| The Imperial Irrigation District, headquartered in Imperial, California, employs over 1,325 employees and provides electric power to more than 165,000 customers in the Imperial Valley and parts of Riverside and San Diego counties. IID’s mission is to protect its water rights and energy balancing authority, deliver the highest level of customer service, and maintain system reliability for the sustained benefit of the regional economy, the environment, and the communities it serves while in a fiscally responsible manner. POSITION DESCRIPTION: Reporting to the Deputy Energy Manager, the Chief Electrical Engineer/Manager, Planning & Engineering will manage a team of approximately 75 professional and technical staff. The Chief Engineer oversees the system planning studies, engineering studies, design, and technical planning functions for the Imperial Irrigation District’s transmission, substation and distribution system. Additionally, the Chief Engineer oversees, and is directly involved with, short- and long-term system, program and project plans, upgrades, OATT studies, and Transmission Service Studies for the Energy Department. The Chief Electrical Engineer/Manager, Planning & Engineering will provide the vision, roadmap, credentialed technical acumen, and hands on working knowledge to build and transform IID’s various technical organizations into a cohesive working unit. He/she will instill a shared purpose that is understood throughout the working unit; provide working level knowledge and leadership; elevate the group’s technical skills; improve technical compliance to applicable codes; become the driving force to ensure new programs are developed and receive continued active oversight to insure code required technical requirements are established and sustained; and to instill additional technical rigor while moving the multiple organization’s long range planning efforts from reactionary to proactive in order to better position the IID Energy Department for future impending and as yet undetermined changes. The Chief Electrical Engineer/Manager, Planning & Engineering will lead and direct: - Distribution Planning and Engineering;
- Transmission/Substation System Planning;
- Transmission/Substation Engineering and Planning;
- Substation Protection Engineering;
- Energy Technical Standards;
- Energy Project Management;
- Customer Project Development.
RESPONSIBILITIES: From an overarching perspective, the Chief Electrical Engineer/Manager, Planning & Engineering will be charged with: - In concert with the Energy Manager and her team, develop and manage all current and future IID transmission projects. Collaborate internally while proactively engaging regulatory and stakeholder entities, building credibility and trust relationships that result in win-win project execution;
- Direct accountability for complying with NERC and FERC orders and directives pertaining to system transmission reliability and emergency restoration;
- Develop broad and deep expertise as it pertains to the District’s current transmission operations and development plans. Demonstrate leadership in all matters relating to the IID Board, California ISO, WECC, NERC, and FERC. Construct and maintain the group’s mutually informative and supportive professional relationships with regulatory bodies, regional transmission groups, the IID Board, as well as community groups;
- Build upon and expand regional operational relationships, especially with neighboring utility organizations. Key adjacent utilities include: San Diego Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, Arizona Public Service, and Mexico’s Centro Nacional de Control de Energía;
- Maintain an active role in regional transmission planning processes of both the Western Area Power Administration and the California ISO. Represent the district in electric industry planning committees, forums and agencies; direct through subordinate the development of agreements with adjacent transmission owners for the design, construction and operation and maintenance of joint transmission facilities;
- Develop strategic and actionable transmission plans designed to both maintain reliability and address the region’s load growth forecast in concert with California’s aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standards. Capitalize on IID’s unique geographic location in support of the development of projects that generate electricity through solar, geothermal, biomass, and to a certain extent wind, resources;
- Provide training to employees and ensure the quality of OATT guidelines, System Impact Studies and affected system studies, steady state, transient and post transient power flow studies, contingency analysis using historical data and forecast data as base case inputs;
- Collaborate in the management of the group’s $100+ million capital and operating budgets.
- Key stakeholder in the development of IID’s Integrated Resource Plan. Sponsor transmission reliability and improvement projects via system studies. Identify conceptual cost for system improvements;
- Lead by example, building a culture of ownership, responsibility, and credibility.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES: From a more granular perspective, the incumbent will manage functions that directly impact IID’s system electric reliability and safety of customers as follows: - Manages projects, programs and activities involved in energy system planning and asset management, system engineering, construction management and the design of power transmission, substation and distribution systems and facilities;
- Manages staff, consultants and contractors; resolves complex customer service and project management issues, approves and implements electrical plans and specifications and advises operating departments on the operation and maintenance of the electric systems;
- Directs and participates in system and asset management functions, including preparation and maintenance of a capital improvement master plan; oversees the management of capital improvement projects, including project monitoring, reporting, training, and auditing to assure conformance to Board of Directors adopted policies and procedures;
- Oversees the development of standards, policies and procedures, for system design, protection, maintenance and reliability; and develops, implements, interprets and ensures compliance with laws, codes, policies and procedures;
- Oversees the development and management of requests for proposals, service agreements and contracts; establishes priorities, monitors progress and assures compliance with contractual provisions and participates in formal reviews and audits;
- Develops budgets and monitors expenditures, oversees the development and implementation of operating and long-term budgets, monitors expenditures, ensures fiscal responsibility and ensures projects meet cost, quality and schedule objectives;
- Directs and oversees the development of plans, designs, standards, specifications and technical requirements for systems design, protection, maintenance, management, reliability improvements and expansions; and reviews design and engineering work performed to ensure compliance;
- Direct long-term transmission planning studies consisting of power flow, transfer capability and economic dispatch; develop, perform or supervise strategic planning assessments to identify long-range business opportunities and partnerships;
- Manages and approves the preparation of material specifications and standards for transmission and distribution systems and facilities; manages and oversees the preparation of specifications and purchase requisitions, the evaluation of proposals and the acquisition of equipment and electrical systems;
- Surveys and inspects project locations and analyzes project documentation, including maps, drawings and specifications; and investigates field problems with owners, contracts and maintenance and operations;
- Directs through supervisors, electrical engineering staff in the development of plans, designs, standards, specifications and technical requirements for system improvements and expansions;
- Manages, assigns, monitors and reviews studies and forecasts of the operating capacity of the electrical system, usage and growth in planning and determining long range needs and requirements of electric utility to meet service, operating and financial requirements; and prepares and presents report;
- Directs and coordinates staff in working closely with other public agencies or electric utility groups to achieve goals of mutual benefit as required;
- Evaluates employee job performance and recommends personnel actions such as promotions, merit increases and disciplinary actions;
- Participates or assists in the selection of employees in conformance to district policy and procedure.
MEASURING SUCCESS: First year success will be defined as: - Projects completed on time and on budget;
- Transmission reliability plan updated with key internal stakeholder buy in;
- Transmission system betterment plan updated with key stakeholder buy in;
- NERC filings on time;
- System Impact Studies and Facility Studies completed on time.
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