The Senior Vice President of Plant Operations provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for approximately 200 employees - approximately half of the company - and 11+ generating sites across Georgia. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the SVP is responsible for delivering top-quartile operational performance, executing large-scale capital projects, maintaining a strong enterprise-level accountability for safety culture, and ensuring the readiness, resiliency, reliability, and long-term sustainability of the fleet.
This role is one of the most influential operational leadership positions within OPC and will play a central part in shaping the organization's next decade of growth, including commissioning new plants, expanding the portfolio, and developing the next generation of operational leaders.
The role is deeply integrated with the broader "family of companies" (OPC, GSOC, GTC), works closely with system operations, engineering, construction/project management, and corporate functions, and engages regularly with Member EMC managers, OPC senior leadership, and Board committees (e.g., construction, risk management/compliance committees).
The SVP will oversee a 10+ GW and growing portfolio of generation resources, including a new 1,425 MW combined-cycle plant, a new 240 MW combustion turbine unit at an existing plant, dual-fuel upgrades at multiple plants, and future projects such as additional gas capacity.
Key Responsibilities:
Executive & Operational Leadership- Provide strategic and operational leadership for OPC's gas fleet and the Rocky Mountain Pumped-storage Hydroelectric facility.
- Ensure all units are safe, available, reliable, and performing at upper-decile industry levels.
- Lead a large, geographically dispersed workforce (approx. 200 employees), including plant managers, operations managers, engineering, and maintenance teams.
- Build and maintain a high-performance, safety-first culture rooted in technical excellence and accountability.
Portfolio Optimization & Asset Strategy
- Drive operational strategy across OPC's fleet including modernization, lifecycle planning, outage strategy, and resiliency upgrades.
- Evaluate and prepare for emerging technologies such as hydrogen-cofiring, SMRs, battery storage, and biomass.
- Monitor market, regulatory, and Member-driven trends to inform asset strategy and investment decisions.
Capital Program Management
- Oversee construction, commissioning, and integration of major new generation assets, and future utility-scale BESS projects, including:
- 1,425-MW two-unit combined-cycle plant
- 240-MW combustion turbine unit
- Fleetwide dual-fuel upgrades
- Rocky Mountain pumped-storage reinvestment program
- Ensure capital projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with strategic objectives.
- Partner with Construction & Project Management to ensure projects meet schedule, budget, and performance milestones; monitor risk, cost, and change-management plans.
- Contribute to long-term resource planning and portfolio strategy, including evaluation of SMRs/ advanced nuclear, biomass opportunities, battery storage, and other technologies as they become economic and practical for OPC and its Members.
- Ensure new assets are operationally ready, winter-resilient, and integrated with dispatch and market strategies.
Cross-Functional & External Engagement
- Collaborate extensively with related organizations, GSOC and GTC, to ensure alignment on system operations, planning, and construction.
- Present plant operations updates at monthly EMC manager meetings and engage with OPC Member systems as needed.
- Participate in Board committee updates, including the Construction Project Committee and RMCC (Risk Oversight).
- Serve as a visible, trusted leader across the entire cooperative community.
Organizational Development & Culture Stewardship
- Identify, develop, and mentor internal high-potential leaders.
- Shape culture through leadership transitions, including replacement of long-tenured staff at key generating sites (e.g., Rocky Mountain).
- Ensure succession planning, workforce development, and employee engagement efforts support a long-term talent pipeline.
Performance, Safety & Compliance
- Own overall safety performance for Plant Operations, leading a culture that delivers on corporate safety goals, including training, safety meetings, safety observations, and hazard Uphold OPC's strong safety record and continuous safety improvement initiatives.
- Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements (NERC, FERC, environmental, state, local).
- Drive operational KPIs, including availability, forced outage rates, heat rate, and cost performance.
Reliability and Operational Performance
- Deliver top-quartile reliability and availability across OPC-managed gas and hydro assets, including successful start performance for the combustion turbine fleet and peak-season availability for combined-cycle and combustion turbine units.
- Ensure compliance with NERC, FERC, state regulatory requirements, and internal standards; partner closely with GSOC and GTC to support system reliability and grid operations.
- Maintain high standards for maintenance, outage planning, and execution, including major overhauls, hot-gas-path work, and long-term asset health planning.
People Leadership, Culture, and Succession
- Lead, develop, and retain plant managers, operations leaders, and technical staff across approximately 11 owned sites; "foster an experience-driven and collaborative culture led by leaders who are credible operators with extensive hands-on experience.
- Build and execute a formal succession and development plan for key roles, including plant managers and future VP-level leaders; support the transition associated with multiple retirements (incumbent SVP, Rocky Mountain plant leadership, and other key staff).
- Uphold and advance a cooperative, Member-centric culture distinct from IOU environments; model collaboration, transparency, and humility while holding teams accountable for results.
- Ensure strong engagement, communication, and alignment across plants, headquarters, safety, engineering, and project teams.
Stakeholder, Member, and Board Engagement
- Represent Plant Operations in monthly EMC manager meetings, providing updates on fleet performance, projects, and operational risks/opportunities.
- Engage with OPC's Board and Board committees (e.g., construction committee, RMCC) on capital projects, risk management, and major operational decisions.
- Coordinate closely with GSOC, GTC, and other external partners to manage system reliability, outage planning, and integration of new resources.
- Serve as a visible and accessible leader to Member systems, particularly as OPC responds to rising Member demand and navigates rapid change in the energy industry.
Oglethorpe Power Corporation
2100 E Exchange Pl
Tucker
Georgia United States
www.opc.com
