Associate Manager - Operations

Job Purpose

The role is focused on keeping the unit or station available as per the annual operating plan, maintaining full statutory compliance, and using safe, reliable technology to create value for all stakeholders. A key objective is to help convert the maintenance function from a cost centre into a profit centre.

Role Summary

This position supports mechanical maintenance activities for turbine and auxiliary systems in a power plant environment. It involves planning, execution, troubleshooting, improvement initiatives, spare management, safety adherence, team development, and reliability enhancement to ensure uninterrupted generation and high station availability.

Responsibilities

• Plan and schedule preventive and breakdown maintenance for turbines and associated auxiliary systems.
• Plan and schedule maintenance for air compressors and dryers.
• Handle emergency shutdown repairs such as feed pump bearing failure, generator rotor thread-out, hydrogen seal replacement, main turbine bearing inspection, major steam leakages, condenser tube leakage tests, and HP/LP heater-related work.
• Respond quickly to failures in HP/IP control valves, stop valves, and safety valves and restore operations in the shortest possible time.
• Support maximum unit availability by managing turbine and auxiliary mechanical maintenance activities effectively.
• Carry out daily planning and execution of maintenance work based on defect notifications.
• Monitor oil condition and pump vibration levels in coordination with the condition monitoring team.
• Participate in major overhauls of turbines and auxiliary equipment.
• Take part in condenser flood tests and HP heater hydro tests.
• Support regular and overhaul maintenance for BFPs and booster pumps.
• Work on air compressor and dryer maintenance and help improve their performance and efficiency.
• Contribute to erection and commissioning activities for turbines and auxiliaries.
• Assist in preparing the department’s annual operating plan budget.
• Drive 5S improvement activities in the TG and auxiliary zone.
• Track and improve turbine and auxiliary availability, generation loss due to equipment failure, maintenance spend against the approved budget, accident prevention, stock availability, 3S score, preventive maintenance completion, statutory certification timelines, TNI completion, knowledge sharing, and idea implementation.
• Identify critical and non-critical spares for various equipment to prevent stock-outs.
• Support development of spares through reverse engineering.
• Develop Indian and alternate vendors for spare supply.
• Maintain inventory levels to avoid maintenance disruption caused by spare shortages.
• Plan and procure spare parts within the AOP budget, targeting spend at around 80% of budget.
• Ensure safety at the workplace and compliance with all permit-to-work requirements.
• Implement all safety practices during daily maintenance work.
• Help build the safety capability of agency staff for tasks such as working at height, confined space entry, and hot-zone work.
• Identify unsafe acts and unsafe conditions and work to eliminate them.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external EHS audits and carry out corrective actions safely.
• Conduct regular safety briefings and toolbox talks with agency workers before job execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve reliability and reduce cost through brainstorming and root-cause analysis.
• Contribute to system improvement projects that have already delivered measurable benefits.
• Support maintenance practices that improve reliability and keep power generation uninterrupted and cost effective.
• Use preventive, proactive, and condition-based maintenance methods, along with close system monitoring, to maintain a station availability target above 98.5%.
• Troubleshoot equipment issues to improve reliability.
• Conduct expert training sessions on air compressors.
• Provide refresher training and support TNI needs for peers and subordinates.
• Build a positive, proactive, and motivated team culture to meet operational challenges.
• Develop technical capability through regular discussions, guided questioning, and case-study-based problem solving.
• Maintain smooth coordination with departmental colleagues and cross-functional teams.
• Build productive relationships with third-party vendors to ensure timely completion of maintenance jobs.
• Follow up with service providers such as C & C, F & A, and stores to ensure resources are available without affecting work.
• Guide and develop graduate engineers in the department so they can independently handle 24x7 maintenance responsibilities.
• Share information properly and build trust with reporting managers and senior leadership.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree is required.
• At least 5 years of experience in a power plant environment is required.
• Strong hands-on exposure to erection, commissioning, and maintenance activities is needed.
• Experience should include preventive, predictive, breakdown, and opportunity maintenance in a mechanical maintenance department.
• Knowledge of turbine, auxiliary systems, air compressors, dryers, pumps, valves, condensers, and related power plant equipment is essential.
• Ability to manage safety compliance, permit-to-work processes, and EHS audit requirements is important.
• Capability to analyse issues, troubleshoot failures, and improve system reliability is expected.
• Ability to mentor teams and support technical capability building is required.

Additional Information

The role requires a strong focus on statutory compliance, zero-accident practices, and uninterrupted plant operation. The maintenance function is expected to operate efficiently, support cost control, and contribute to improvements in reliability, availability, and performance. Teamwork, stakeholder coordination, and continuous improvement are important parts of the job.

Achievements and Improvement Initiatives

The role also includes contributing to and sustaining plant improvement initiatives such as dosing line modifications for initial dosing without starting CEP, JOP supply line modifications for individual bearing supply isolation, new globe valve installation to reduce high-energy steam loss, common drain line connections for CRH pot drains, pressure gauge installation in BFPs to monitor balancing pressure, MDBFP cartridge reconditioning and installation, and air compressor performance improvement.

Competencies

The position calls for personal effectiveness, social awareness, entrepreneurship, problem solving and analytical thinking, planning and decision making, capability building, strategic orientation, stakeholder focus, networking, execution focus, results orientation, teamwork, and interpersonal influence.