Electric Division Manager

City of Santa Clara•Santa Clara, CA

About The Position

The City of Santa Clara’s Electric Utility Department, Silicon Valley Power (SVP), is recruiting an Electric Division Manager for its Generation Division. The current opening is for an Operations & Maintenance Manager responsible for leading the safe, reliable operation and maintenance of SVP’s in-city power plants: the DVR Combined Cycle, Gianera Peaker, and three remote hydroelectric sites. The role oversees daily plant operations and maintenance, technical teams, outages, contractors, budgets, and initiatives to support long-term asset performance. The incumbent supervises up to 16 technicians working fixed and rotating shifts and reports directly to the Senior Division Manager. The position is in the City’s Unclassified Service, is at-will, and serves at the discretion of the City Manager. Silicon Valley Power provides more than 746 megawatts of power to residential and business customers in Santa Clara. Forty percent of its power comes from carbon-free renewable resources, and the utility is committed to procuring only new energy sources that are renewable and/or greenhouse-gas-free. SVP also generates local electricity at thermal-generation facilities using Simple Cycle and Combined Cycle technologies. Its mission is to provide reliable, competitively priced service for Santa Clara and its customers. Applicants must submit a complete application, a resume, responses to supplemental questions, and a cover letter describing relevant operations and maintenance experience, leadership and management experience, technical expertise, an approach to improving plant safety and reliability, interest in the position, and alignment with the Generation Division’s responsibilities. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The position is open until filled, with applications reviewed monthly; the first review is scheduled for December 3, 2026. The recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this or other divisions or departments. Meeting minimum qualifications does not guarantee entry into the examination process; the most qualified candidates may be invited to test or interview. The stated annual salary range is $224,921.16–$300,943.47, and the position may be filled at or near the minimum of the range. The City does not sponsor or sign documents for H-1B or other employer-sponsored visa applications or transfers. The City is an equal opportunity employer and offers reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in engineering, business, or a closely related field, or eight years of applicable electric utility experience in place of the education requirement.
Four years of responsible-level experience in engineering, administration, marketing, rate setting, resource planning, power contracts, power trading, risk management, communications, information technology, power operations, or maintenance in the electric utility industry or a related field.
An advanced engineering or business degree may substitute for up to two years of the experience requirement.
Provide a resume, complete supplemental-question responses, and a cover letter outlining relevant operations and maintenance experience, leadership and management experience, technical expertise, and approach to improving plant safety and reliability.

Responsibilities

Oversee the daily operations and maintenance activities of the power plants.
Monitor plant efficiency and safety and ensure applicable regulatory requirements are followed.
Set and uphold standards for safety and integrity, including compliance with applicable safety and environmental standards and appropriate treatment of employees.
Manage operations and maintenance spending, major project spending, and efforts to achieve plant reliability and performance metrics.
Lead outage planning and execution to ensure personnel safety and timely completion of the work scope.
Ensure staff comply with local, state, and federal safety regulations, including OSHA and CAL/OSHA, and City safety policies and procedures.
Direct day-to-day plant operations, preventive and corrective maintenance, equipment troubleshooting, and safe work execution.
Plan and coordinate scheduled outages, major repairs, contractor activities, and emergency response, and make safe return-to-service decisions.
Lead, coach, and develop technical staff; maintain operator qualifications, effective shift turnovers, work management, and succession planning.
Manage operating and maintenance budgets, contracts, purchasing priorities, critical spare parts, and improvement projects.
Partner with engineering and compliance staff to meet safety, environmental, and reliability requirements and improve plant availability, efficiency, and asset life.