues and implement corrective measures.
- Support tuning, seasonal readiness, testing, and operational improvement projects across all generating units.
- Lead operations in planned and unplanned outages, ensuring accurate equipment isolation, LOTO implementation, and operator support.
- Participate in long-range outage planning, operational risk assessments, and readiness reviews.
- Maintain and update operational procedures, emergency response guidelines, and training materials.
- Build and sustain a high-performing operations workforce through coaching, technical development, and leadership engagement.
- Support succession planning and capability development aligned with Tallgrass workforce strategies.
- Participate in hiring, onboarding, and qualification of operations personnel.
- Ensure operating strategies align with commercial obligations, market dispatch requirements, and reliability commitments.
- Maintain compliance with applicable regional reliability standards, including NERC and any RTO/ISO requirements impacting dispatch or operations.
- Support reporting requirements, audits, and compliance documentation.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, or related field (or equivalent technical experience).
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in power plant operations, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
- Demonstrated operational experience with large‑frame GT and CCGT technologies.
- Strong understanding of DCS operation, power plant thermodynamics, equipment troubleshooting, and operational best practices.
- Knowledge of OSHA safety rules, environmental regulations, and NERC operational requirements.
- Proven leadership skills with demonstrated ability to make sound decisions in a dynamic plant environment.
- Experience managing operations at large-scale (1–3 GW) multi‑unit GT/CCGT facilities.
- Experience in markets requiring fast‑start capability, cycling, or flexible dispatch.
- Certifications such as NERC Operator, Six Sigma, PMP, or advanced technical training.
- Experience with CMMS platforms (e.g., Maximo, SAP) and operational analytics tools.
- Safety: TRIR, LOTO compliance, permit quality, safety audit findings closure.
- Reliability: Equivalent Availability Factor (EAF), Forced Outage Rate (FOR), MTBF, MTTR.
- Work Management: PM/PdM compliance %, schedule adherence, backlog optimization metrics.
- Human Performance & Culture: HP events, Tallgrass culture surveys.
- Financial: Budget adherence, outage cost vs. plan, inventory accuracy, critical spare stockouts.
- Environmental: Emissions compliance, CEMS readiness, environmental audit results.
- Data Quality: CMMS work order completeness, asset history quality, MOC documentation accuracy.
- Industrial environment requires presence during planned and unplanned outages, including nights, weekends, and holidays as needed.
- Ability to respond to after‑hours callouts and support emergent operational needs.
- Ability to work at heights, in confined spaces, and with required PPE.
- Participation in emergency response and abnormal operating condition management.
- Travel 10–20% for training, vendor visits, and corporate meetings.
- Required to carry a cell phone and be available to respond during working and non-working hours. The successful candidate will be required to clear a drug screen and a complete background check, including credit report for certain positions, after an offer has been extended and prior to being employed.
- Yes, responsibility for supervisory personnel.
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed. This position may perform other duties as assigned.
About Us
Tallgrass was named one of the 2023 Top Workplaces USA and highlighted in Colorado's Top Workplaces for the past seven consecutive years. Tallgrass is a leading energy infrastructure company focused on safely, reliably, and sustainably delivering the energy and services that power our nation and enable our quality of life.
At Tallgrass, we value our teams and strive to create an environment where employees feel respected, and their contributions are valued. We aim to support employees' physical, mental, and financial well-being through a comprehensive Total Rewards Program.
- Industry competitive pay
- Health insurance package options that include Flexible Spending & Health Savings Accounts
- Infertility Coverage
- Parental Leave
- 401(k) with up to a 6% match that vests immediately plus an employer discretionary contribution of up to 4%
- Wellness Programs and Mental Health Resources
- Employer-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability coverage
- Critical Illness & Accident Insurance
- Vacation, sick days, paid caregiver leave, volunteer and bereavement paid time off
- Identity theft protection
- Annual discretionary bonus
- Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
- Company-paid holidays and floating holidays
- Company vehicle (if applicable)
- Employee discounts; vehicles, tires, cellular plans, and more
- Networking and employee engagement events
- Personal development to grow your career with us based on your strengths and interests
Compensation: Compensation ranges are provided in good faith based on what we anticipate when researching wages for this position at the state and national levels. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This salary range may also be modified in the future.
Notice to External Search Firms: Tallgrass does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Unsolicited referrals and resumes are considered Tallgrass property; therefore, Tallgrass will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from the receipt of an unsolicited referral. Approved vendors may be invited to refer talent for specific positions at Tallgrass's request only. A fully executed agreement with Tallgrass must be in place and current in these cases.
EEO Statement: Tallgrass complies with all Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) affirmative action laws and regulations. Tallgrass does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender Identity and expression, disability, veteran status, pregnancy status, or other status protected by law.