Director Power Generation

SMUD • Rancho Cordova, CA

22h • $223,995 - $311,938 • Hybrid

About The Position

SMUD is seeking an accomplished, strategic, and forward-thinking Director of Power Generation to provide executive leadership for a diverse portfolio of hydro, thermal, renewable, gas pipeline, and Rancho Seco assets. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team within the Generation & Grid Operations business unit, the Director is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, available, efficient, and compliant operation of generation resources and for advancing operational excellence, asset performance, safety culture, regulatory compliance, and strategic business objectives.

The Director leads the Hydro Generation, Thermal Generation, Renewable Generation, Gas Pipeline Operations, Engineering, Regulatory Compliance, and Rancho Seco work groups. This department-level senior management role oversees business performance, resource planning, budgets, and the project portfolio. In collaboration with the Chief Generation and Grid Operations Officer and peer senior leaders, the Director designs and implements processes for generation operations and compliance with applicable licenses and regulatory requirements.

The position works closely with internal partners, senior leadership, external stakeholders, policymakers, employees, and union officials. It requires presenting and participating in Board, executive, team, customer, community, and individual meetings, in person as needed. The Director represents SMUD before regulatory and legislative commissions and other external entities, communicates significant events and risks to executive management, and manages emergency events and post-event improvement efforts. Schedules, hours, and locations may fluctuate based on business needs. The position may be eligible for hybrid work, with at least three onsite workdays per week under SMUD policy and additional onsite work as business needs require.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline from an accredited college or university.
• At least seven years of experience in the design, construction, maintenance, and/or operation of utility assets, including at least five years specific to power generation.
• At least five years of experience in a management role.
• Experience with modern electric utility business and management practices, managing and scheduling major projects, and interfacing with executive management, a board of directors, regulatory agencies, and the public.
• Knowledge of department-level planning, management, organization, staffing, and monitoring; business and political acumen; budget development and administration; project management; DEIB and organizational culture change; community engagement; and applicable employment laws and practices.
• Knowledge of generation types including hydro, thermal (combustion gas/steam), wind, photovoltaic, and energy storage; power plant construction, maintenance, and operation; natural gas pipeline operations and maintenance; NRC-regulated independent spent fuel storage; and commercially available and emerging generation technologies.
• Knowledge of asset and work management practices, including lifecycle asset management, risk and reliability engineering, work order optimization, resource and labor scheduling, maintenance strategies, and outage management.
• Knowledge of the Incident Command System.
• Ability to oversee, influence, persuade, motivate, establish policies and goals, and manage implementation of strategic and operational plans.
• Ability to direct work through management staff and manage change across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to demonstrate commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Ability to interface effectively with SMUD’s executive team, Board of Directors, regulatory and public agencies, customers, industry groups, and staff.
• Ability to lead and manage multidisciplinary personnel on complex engineering and operating assignments under significant time constraints.
• Ability to communicate technical information and recommendations effectively to varied audiences and explain complex or controversial policies, regulations, procedures, and activities orally and in writing.
• Ability to interpret and apply SMUD policies and procedures, applicable IBEW memoranda of understanding, and other special agreements.
• Ability to respond effectively to changing priorities, anticipate problems, and apply innovative, creative, and logical approaches to resolving them.
• Ability to perform under pressure, recognize sensitive issues and act accordingly, and recognize and admit when one is wrong.
• Ability to perform the essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

Nice To Haves

• Registration as a Professional Engineer (PE) in California.
• Experience working with regulatory and governmental agencies.
• Experience managing large capital budgets and operations and maintenance budgets.
• Project management experience involving large, complex, utility-scale hydroelectric, thermal, renewable, and gas pipeline projects.
• Experience developing, negotiating, and administering Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contracts.
• Experience developing goals, objectives, and priorities aligned with asset management industry best practices and standards.
• Experience supporting or leading emergency operations, including responses to natural disasters or other major operational events.
• Experience building, supporting, and sustaining a strong safety culture across teams and operations.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering.
• PMP Certification and experience overseeing large-scale capital projects, construction management, and procurement.
• Asset Management Certification.
• FEMA Incident Command System certifications: ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-300, and ICS-400.

Responsibilities

• Lead Hydro Generation, Thermal Generation, Renewable Generation, Gas Pipeline Operations, Engineering, Regulatory Compliance, and Rancho Seco work groups.
• Oversee business performance, resource planning, budgets, and the overall project portfolio.
• Ensure safe generation asset operations that maximize efficiency, reliability, and availability and comply with regulatory requirements.
• Build and maintain an accountable safety culture focused on zero safety incidents, adherence to SMUD policies, and the safety of employees, contractors, and customers.
• Create, communicate, and implement the department vision in alignment with SMUD strategy, collaborating with subordinate managers to support alignment and engagement.
• Partner with Enterprise Strategy to develop Enterprise Performance Goals and oversee execution and achievement of those goals.
• Present to the Chief Executive Officer/General Manager, Executive Team, and Board of Directors on generation activities, asset condition and performance, FERC licenses, regulatory conditions, budgets, and resource considerations.
• Provide executive management timely information about significant events, milestones, public impacts, and matters that could materially affect safety, finances, compliance, reputation, or relationships with customers and agencies.
• Represent SMUD before regulatory and legislative commissions in public meetings and hearings and with external stakeholder entities.
• Promote collaboration across SMUD and participate in cross-functional steering committees to advance SMUD initiatives.
• Maintain open communication and harmonious relationships with represented employees and union officials, working collaboratively with Labor Relations.
• Lead, plan, manage, and review multidisciplinary professional, technical, and represented staff carrying out complex engineering and operating assignments.
• Manage emergency events, including generation outages, storms, and safety or environmental incidents, and conduct post-event root cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Perform other related duties as needed; schedules, hours, and locations may fluctuate based on business needs.

Benefits

• Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement through the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), including access for eligible employees to a defined benefit pension plan.
• 457 and 401(k) plans available.
• Flexible Savings Account.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Employee and spouse life insurance.
• Potential eligibility for SMUD’s hybrid-work employee benefit, subject to the Hiring Manager’s schedule and operational needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director