Chief Operating Officer - Thermal Power

Key Responsibilities:

Plant Operations Management:

• Lead end-to-end thermal power plant operations to ensure uninterrupted power generation.
• Ensure optimal utilization of plant assets, equipment, and resources to achieve generation targets.
• Monitor plant performance parameters and implement corrective actions to improve efficiency and reliability.
• Drive operational excellence through best practices, standard operating procedures, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure adherence to operational KPIs, including plant load factor (PLF), heat rate, auxiliary power consumption, and availability.

Safety, Health & Environment (SHE):

• Promote a strong safety culture across plant operations.
• Ensure compliance with all safety regulations, environmental standards, and statutory requirements.
• Lead risk assessment, hazard identification, and incident investigation processes.
• Implement measures to minimize environmental impact and improve sustainability performance.

Asset Reliability & Maintenance Coordination:

• Collaborate with maintenance teams to ensure high equipment reliability and availability.
• Monitor critical plant equipment performance and support predictive and preventive maintenance strategies.
• Drive root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions for major equipment failures and operational issues.
• Support long-term asset management and lifecycle planning initiatives.

Performance Optimization:

• Analyze plant operational data to identify opportunities for efficiency improvement and cost reduction.
• Drive initiatives to optimize fuel consumption, reduce operational losses, and improve plant productivity.
• Benchmark operational performance against industry standards and implement best practices.
• Lead digitalization and automation initiatives to enhance operational effectiveness.

Regulatory Compliance & Governance:

• Ensure compliance with power sector regulations, environmental norms, and statutory requirements.
• Maintain operational documentation, reports, permits, and audit records.
• Coordinate with regulatory authorities, auditors, and external agencies as required.
• Ensure adherence to corporate governance and compliance policies.

Team Leadership & Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop plant operations teams.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, safety, and operational excellence.
• Identify training needs and support capability-building initiatives.
• Drive employee engagement and succession planning efforts.

Budgeting & Cost Management:

• Develop and manage operational budgets.
• Monitor operational expenditures and implement cost-control measures.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency while maintaining safety and reliability standards.
• Support business planning and strategic operational initiatives.

Stakeholder Management:

• Collaborate with internal functions including Maintenance, Engineering, Fuel Management, Projects, Finance, and HR.
• Build effective relationships with regulatory bodies, vendors, contractors, and external stakeholders.
• Support management in strategic decision-making through operational insights and performance reporting.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):

• Plant Availability & Reliability
• Plant Load Factor (PLF)
• Heat Rate Performance
• Auxiliary Power Consumption
• Forced Outage Rate
• Safety Performance Metrics (LTIFR, Incident Rate)
• Regulatory Compliance Score
• Operational Cost per Unit Generated
• Environmental Compliance Metrics
• Budget Adherence

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Power Engineering, or related discipline.
• Master's Degree (preferred).
• 15 - 25 years of experience in thermal power plant operations, with significant leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of boiler, turbine, generator (BTG) operations and power plant systems.
• Proven experience in operational excellence, plant performance optimization, and reliability management.
• Strong understanding of power sector regulations, environmental compliance, and safety standards.