Operations Advisor

Independent Electricity System Operator

1d • CA$111,072 - CA$158,704 • Hybrid

About The Position

The IESO is committed to ensuring Ontario’s electricity system meets the province’s needs today and into the future. This position is part of the Operations Readiness team, which plays a critical role in integrating power system changes and managing key operations projects. The role requires applying structured project and change management practices to ensure initiatives are delivered with clear accountability, strong governance, and effective risk mitigation. The position is responsible for providing project management and coordination to operations projects, with a particular emphasis on changes to the grid. It also provides support to external organizations going through the connection process, requiring close coordination between external stakeholders and internal IESO teams. The energy sector is rapidly evolving, and the IESO is modernizing how major projects connect to the grid, launching a new Project Management Framework to bring greater rigor, accountability, and customer focus to the connection process. This role offers an opportunity to shape the future of Ontario’s energy infrastructure by driving complex, high-impact projects from concept to implementation.

Requirements

• Requires academic training in business, commerce, information technology, or engineering to understand and apply the technical/business/legislative parameters governing the energy industry and market place.
• Requires knowledge of communication techniques and theories at a level to develop comprehensive instructions, policies, practices, and procedures for effective communication to customers in relation to complaints, inquiries, advice, and guidance on Market Participant requirements.
• Requires excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• This knowledge is considered to be normally acquired through the successful completion of 4 year university education or by having an equivalent level of experience.
• Requires lengthy exposure to the overall power system operation through progressive training in an appropriate technical field.
• Requires specific experience as applicable to the particular specialty of the group.
• Experience will be related to the fields of: Registration of energy resources for Market Operations, Secure operation of bulk power system, Technical and non-technical requirements of IESO operational needs, and an understanding of participant capability.
• Background experience will include: Electrical equipment design concepts as they relate to the functions and characteristics of power system components, Familiarity with power system and market operation, practices, and policies, Familiarity with IESO’s markets, practices, policies, and market rules, Project Management.
• Requires experience in dealing with customers (internal & external to the IESO) in a professional and service-focused environment.
• Requires experience to effectively deal with complex inquiries as well as sensitive situations.
• Experience with diffusing irate callers by utilizing various soft skill techniques is essential.
• Requires some experience in methods of discovery and or investigation, which involves having good analytical, reasoning, and customer relations skills to resolve related problems or sensitive questions.
• Requires experience in a customer service environment.
• Should be familiar with various customer-service related responsibilities, functions, and their interrelationships, and with the contacts and sources of information involved.
• Requires project manager skills to successfully manage registration requirements.
• A period of over 6 years and up to and including 8 years is considered necessary to gain this experience.

Nice To Haves

• A strong understanding of project management principles and their application in operational and technical environments.
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating and managing cross-functional initiatives and operational change projects.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple timelines, deliverables, and stakeholders.
• A solid understanding of IESO operational processes, Control Room impacts, and market participation requirements.
• Excellent communication, reporting, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate the overall authorization process for participation in IESO-administered markets and/or programs with internal IESO business units and organizations seeking such participation.
• Coordinate the overall “facility registration lifecycle” with internal IESO business units and external participants, including facilitation of registration, maintenance, and de-registration of physical facilities.
• Review connection assessment documentation, market rules, market manuals and converse with subject matter experts to develop registration requirements for facilities.
• Follow up on customer issues to expedite their resolution within the IESO, engaging with subject matter experts and customers to achieve an acceptable resolution.
• Support system operations by managing and maintaining the registration system, resolving issues related to registered data, and coordinating master data as a centralized resource for the IESO.
• Provide specifications for tool enhancements to ensure data accuracy and operational readiness.
• Maintain knowledge of market rules for the purposes of identifying obligations and provide customers and others in the IESO with updates, interpretations, and impacts as needed.
• Issue approval documentation to the participant and within the IESO on recommended decisions pertaining to participation or physical facilities.
• Provide coordination, technical leadership, and business systems expertise to internal and external customer projects and system changes.
• Represent Operations for items arising from IT change and release management.
• Identify the objectives of business processes, assess the risk of not meeting those objectives, and identify process controls to mitigate risk as appropriate.
• Document process objectives, tasks, risks, and controls in summary documentation (e.g., risk-control matrices).
• Make recommendations and implement changes on streamlining tasks and procedures.
• Contribute to the enhancement/development of existing/new business processes, training packages, or guides for participants.
• Support process improvements and document management within Operations by preparing, maintaining, and delivering guides and IESO-controlled documents in alignment with business needs and regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate the baseline process and maintain an inventory of Operations documentation.
• Exercise informal resource management over assigned staff and provide limited training to staff as needed.
• Provide support to reliability organizations (NERC and NPCC).
• Perform other duties as required.
• Coordinate the planning and delivery of complex, cross-functional initiatives impacting Operations, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and system reliability objectives.
• Drive structured project execution through clear governance, defined scope, risk management, and disciplined delivery practices that support operational readiness.
• Guide cross-functional teams and advisors by providing direction, integrating technical and operational requirements, and ensuring accountability across all project stages.
• Champion effective stakeholder engagement and change management strategies to enable seamless implementation and adoption of operational changes.
• Enhance project management practices, tools, and frameworks within Operations Integration to continuously strengthen delivery and integration capabilities.

Benefits

• Best-in-class benefits
• Long-term support in the form of a defined benefit pension plan.
• Compensation packages that are regularly reviewed to remain competitive and to best accommodate the diverse needs of our employees.

What This Job Offers

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