AE Manager, Electric System Field Operations - System Restoration & Trouble

City of Austin

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations associated with the construction, maintenance, operation, and restoration of Austin Energy’s (AE) transmission, substation, and distribution systems, and infrastructure.

Requirements

Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field related to the job, plus six (6) years of related experience, including two (2) years of experience which were in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
Relevant experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis up to four (4) years for the non-supervisory/managerial experience.
Valid Texas Class C Driver License.
Knowledge of Austin Energy’s safety rules, regulations, work practices, standards, and procedures related to electric utility systems, high‑voltage operations, and electric system restoration.
Knowledge of standards, protocols, operating guides, and requirements established by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) and International Standards Organization (ISO)(ISO 9001).
Knowledge of evolving industry and regulatory developments, environmental regulations, and customer expectations.
Knowledge of electric utility financial, managerial, and budgetary practices, including fiscal planning and budget preparation.
Knowledge of Federal, State, and Local laws and ordinances, as well as City of Austin practices, policies, and procedures.
Skill in emergency management techniques, outage restoration processes, and the Incident Command System (ICS).
Skill in effectively managing conflict and navigating complex or uncertain situations.
Skill in handling and prioritizing multiple tasks and building cooperation through purposeful dialogue and practical, reasoned decision‑making.
Skill in data analysis, problem solving, and developing, implementing, and managing short‑ and long‑range operational plans.
Ability to embrace the principles of equal opportunity, diversity, inclusion, continuous improvement, and change.
Ability to quickly recognize and analyze irregular events, work with frequent interruptions, and adapt to changes in priorities.
Ability to establish and maintain excellent communication and working relationships with City employees, customers, and the public.

Nice To Haves

Experience with distribution systems both overhead and underground in an electric utility field.
Experience with Grid hardening efforts and Wildfire Mitigation.
Experience in a supervisor role, performing the full range of supervisory functions for teams responsible for System Restoration, Distribution Construction, Distribution Maintenance, Smart Grid, Network and/or Transmission.
Experience responding to unscheduled urgent utility related matters such as outages, emergency restoration, and other business needs outside normal business hours.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Ability to travel to more than one work location.

Responsibilities

Performs strategic planning, resource allocation, and cross‑functional coordination for operational activities.
Ensures that safety, compliance, reliability, and resiliency comply with established organizational requirements and the Austin Energy Electric System Resiliency Plan.
Manages an evolving compliance environment (NERC, TRE, and PUCT reliability standards, ERCOT protocols, and cybersecurity requirements) across the service territory and implement quality control processes to track effectiveness.
Prepares, monitors, and manages budgets, contracts, resource allocations, and capital improvement projects; creates and implements mitigation strategies; and authorizes the purchase and payment of equipment and services.
Manages construction and maintenance work planning activities, projects, and programs; monitors workflow; and reviews and evaluates work products, methods, and procedures.
Oversees emergency restoration activities, serves on the Austin Energy Incident Management Team during Incident Command Activation, and leads Mutual Aid deployments.
Responsible for the full range of supervisory activities including selection, training, evaluation, counseling, and recommendation for dismissal.