Career Overview
Manage operations at biomass power generation facilities. Direct work activities at plant, including supervision of operations and maintenance staff.
Also Known As
- Maintenance Manager
- Maintenance Supervisor
- Operations Supervisor
- Plant Manager
Alternate Job Titles
- Biomass Plant Manager
- Biomass Power Plant Manager
- Biomass Power Plant Superintendent
- Biomass Production Manager
- Demand Generator Manager
- Fuel Manager
- Maintenance Manager
- Maintenance Superintendent
- Maintenance Supervisor
- Operations and Maintenance Manager (O&M Manager)
- Operations Superintendent
- Operations Supervisor
- Plant Manager
- Utilities Superintendent
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Manage safety programs at power generation facilities.
- Review biomass operations performance specifications to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Review logs, datasheets, or reports to ensure adequate production levels and safe production environments or to identify abnormalities with power production equipment or processes.
- Supervise operations or maintenance employees in the production of power from biomass, such as wood, coal, paper sludge, or other waste or refuse.
- Supervise biomass plant or substation operations, maintenance, repair, or testing activities.
- Conduct field inspections of biomass plants, stations, or substations to ensure normal and safe operating conditions.
- Plan and schedule plant activities, such as wood, waste, or refuse fuel deliveries, ash removal, and regular maintenance.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Mechanical
- Engineering and Technology
- Production and Processing
- Administration and Management
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Public Safety and Security
- Administrative
- Education and Training
- Mathematics
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Complex Problem Solving
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Time Management
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Comprehension
- Written Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
- Written Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Near Vision
- Speech Clarity
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
- Recognition
- Independence
- Relationships
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Bachelor's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 10 years
On-the-Job Training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Education Details: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience Required: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Tools & Equipment
- Biomass boilers
- Bubbling fluidized bed boilers
- Circulating fluidized bed boilers
- Cooling towers
- Desktop computers
- Heat recovery steam generators
- Laptop computers
- Personal computers
- Radial stackers
- Steam boilers
- Steam turbines
- Water samplers
- Wood feed systems
Work Environment
- Health and Safety of Other Workers
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Telephone Conversations
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Industrial Production Managers occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Biomass Power Plant Managers.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $74,900 |
| Median | $121,440 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $197,310 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 234,380
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Biomass Plant Technicians
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $99,670
Geothermal Production Managers
Education: Some College Courses
Median Salary: $121,440
Biofuels Production Managers
Education: Bachelor's Degree
Median Salary: $121,440
Hydroelectric Production Managers
Education: Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)
Median Salary: $121,440
Hydroelectric Plant Technicians
Education: Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
Median Salary: $99,670
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.