Job Description
Superintendent Power Generation (Hydro Maintenance & Reliability)
Work Location Location Negotiable within Montana service territory
Pay range $105,100 to $157,700 per year
Employment Status: Regular Full-time
External candidates apply at northwesternenergy.com
Internal candidates apply through iConnect
About this position:
The Superintendent of Power Generation (Hydro Maintenance and Reliability) is responsible for overseeing the maintenance, reliability and work management programs and processes for the hydroelectric fleet. The position reports to the Manager of Hydro Power Generation and leads a team of skilled mechanics, hydro technical experts, and supervision. This position is also responsible for ongoing support of the Business Unit implementing safe reliable equipment/work management processes and for coordination of business planning efforts, including events tracking, developing necessary management reports, and coordinating NERC/WECC compliance activities. The position operates in a fast-paced environment, requiring strong coordination and communication with diverse stakeholders and business resources to achieve company goals.
We offer great benefits:
NorthWestern Energy is a fully regulated electric and natural gas utility serving Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska. We employ over 1,600 amazing people and serve over 800,000 customers who are our neighbors in our communities. We are a top employer and offer competitive benefits, including:
- 401K with company match up to 4% and non-elective contribution up to 7%
- Healthcare and wellbeing programs, including dental and vision for you, your spouse and dependents, Health Savings Account (HSA), healthcare and dependent care flexible spending account (FSA)
- Employee Assistance Programs (Offering up to six free counseling sessions, per person, per issue, per year for employees, spouses and dependents to include financial heath)
- Life Insurance (Company pays basic employee policy; spouse, dependent insurance also available)
- Tuition reimbursement
- Competitive pay (Scheduled performance-based wage increases and annual incentive opportunities.)
- Paid company endorsed volunteer opportunities
- Paid parental leave
- Paid bereavement leave
- Paid training opportunities
- Paid time off starting on your first day, plus 11 paid holidays
Benefits may vary by position or as negotiated as part of a collective bargaining agreement.
About this job:
- Demonstrate leadership consistent with NorthWestern Energy's code, values, policies, processes and controls
- Utilizes effective management practices to maintain employee engagement and productivity
- Effectively manages budget, ensuring proper cost controls
- Supervise and lead the Hydro Maintenance & Reliability G roup to attain operational and strategic improvement goals
- Interact effectively and responsibly with employees, external contractors, and agencies
- Lead and guide the development of expertise and experience of the Hydro Maintenance & Reliability G roup to provide guidance and technical resources to the Hydro plants and teams
- Lead the application of asset management principles across the Hydro plants to maintain high availability and to guide capital replacement strategy
- Understand and apply Reliability Centered Maintenance principles to maintain and improve reliability across the Hydro plants including the following:
- Responsible for reviewing equipment outage information and coordinating work management activities across the business units to ensure optimal generation
- Assess data from the Work Management systems, outage reports along with equipment availability data to evaluate frequencies and methods of inspections and maintenance along with possible equipment replacement
- Interpret plant performance data to evaluate the impacts the processes will have on the operational performance of the generating facility along with any potential consequences to the facilities
- Lead the development and application of Preventative Maintenance (PM) and Predictive Maintenance (PdM) programs across the Hydro plants
- Manage and coordinate the application of the Event Reporting procedure for the Hydro plants including Root Cause Analyses (RCA), identification of corrective actions, and tracking of corrective actions to completion
- Manage and coordinate the Hydro Work Management Process through our work management system
- Manage and coordinate the development, update, and communication of the Hydro Planned Outage Schedule
- Lead and coordinate the Hydro NERC/WECC compliance program
- Review and evaluate existing and pending generator, operator, and owner NERC Reliability Standards, to ensure compliance
- Guide and coordinate general operational results tracking and reporting, including GADS for the Hydro plants
- Evaluates the efficiency and reliability of the facilities using existing work management programs, plant and human performance incident data, plant computer records, and daily system reports
- Develop and report industry standard metrics for operational units
- Actively participate and contribute to the Hydro leadership team to guide and direct strategic improvement and direction of the Hydro assets
- Works independently with guidance on only the most complex tasks by coordinating the integration of business plans. Supports business units with short- and long-term business planning and budgeting processes
- Solves complex problems; takes a broad perspective to identify innovative solutions and makes use of knowledge of Montana Hydro Generation Facility Operations, Equipment and Maintenance procedures and practices, and direct observations in the field
- Supervisor responsibilities include contributing to union negotiations, union issue resolution, personnel training and personnel selection
- Maintain situational and safety awareness and communicate to maintain safety and efficiency
- Complete required documentation and interact with the public
- Required to be available for 24 hour on call status per the business unit Supervisor-On-Call schedule throughout the year and is informally on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week
- Frequent travel up to 30% is required to support essential functions at assigned sites
- The ability to maintain regular, reliable, and punctual attendance is an essential function of this position, consistent with applicable laws and reasonable accommodation requirements
- All NorthWestern Energy employees are required to adhere to company safety standards and the Code of Business Conduct & Ethics
- Ensure self and other's actions are consistent with NorthWestern Energy's values, mission, and strategic business objectives
Am I right for this job? Here's the success profile:
- Bachelor's Degree or 8 years of equivalent experience required
- E. preferred, but not required
- 10 or more years' experience in industrial plant operations and maintenance preferred
- 5 years supervisory experience preferred
- Power generation experience preferred
- Experience using computerized maintenance management programs and reporting tools
- Demonstrate and maintain a good safety record
- Effective Data Analysis and trouble shooting skills
- Demonstrated ability to research and apply equipment performance and process issues without guidance
- Valid Driver's License and satisfactory driving record
- Knowledge of Reliability Centered Maintenance and Root Cause Analysis techniques
- Commitment to safe working practices and knowledge of safety policies/procedures
- Get Into Energy - Energy Industry Fundamental 2.0 certification is a plus (click the link to certify at no cost)
Requisition #4939
Posting Dates: May 27, 2026 through June 10, 2026
Department/Division: Operations
Employment Physical: May be Required
Drug Test: Required
Background Check: Required
Relocation Benefit: Negotiable
Telecommuting: Part-time Negotiable within NorthWestern Energy Service Territory
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected class in accordance with applicable federal or state laws and statutes. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act, should you have a disability that requires assistance and/or reasonable accommodation with the job application process, please contact the Human Resources department at 1-800-245-6977 or at job.inquiries@northwestern.com