Cooling Tower Supervisor

The Mid-Level Cooling Tower Supervisor is responsible for overseeing the operation, inspection, and maintenance of cooling tower systems in a thermal, combined cycle, or industrial plant. This role involves managing routine maintenance, coordinating with water treatment and instrumentation teams, ensuring safety compliance, and driving performance improvements. The supervisor also leads a team of technicians and works closely with engineering to address reliability and efficiency issues.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Operations Oversight

   • Monitor cooling tower performance parameters including water flow, temperatures, fan speeds, and vibration levels.

   • Identify performance bottlenecks and implement corrective measures.

2. Maintenance Management

   • Plan and supervise preventive and corrective maintenance of cooling tower components (e.g., fill media, fans, motors, gearboxes, drift eliminators, nozzles).

   • Coordinate cleaning, chemical dosing, structural repairs, and maintenance shutdowns.

3. Water Treatment Interface

   • Work with the water chemistry team to ensure optimized chemical dosing, control of scaling, corrosion, and biological fouling.

   • Ensure blowdown rates, water quality, and cycle of concentration are within operational standards.

4. Team Supervision & Training

   • Lead and supervise a team of technicians and contractors performing mechanical work on the cooling tower.

   • Provide technical guidance, schedule shift activities, and conduct safety briefings.

5. Documentation & Reporting

   • Maintain accurate maintenance records, inspection reports, and downtime analysis.

   • Use CMMS to track work orders and generate performance and maintenance KPIs.

6. Safety & Compliance

   • Enforce adherence to all EHS standards, including working at heights, confined space entry, and PPE usage.

   • Support internal and external audits by ensuring documentation and field conditions are compliant.

Key Focus Areas:

• 💧 System Reliability: Ensure high availability of cooling tower systems by minimizing breakdowns and optimizing maintenance strategies.

• ⚙️ Asset Life Extension: Monitor wear and tear on critical parts and implement proactive replacements/upgrades.

• 🧪 Water Chemistry Optimization: Support efficiency through effective interface with water treatment practices and monitoring programs.

• 📈 Performance Monitoring: Focus on thermal performance, energy usage, and water loss to drive operational efficiency.

• 🛡 Workforce Safety & Compliance: Maintain a safe working environment and ensure procedural adherence.

Qualifications:

• Education: Diploma or Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Maintenance

• Experience: 4–7 years in a utility or process plant, with specific experience in cooling tower operations and maintenance

• Certifications (Preferred): OSHA/NEBOSH safety certification, Water Treatment Awareness, Working at Heights

Skills & Competencies:

• Strong technical knowledge of cooling tower types (natural/forced/induced draft), components, and failure modes

• Working experience with CMMS systems (e.g., SAP, Maximo) and maintenance planning

• Understanding of water chemistry principles and mechanical troubleshooting

• Capable of interpreting technical drawings, vendor manuals, and OEM maintenance instructions

• Strong leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills

Working Conditions:

• Physically demanding field-based role in an industrial setting

• Requires occasional shift work and extended hours during outages

• Involves work at heights, exposure to water and chemicals, and use of PPE