Manager Utility Standards

Portland General Electric • Portland, OR

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Utility Standards leads Portland General Electric’s Utility Standards organization within the Standards, System Health & Maintenance organization. The role establishes, maintains, and governs design, construction, equipment, and work-practice standards supporting the safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective operation of the company’s transmission and distribution system. Based at the Portland Operations Center in Portland, Oregon, the position leads a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technical specialists responsible for transmission, distribution, and substation standards programs.

The manager provides strategic direction and day-to-day leadership for standards development, technical governance, specification management, and implementation support. The role collaborates with Power Delivery Operations, Design Engineering, the Project Management Office, Supply Chain, Wildfire Mitigation, and System Planning to align standards with operating needs, regulations, industry practices, and long-term asset strategies. It advances standardization, asset performance and lifecycle management, risk reduction, grid modernization, and support for emerging technologies. The manager also develops technical talent and champions safety, reliability, resilience, and operational excellence.

The role is accountable for team performance and results, adapts plans to resource and operational challenges, and provides subject-matter guidance. It manages team resources and budgets, supports recruitment and development, and provides coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback. Assisting with storms or other company emergencies is part of the position.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
• Eight or more years of engineering experience preferred.
• Expert knowledge of engineering and economic principles and concepts.
• Advanced knowledge of other engineering disciplines and ability to interpret engineering deliverable content.
• Expert understanding and application of engineering processes and procedures.
• Advanced industry knowledge and awareness of technology trends.
• Advanced knowledge of company QA/QC processes and procedures; intermediate knowledge of construction feasibility, procurement, and contract administration.
• Advanced knowledge of project controls and estimating processes and procedures.
• Advanced knowledge of electrical improvements and corrective actions for transmission and distribution, including network and smart-grid technology.
• Advanced knowledge of physical electrical and control and protection transmission and distribution design.
• Advanced ability to review, evaluate, and analyze technical information, policies, and reports.
• Advanced analytical thinking, decision-making, organization and prioritization, risk management, and written and oral communication skills.
• Intermediate organization management and resource management skills.
• Ability to work long hours, variable schedules, shift schedules, and on-call schedules; report during severe inclement weather; and meet regular, reliable, predictable full-time attendance standards.
• Ability to travel within and outside the service territory, including overnight travel, as described in the posting.
• Ability to use a computer regularly for an entire work shift and to work in office, plant, and field environments, including elevated areas, confined spaces, uneven terrain, stairs, and ladders.
• Ability to assist during storms or other company emergencies.

Nice To Haves

• ABET-accredited engineering program or a program accredited by an equivalent agency.
• Professional Engineering (PE) license is strongly preferred and may be required based on the role.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, govern, and provide strategic direction for utility design, construction, equipment, and work-practice standards.
• Lead standards development, technical governance, specification management, and implementation support across the utility.
• Manage a team of standards engineering professionals and ensure objectives, standards, procedures, and operational practices are met and kept current and fit for purpose.
• Oversee transmission, distribution, and substation standards, including design, construction practices, materials, tools, smart-grid standards, and equipment specifications.
• Identify operational problems and ensure they are resolved.
• Monitor and manage expenditures, meet financial targets, investigate budget variances, and support effective financial controls and decisions.
• Oversee team resourcing and planning; partner with HR on job definitions, recruitment, evaluation, and selection.
• Assess organizational development and training needs, guide development plans, monitor progress, coach and mentor employees, provide feedback, and complete annual performance reviews.
• Collaborate with operational, engineering, project management, supply chain, wildfire mitigation, and system planning stakeholders to align standards with operational needs and asset strategies.
• Support regulatory and code compliance, asset lifecycle and asset health initiatives, risk reduction, reliability improvement, resilience, emerging technologies, and grid modernization.
• Conduct and oversee technical review and approval processes and promote standardization and continuous improvement.
• Assist with storms or other company emergencies.

Benefits

• Total rewards package designed to reward contributions and support well-being and professional development.
• Performance-based incentive bonus; actual total compensation is commensurate with experience, skills, qualifications, education, training, and internal equity.

What This Job Offers

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