System Operator Apprentice

Bandera Electric Cooperative•Boerne, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) and BEC Fiber are seeking a System Operations Apprentice to join their Energy Operations team. This role is crucial for coordinating and directing electric outage restorations, issuing clearances and switching orders, and maintaining detailed logs of system activities. The apprentice will work under the supervision of a System Operator and gain the necessary training to become a switching authority, ensuring the highest operational reliability and system availability for BEC's distribution grid across Central Texas and the Texas Hill Country.

Requirements

High School Diploma or Equivalent
Valid Texas Driver’s License and Related Insurance
Must pass background and drug screening
Maintain a flexible schedule that allows for adherence to a rotating shift
Complete Northwest lineman college Year 1 System Operator Certification Program course of study within first year of employment and continue work to achieve Coarse completion

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of systems operations and maintenance
Knowledge of electric utility transmission or distribution system operations
Knowledge in the use of systems operations software and tools
Strong knowledge of safety protocols and regulations related to systems operations
Proficient in the use of systems operations software and tools
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Strong attention to detail
Decision-making and judgment skills
Highly reliable and dependable

Responsibilities

Coordinating and directing all distribution electric outage restorations.
Issuing all necessary clearances and switching orders to field personnel.
Creating, verifying, and monitoring associated switching and tagging orders following BEC’s current Lockout-Tagout procedures and protocols.
Creating detailed logs of all daily activities, emergency restoration, and associated events for the electric distribution system.
Assisting BEC personnel when conducting switching activities with LCRA System Operations Control Center when required.
Supporting 24/7 real-time control system integrity to ensure the highest operational reliability and system availability.
Providing efficient and safe direction of restoration activities during assigned shift.
Gaining the knowledge and training needed to serve as switching authority as assigned by the BEC Manager of Distribution System Operations.
Responsible for proper adherence to cooperative policies, operating instructions, and procedures.
Responsible for accurate, safe, and current switching and tagging instructions for assigned operations.
Responding to system operation failures or abnormalities, creating and assigning Service Orders to the appropriate team for corrective action.
Tracking, documenting, and assigning all errors found within the OMS (Outage Management System) mapping software.
Performing daily communication across multiple departments including Member Relations, Engineering, Operations, and Technical Systems.
Performing trouble shooting, problem analysis, and resolution.
Analyzing and validating data to maintain system integrity and power restoration.
Developing, approving, analyzing, and generating daily reports.
Utilizing SCADA software and equipment to control and monitor the cooperative distribution grid, including opening, closing, and changing normal configurations to all SCADA controlled devices.
Validating crew work locations with closest upline protective device.
Accurately placing protective devices on hot-line tag or non-reclose setting to minimize adverse effects on equipment and/or personnel should a fault occur.
Utilizing one lines diagrams and system maps for the creation and issuance of switching procedures.
Minimizing outage durations by proficiently utilizing all software, including pinging meters, on-demand meter reads, SCADA alarms, fault magnitude, probable fault location generation, lightning strike data, proper crew assignments, transformer loading, and creating switching orders to minimize the number of members affected.
Initiating CVR (Conservation Voltage Reduction) as directed by management or 4CP probability alerts.
Monitoring conditions which could negatively impact reliability.
Monitoring two-way radio communication for all BEC personnel.
Preparing and approving switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages.
Receiving power outage notifications, via telephone calls or smart application, dispatching personnel as necessary.
Maintaining outage, substation and system records, and providing to other departments as needed.