Job Description

Power Generation Mechanical Engineer

The Community

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city in and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington’s Puget Sound, 32 miles southwest of Seattle, 31 miles northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and 58 miles northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. Tacoma is the second-largest city in the Puget Sound area and the third-largest in the state. Tacoma also serves as the center of business activity for the South Sound region, which has a population of around 1 million.

Tacoma has been named one of the most livable areas in the United States. It’s one of the “most walkable” cities in the country. In Tacoma, you’ll find a creative community of emerging writers, artists, and Musicians, passionate entrepreneurs and small business owners who do their very best to add to Tacoma’s colorful commercial landscape, and families who have invested in Tacoma for its charming neighborhoods and big city amenities.

You’ll also find great places to bike, run, hike, and explore your budding passion for photography, a growing food scene that’s made the national press, top-notch meeting and convention spaces, and world-renowned museums.

The Organization

Tacoma Power is an innovative, resident-owned electric utility that generates, transmits, and distributes electricity and provides energy in an increasingly competitive marketplace. We are committed to providing high-value, competitively priced products and services to our customers through the quality of our employees, and the responsiveness that results from local ownership. We will continue to serve our customers in Tacoma and neighboring communities and serve new markets to benefit both existing and new customers. Learn more about Tacoma Power at https://www.mytpu.org/.

Tacoma Power provides electric service to the City of Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, Fife, parts of Steilacoom, Lakewood, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and unincorporated Pierce County as far south as Roy.

Though we use various power sources as needed, most of our electricity comes from clean, renewable hydropower, almost half of which is generated at our four hydro projects on four rivers in western Washington. Our projects include:

We have been publicly owned since 1893. We are a division of Tacoma Public Utilities and are governed by a five-member Public Utility Board.

The Department

Tacoma Power’s Generation Engineering Section provides multidisciplinary engineering technical services for diverse capital and maintenance projects at Tacoma Power hydroelectric and fisheries facilities.

The Generation department owns and operates many large assets including seven dams and associated reservoirs, eight powerhouses, four large campgrounds and other types of recreation facilities, three fish hatcheries, upstream and downstream migratory fish infrastructure, and over 250 buildings, just to name the largest. As such, management of these assets along with the construction of new assets is an important role fulfilled by the team.

Tacoma Power - By The Numbers

Generating Power:

  • 7 dams and spillways
  • 23 hydro generators and turbines
  • 9 hydroelectric facilities

Delivering Service to our Customers:

  • 2,386 miles of power lines
  • 43,000+ wooden poles; 5,000+ steel towers
  • 113 substations and switchyards

Caring for our Land and Resources:

  • 4 fish hatcheries
  • 2,000+ acres of wildlife habitat
  • 300+ buildings; 1,000+ fleet assets

Value of our Fixed Assets: $1 Billion+

The Team

Chris Mattson has served as the Generation Section Manager since 2017. He brings over 27 years of experience to his role. Chris joined Tacoma Power in 1995 as an engineering technician, and during his career has led upgrades on hydroelectric stations, dams, and fisheries, was a part of the overhaul of Tacoma Power’s largest hydro station and led the Production Engineering team. He served on the Electric Energy Industrial Consortium’s Executive Committee for five years. Chris obtained a B.S. in electrical engineering and an M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Washington and maintains his Professional Engineer (PE) license.

This position reports to Tyler Braun, the Engineering Manager who oversees the mechanical engineering group. He started at Tacoma Power in 2015 as a Senior Engineer and was promoted to Mechanical Engineering Manager in 2022. Tyler obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State and his Master of Science in Aerospace; and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California and maintains his Professional Engineer (PE) license. The entire group is extremely accomplished and very respectful of each other and of their internal and external clients. The people who join the group stay for many years.

The Position

Tacoma Power’s Generation Section is seeking a Mechanical Engineer (Associate Power Systems Engineer, Senior or Power Systems Engineer, PE level) to join their team. This position provides mechanical engineering technical services for capital and maintenance projects at Tacoma Power’s hydroelectric and fisheries facilities. As a Professional Engineer, this position is expected to be a subject matter expert for the operation, maintenance, repair, and improvement of Generation’s mechanical systems and equipment. This position supports the mission of the organization by ensuring the continued availability of generating resources and fisheries operations.

Annual Salary Range: $107,328 - $174,595.20

Education and Experience

Associate Power Systems Engineer, Senior

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or directly related
  • 2 years of engineering experience in a power utility; or possession of Washington State EIT.
  • *Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of
  • Licensing, Certifications, and Other
  • Must complete Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) within 6 months of hire and maintain
  • Washington State Driver’s

OR

Power Systems Engineer, PE

  • Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or directly related
  • 4 years of professional-level engineering experience in a power
  • *Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of
  • Licensing, Certifications, and Other
  • Must complete Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) within 6 months of hire and maintain
  • Washington State Licensed Professional
  • Washington State Driver’s


Responsibilities:

  • Participate in diverse working teams involved with the design, fabrication, installation, maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation of fish facilities and hydropower
  • Prepare, review, and stamp calculations, drawings, reports, etc., related to mechanical
  • Prepare specifications and other engineering documents to procure and install a wide variety of mechanical equipment and
  • Provide support for the evaluation, selection, procurement, installation, testing, and acceptance of project activities and
  • Represent the City at shop inspections and factory acceptance tests re- related to mechanical
  • Coordinate and work with contractors and hydro project staff to repair and upgrade systems and
  • Plan and direct mechanical equipment installation, disassembly, reassembly, and
  • Provide operations & amp, maintenance, and asset management program recommendations for mechanical
  • Power plant mechanical equipment within the scope of this position includes but is not limited to utility-scale generators, hydroelectric turbines, balance-of-plant systems (e.g., air, oil, and water), large valves, gates, cranes, and hoists.
  • Fisheries facilities mechanical equipment within the scope of this position includes but is not limited to motors, pumps, piping, valves water-treatment systems (e.g., ozone, filtration, UV), and fish attraction and conveyance systems.
Benefits

Health & Wellness:

Besides the opportunity to work with great people in service of our local community, the City of Tacoma offers a comprehensive range of benefits for you and your eligible family members.



To Apply


If you are interested in this outstanding opportunity, please contact:

Jenna Flanagan
Work: (916) 304-6663
Email: jenna@jpowersinc.com

Details

Employee Type
Full-Time Regular
Location
Tacoma WA
Date Posted
12/02/2024