Description

Position Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation's largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

The Director of Engineering & Technology Operations (ETO) provides strategic and operational engineering leadership for the Utility. This role is responsible for providing leadership for Management within, but not limited to, the following teams in our Engineering staff:

• Distribution Systems
• Electrical Service Engineers
• Engineering Standards
• Hydro Generation Electrical, Mechanical, Structural, and Civil teams
• Joint Use/Telecom
• Network
• Substation
• Streetlight
• Technical Resources
• Transmission

This position has 10 direct reports and leads a total of around 240 staff. This position supports and helps ensure security, availability and reliability of our electrical infrastructure and systems while responding to a rapidly changing environment. The Director of ETO understands the broad landscape of engineering services and trends and their application to the utility's mission. This position will lead the philosophy around the priority of certain maintenance projects, be a strong voice in the utility's future capital program, will build an increase in engineering resources through hiring and other practices, and will help cultivate and mentor the next generation of leaders.

This position reports to the Engineering and Project Delivery Officer.

Job Responsibilities

City Light's Engineering and Technology Operations (ETO) Division leads the utility's efforts in engineering support for electric infrastructure and operations. The Division supports design and engineering efforts related to equipment maintenance/replacement and to utility infrastructure, the development and administration of engineering strategy, policy and governance, and engineering support related to project management surrounding utility assets and maintenance.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Supports Seattle City Light as a public utility that has a strong connection to the residents and businesses of our city, and those of our Franchise Cities. In addition to our internal customers such as Generation, Operations, and Customer Care, the successful candidate must provide strong customer support and public outreach, either directly or in support of engineering teams.
• Increased electrification efforts in response to market conditions has prompted the utility to expand its infrastructure. This position will lead changes to work processes related to these strategic efforts and support the engineering teams on these goals.
• Consults with senior management, peer groups and staff to develop and implement engineering solutions for complex business problems and requirements and reports out on quality of internal engineering deliverables.
• Provides leadership and accountability for the safety culture of engineering teams.
• Provides support within the utility for emerging or emergency engineering work related to critical infrastructure across the utility, shifting teams to address priorities, as needed.
• Provides strategic engineering input to business and technical teams to ensure project objectives and appropriate resources are anticipated, allocated and optimized to meet scheduled requirements.
• Oversees long-term staffing plans and assists with succession planning to ensure adequate training and staff development.
• Provides the City Light Executive Team with engineering workplans, policy and standards modifications, and updates them accordingly.
• Works closely with other business units and divisional leaders to determine engineering solutions to meet business requirements, plan budgets and resource requirements. Matches and prioritizes available resources to specific business requirements and facilitates discussions and decisions on discrepancies.
• Builds, promotes, and oversees strategic relationships between engineering staff and other internal divisions and units promoting trust and partnership.
• Establishes external relationships with industry peers to exchange information and strategies and maintains up to date knowledge of state-of-the-art technology concepts and solutions with an emphasis within the utility industry but also including non-utility concepts as they map to utility issues.
• Maintains familiarity with electric utility innovation projects, including system and plant automation, Distributed Energy Resource program development, grid edge and behind-the-meter technology.
• Develops and manages relationships and collaboration opportunities with key vendors, consultants, constructors, and technology partners.
• Provides overall leadership and direction to facilitate the development of engineering standards to ensure functionality, compatibility, and integration in a complex infrastructure.
• Manages a large ETO capital ($330 million) and O&M ($28 million) budget and prioritizes purchases and contracts in alignment with Utility's Capital Guidance Organization (CGO) procedures. Facilitates work with other utility department budgets for projects and infrastructure requiring engineering resources in a cost-effective manner.
• Ensures engineering teams follow appropriate city and department financial policies.
• Represents the Utility on highly visible, and sensitive issues.
• Recruits, develops and leads a dynamic team of engineering professionals and other support functions to develop and execute the division's strategic and tactical assignments.
• Manages a multicultural and diverse staff in a workplace that values diversity, fairness, and equity.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:

Experience:

• Minimum of fifteen years of experience in Engineering.
• Minimum of eight years of significant management experience, with progressively responsible leadership and project management assignments, and demonstrated ability leading high-performing teams in large organizations.
• Demonstrated experience with electric utility systems.
• Proficient knowledge of utility T&D and Generation automation technology, Smart Grid concepts and structure.
• Knowledge of emerging utility and public infrastructure issues, and social, economic, and political impacts within the region and at a national level.
• Working knowledge of Project Management process and concepts. Experience managing project budgets.
• Demonstrated knowledge of managing a large CIP and O&M budget.
• Strong ability to lead and manage change, excellent written and verbal communications skills, with experience creating and delivering public presentations to a variety of constituents.

Education: Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field (or a combination of education and/or training and/or experience that provides an equivalent background required to perform the work of the class).

Certification/License: A current valid state issued driver's license from any U.S. state to be verified prior to start date. Out of state license holders will be required to obtain a WA state license within 30 days of hire.

Desired Qualifications: Competitive candidates will possess an advanced degree or relatable experience in Engineering or a related field. This position serves as a Director and participates as an active member in leadership teams at Seattle City Light. Policies, programs and services under the direct control of this position have substantial risk factors and potential liabilities that are mitigated through proactive, creative, consistent, and ethically sound recommendations and decisions.

• Substantial management and leadership experience in the utility industry, or related area of responsibility typically gained through fifteen or more years of progressively responsible assignments; at least ten years of which were a manager or a supervisor in a large, complex multicultural and diverse organization
• Advanced degree in relevant field.
• Professional Engineering license.
• Experience working with a public utility with hydroelectric generation.
• Demonstrated knowledge of federal and state regulations related to electric utility engineering systems.
• Experience with regulatory processes, policy development and compliance.
• Demonstrated knowledge developing strategic recommendations around grid modernization, distributed energy resources, general system maintenance as well as new infrastructure installations
• Experience participating in municipal/city public processes and communication in a large metropolitan setting
• Fundamental understanding in economics and financial analysis.
• Ability to negotiate and administer contracts and agreements, budget preparation, economics and finance.
• Ability to work within a union environment with multiple collective bargaining agreements and knowledge of the City of Seattle personnel policies and procedures will be essential for success in this position. Ability to administer labor contracts fairly and consistently.
• Experience and/or certification in project management; with demonstrated successful implementation of high impact projects.
• Strong functional problem-solving skills
• Experience and/or certification in change management and communicating change to a broad audience.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice .
Emergency Response Commitment: Seattle City Light is committed to reliable service during emergencies. Through our Emergency Response Program, each employee is assigned a role—usually aligned with their regular duties—to support emergency operations. Your participation is required and vital to helping the utility stay prepared and serve our community when it matters most.

Additional Information

Total compensation and relocation packages are competitive and depend upon qualifications and experience. The full salary range for this position is $243,565.20 to $389,725.20 annually.

Application Process
Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle's Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits.

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.