Staff Operations Engineer

FuelCell Energy is a global leader in decarbonizing power and producing hydrogen through our proprietary fuel cell technology. Our mission is to enable a world powered by clean energy. As an innovator and manufacturer of fuel cell clean power platforms, FuelCell Energy has the only technology in the world capable of capturing carbon from an external source and producing power at the same time. In addition, we offer the only technology in the world capable of producing hydrogen, power and water simultaneously.

The pay for this position ranges from $135000 - $150500.

Summary: 

This Staff Operations Engineer role is responsible for providing technical leadership for the safe and reliable startup, commissioning, performance validation, and operational improvement of FuelCell Energy’s advanced technology fleet of power generation, hydrogen production, and carbon separation projects. The role carries a high level of ownership across project execution, customer-facing technical engagement, and cross-functional coordination, serving as a senior technical leader from project development through commissioning, turnover, and early operations support. The engineer will interface with engineering, field service, project management, procurement, quality, and operations teams, while also representing FuelCell Energy in project meetings, client site meetings, and technical discussions with customers and external stakeholders. Day travel to a range of Connecticut based facilities and some extended domestic and international travel will be required. The Staff Operations Engineer is expected to apply deep experience across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, and integrated plant operations to validate individual component and system functionality, resolve complex technical and execution issues, and lead corrective action efforts that support successful commercialization and long-term fleet performance.

This role reports to the Manager, Power Plant Test & Operations Engineering and is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, technical judgment, and leadership across multiple projects and operating assets. Office work would be conducted in one or both of our Danbury and Torrington, Connecticut offices with part time remote flexibility. Field work will be distributed across projects in Connecticut, California, and selected international locations for limited periods. In addition to field execution responsibilities, this position will contribute to project reviews, readiness reviews, customer meetings, and internal business discussions related to schedule, risk, technical performance, and successful project delivery.

                                                                                                                                                      
Essential Functions/Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategy:

• First Article Project Commissioning: Provide technical leadership for the commissioning of FuelCell Energy’s emerging distributed power generation, hydrogen production, and carbon capture technologies. This role is responsible for leading cross-functional planning and field execution for supporting balance of plant, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls systems; establishing commissioning strategies and validation approaches; and driving closure of technical issues required for safe startup, project turnover, and commercial readiness.
• Commercial Project Commissioning: Lead and influence commissioning activities for mature technology projects, including directing key elements of startup planning, execution readiness, performance validation, punch list closure, and acceptance testing. The Staff Operations Engineer will act as a senior technical resource in aligning engineering, field service, project management, and customer expectations to achieve successful project closure.
• Product Reliability and Fleet Support: Provide senior-level support to ongoing product reliability and operational improvement efforts across the commercial fleet and new product introductions. This includes identifying recurring issues, prioritizing technical risks, supporting root cause investigations, and influencing design, procedural, and operational improvements that strengthen long-term fleet performance.

Benchmarking: 

• Monitor performance against corporate objectives and key business metrics related to product reliability, project execution, commissioning quality, and project closure. Proactively identify issues, technical risks, schedule impacts, customer concerns, and improvement opportunities that may affect project outcomes, commercial performance, or the company’s strategic objectives, and communicate these effectively to project teams and leadership.

Responsibilities: 

• Serve as the technical lead across a range of root cause analysis and corrective action processes, providing structured technical leadership for investigations, identifying underlying causes, developing corrective actions, and driving effective resolution of complex operational and project-related issues.
• Lead development, update, and execution of commissioning plans, procedures, checklists, and field validation activities for mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control systems during initial plant startup, first article deployment, and commercial project closure.
• Provide senior technical leadership during project meetings, commissioning readiness reviews, client site meetings, and customer technical discussions, clearly communicating technical status, risks, action plans, and path to resolution.
• Serve as a key technical interface between engineering, field service, project management, operations, and the customer to ensure alignment on commissioning strategy, performance expectations, issue resolution, and turnover requirements.
• Provide advanced support for plant process controls, contributing to control philosophy development, tuning strategies, alarm management, troubleshooting, and system optimization.
• Lead or significantly influence technical reviews of design packages, commissioning readiness, startup issues, and field changes, providing practical recommendations that balance safety, operability, schedule, cost, and customer commitments.
• Own completion of performance testing, acceptance test execution, and reporting required for customer acceptance, commercial operation declaration, and project closeout.
• Drive design verification, corrective action, and lessons learned activities associated with first article deployment and integration into commercial project execution.
• Initiate, lead, and support root cause investigations and continuous improvement efforts across the commercial fleet and development projects, ensuring effective follow-through and organizational learning.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to less experienced engineers and field personnel, helping raise organizational capability in commissioning execution, troubleshooting, and operational readiness.
• Support on-call responsibilities during critical commissioning and startup activities, with clear ownership for issue escalation and resolution during high-consequence project phases.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical, Process, Mechanical, Electrical, or Instrumentation and Control Engineering or a related discipline with 10+ years of relevant experience in commissioning, plant operations, field engineering, or complex industrial project execution; or a Master’s degree or PhD in a related discipline with 6+ years of relevant experience.
• Performs work with a high degree of latitude and independent judgment, handles the most complex technical and execution issues, possesses expert knowledge of the subject matter, and provides leadership, coaching, and mentoring to less experienced engineers and field personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and lead commissioning plans, procedures, and execution strategies while adhering to corporate business processes, quality requirements, and safety standards.
• Strong safety-based operating perspective with the judgment to lead technical decision-making in dynamic field and startup environments.
• Deep technical expertise in plant performance, integrated system commissioning, troubleshooting, and issue resolution across multidisciplinary engineering environments.
• Strong experience with root cause analysis and corrective action tools, with the ability to lead investigations, identify underlying causes, and drive effective resolution of technical and operational issues.
• Experience with power control systems, power generation, and the chemical, petroleum, or natural gas industries is valuable, but not required.
• Strong capability to plan, schedule, and report on commissioning and project execution activities in a timely and professional manner, with the communication skills to effectively engage leadership, project teams, customers, and site personnel (Microsoft Project or Primavera P6 experience preferred).

HR Notes: Travel will be required up to 10% of the time, and on-call support will be required.

Equal Opportunity Employer

FuelCell Energy is an equal-opportunity employer committed to an inclusive and safe work environment for people of all backgrounds.

We offer a competitive compensation package as well as comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, company-paid life/disability insurance, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase plan, and generous paid leave.

The successful candidate is required to complete a drug screen, criminal background check, and employment and education verification.

FuelCell Energy, Inc. is committed to ensuring that its application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all U.S. job seekers, including individuals with disabilities.  If you believe you need a reasonable accommodation in order to search for a job opening or to submit an application, please send an email with your resume to talentacquisition@fce.com or contact us by calling 860-496-2222. Please indicate the specifics of the assistance needed.

NOTE:   This dedicated phone line and email address are designed exclusively to assist disabled job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Only messages left for this purpose will be acknowledged.  A response to your request may take up to two business days.

No agency submissions please. Resumes submitted to any FuelCell Energy employee without a current, signed and valid contract in place with the FuelCell Energy Recruiting team for this position will become the property of FuelCell Energy and no agency fees will be paid.

For more information about FuelCell Energy and our available openings, please visit our website: https://www.fuelcellenergy.com/careers

We thank all candidates for their interest in a career with FuelCell Energy.  However, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.