Manager Utility Standards

Portland General Electric • Portland, OR

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Utility Standards leads the Utility Standards organization within Portland General Electric’s Standards, System Health & Maintenance organization. This role establishes, maintains, and governs design, construction, equipment, and work-practice standards that support the safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective operation of PGE’s transmission and distribution system. Based at the Portland Operations Center in Portland, Oregon, the position leads 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 works with Power Delivery Operations, Design Engineering, Project Management Office, Supply Chain, Wildfire Mitigation, and System Planning to align standards with operational needs, regulatory requirements, industry practices, and long-term asset strategies. Responsibilities also include advancing standardization, supporting asset performance and lifecycle management practices, reducing operational risk, and enabling emerging technologies and grid modernization. The manager develops technical talent, promotes continuous improvement, and advocates for safety, reliability, resiliency, and operational excellence.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering.
• Eight or more years of engineering experience preferred.
• Expert knowledge of engineering and economic principles and concepts.
• 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.
• 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, control, and protection design for transmission and distribution.
• Advanced ability to review, evaluate, and analyze technical information, policies, and reports.
• Advanced analytical thinking, decision-making, organization, prioritization, risk management, and written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work long hours, a variable schedule, shift and on-call schedules, and during severe inclement weather; regular, reliable, predictable full-time attendance is required.
• Ability to assist during storms or other Company emergencies.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

• Lead and govern utility standards strategy and stewardship, including transmission, distribution, and substation standards.
• Manage a team of standards engineering professionals responsible for engineering expertise and assignments involving transmission and distribution standards.
• Oversee standards for overhead and underground distribution design, construction practices and materials, transmission line design and construction, construction tools, smart-grid design and construction, and equipment specifications.
• Provide technical management to ensure objectives are met, relevant standards and procedures are followed, operational problems are resolved, and procedures and work practices remain current and fit for purpose.
• Manage equipment specifications, technical requirements, and technical review and approval processes.
• Develop maintenance engineering standards and support maintenance strategies.
• Align materials standardization with Supply Chain technical requirements.
• Support regulatory and code compliance, including NESC, OSHA, FERC, NERC, and applicable state requirements.
• Develop asset lifecycle management, asset health, and asset performance initiatives.
• Support risk reduction, reliability improvement, resilience, and grid modernization programs.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to align standards with operational needs and long-term asset strategies.
• Plan and oversee team resources and manage organizational development.
• Monitor and manage expenditures, meet financial targets, investigate budget variances, and support effective financial controls and decision-making.
• Partner with HR on job definition, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes.
• Assess organizational development and training needs, guide development plans, monitor progress, and provide coaching, mentoring, and feedback.
• Complete annual performance management reviews.

Benefits

• Total rewards package intended to reward employee contributions and support well-being and professional development.
• Performance-based incentive bonus.

What This Job Offers

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