Manager Grid Planning

To manage staff in providing expert analyses and developing recommendations on the long-term operational, fiscal and policy impacts of alternative uses of SMUD generation and transmission assets; promote SMUD's interests with regulatory and industry bodies; and develop strategies for SMUD's long-term interactions with other entities, including but not limited to entities such as the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) and Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) members, to ensure the competitiveness of SMUD's strategic operating policies, planning for long-term asset usage, and position in the marketplace.

Develops, implements, and manages work area goals, objectives, policies and priorities in partnership with senior leadership; ensures that strategic objectives and priorities are achieved by managing staff and through collaborative efforts throughout the organization.

• Represents and acts to protect and inform SMUD by serving on industry technical groups regarding electric industry restructuring, regulatory issues and standards, rules and practices for generation and transmission system reliability; ensuring SMUD's position is present in discussions; and evaluating industry approaches and/or changes in asset use, reliability measures or responses to regulatory policy changes for SMUD strategy formulation or application.
• Lead and provide guidance for NERC reliability standards Planning Coordinator (PC) and Transmission Planner (TP) related compliance responsibilities. Provide leadership and guidance in performing all NERC reliability standards required transmission planning studies and developing reports and documents to ensure fully compliance not only for BANC, registered as a PC and BANC participants, but also for SMUD, registered as a TP.
• Develops and presents or assigns staff to present testimony and defense of SMUD's position to regulatory bodies.
• Plans and directs the performance of technical analyses on utilization and reliability of SMUD's generation and bulk transmission system by overseeing modeling of the utility system; directing development of plans for the effective, efficient long-term use of generating and transmission assets; and overseeing the development of strategies for system improvements and competitive operations in changing industry and regulatory environments.
• Develops recommendations on methods to increase or maintain the reliability and adequacy of SMUD's bulk transmission system by directing participation in outside projects on the WECC grid that may infringe or interact with SMUD interests to ensure they maintain or increase reliability and capacity of SMUD's assets.
• Evaluates and recommends generation and transmission system additions, deletions and/or improvement projects that will contribute to SMUD's ability to compete in the marketplace.
• Assists in overseeing internal/external department projects by identifying project objectives; identifying internal/external project team; developing Request for Proposals where applicable; negotiating contract terms; developing project plans including schedule, cost, key work products and milestones; monitoring project progress and completion against plan/contract; revising schedules, scope, expenditures and assignments as warranted; reviewing work products; resolving conflicts and discrepancies; maintaining project records and files; participating in the overall review of the completed project results; and making recommendations for next steps.
• Supports SMUD's participation at BANC, WECC, NERC, FERC, CEC, CPUC, CAISO and TANC meetings and conferences by preparing technical analyses and presentations and/or attending or assigning staff participation and attendance.

• Directs the work of subordinates in a functional unit and maintains staffing levels and work quality in order to meet defined objectives and assigned unit responsibility by interpreting and executing SMUD policies and procedures that affect subordinate units; recommending modifications to operating policies; overseeing and evaluating work through subordinate supervisors or experienced lead employees who exercise independence in their assignments; hiring, firing, training, coaching, mentoring and developing subordinates; advising units on tasks and operations as required to solve complex problems; ensuring staff safety and prevention of personal injury and equipment loss; and acting to ensure project and operational schedules and budgets are met.
• Assists in developing and administering the department budget by monitoring unit budget expenditures against plan; identifying and reconciling budget anomalies; monitoring and revising schedules, expenditures and assignments as warranted; reviewing end-of-year budget results; developing unit budget recommendations for the next fiscal year; and participating in the review of preliminary department budget recommendations.
• Performs other related duties as needed; schedules, hours and locations may fluctuate based on business needs.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university majoring in electrical engineering or related field or equivalent experience.If no degree, an additional four (4) years of relevant work experience are required.

• At least ten (10+) years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in power electrical engineering disciplines applied to utility system modeling and system reliability, including areas of generation and transmission operations, transmission power system planning and assessments, generation and transmission system projects, generation interconnection cluster study and NERC PC and TP related reliability standards compliance.

Methods and techniques for planning, organizing and overseeing work activities; practices for delegating, assigning and reviewing work assignments; techniques and concepts related to teamwork; SMUD policies, procedures, applicable MOUs and other special agreements; procedures and practices for monitoring and managing projects; generation and transmission physical characteristics, costs and operating practices; current utility industry structure and applicable federal state and local regulations; industry reliability rules, standards and practices; theory of power operation; load flow and stability calculations; techniques for utility system modeling and model development; principles and practices of power system planning; methods for mitigating risk in contracting and power purchasing; safety policies, practices and procedures; standard operating procedures for modern office equipment including a computer and applicable software; English grammar, punctuation and vocabulary standards.

Apply applicable personnel laws, codes and regulations; plan, organize, direct, control, and review the work of others; coach, mentor, motivate, influence, challenge and develop subordinate staff; prepare and implement safety plans, procedures and practices for unit; coordinate the work of the function or unit with other SMUD entities; establish, manage, monitor and update budget; interpret and apply SMUD policies procedures, applicable MOU and/or other special agreements; manage multi-disciplinary staff in performing complex analyses under time constraints; communicate technical information and recommendations to different audiences; organize and coordinate company-wide projects and analyses; negotiate with internal and external management on projects; develop recommendations for asset utilization, system improvement and operating strategy; utilize a personal computer and/or computer terminal, systems and software relevant to the job; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; establish and maintain effective working relationships internally/externally.

• Professional registration as an Electrical Engineer in the state of California.
• Knowledge of SMUD policies, procedures, applicable MOUs, and other special agreements.
• Experience in representing SMUD in reliability forums, including providing testimony with the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission.
• Experience with physical and contractual arrangements governing the power market interactions in the Western United States.