System Operator

Owensboro Municipal Utilities•Owensboro, KY

1d•$38 - $48•Onsite

About The Position

Under the moderate supervision of the T&D Operations System Supervisor, the System Operator monitors and controls OMU’s electrical transmission and distribution equipment using SCADA. In coordination with applicable NERC Bulk Electric System (BES) authorities, the operator also monitors and controls interconnected BES equipment and facilities. The position has authority to take or direct timely real-time actions during normal and emergency conditions to protect the BES, OMU’s electric system, and public safety—including shedding firm load when needed to prevent or alleviate operating security or safety conditions. The role requires strong technical judgment, analysis of real-time grid information, and advanced situational awareness. The System Operator receives and directs customer and contractor calls, provides customer service, dispatches personnel, and monitors the progress of service responses. The operator maintains real-time system and operational records, coordinates routine and emergency work, and participates in rotating shifts and 24-hour call coverage. The position works a swing shift, including weekends and holidays, and is fully in-office. The operator serves as the central authority for real-time operation of the OMU Transmission System, follows Reliability Coordinator operating instructions unless doing so would violate safety, equipment, regulatory, or statutory requirements, and communicates and documents BES actions in accordance with applicable NERC standards and SERC Regional Criteria. The operator must obtain and maintain NERC BIT System Operator certification within 12 months of accepting the role and complete at least 160 hours of continuing education every three years to maintain certification. The role also includes outage response and restoration, dispatch and radio communications, load forecasting and reporting, SCADA control and switching, safety-clearance and hot-line-tag coordination, control-center communications testing, system-map consistency, standby-personnel scheduling, and after-hours facility security monitoring. The operator must complete company safety and HR training, Classification Competency Training, and First Aid/CPR certification requirements.

Requirements

Four years of technical or utility experience, or an accepted substitute: electric-utility line-training certification, 30 semester hours at an accredited college including electricity courses, an electricity or electronics trade-school classification, or equivalent utility line-technician duties.
Obtain NERC System Operator certification within one year of employment and maintain it; the position description also specifies obtaining NERC BIT System Operator certification within 12 months of accepting the role.
Complete at least 160 hours of continuing education every three years as specified by NERC to maintain certification.
Thorough knowledge of overhead and underground distribution and transmission line construction and maintenance, and electric substation design, operation, and maintenance.
Familiarity with policies governing service connections, OMU personnel and departments, and the OMU service area; ability to read and interpret electronic maps.
Ability to operate office equipment, radio systems, SCADA, the Outage System, and Customer Information System, and to learn specialized software quickly.
Ability to calmly explain OMU policies and procedures, work under pressure during major outages, communicate accurately in emergencies, and diplomatically handle customer-relations issues.
Oral and written English proficiency required for BES communications under NERC standards.
Completion of Classification Competency Training and First Aid/CPR certification.
Availability for a swing shift, weekends and holidays, and 24-hour call and rotating-shift coverage.

Responsibilities

Receive requests for electric, water, and telecommunications service; provide customer service; prioritize and dispatch appropriate responses.
Record service requests and customer information, prepare work orders and service requests, and maintain operational logs and records in relevant systems.
Coordinate after-hours service disconnects and reconnects, schedule non-emergency work, call in standby personnel when needed, and communicate applicable meter reads, fees, and comments to Customer Service.
Receive underground-locate requests, schedule appropriate personnel, retain completed locate files, and request emergency KY811 locates when immediate repairs are needed.
Maintain real-time records covering weather, system status and loading, forecasts, radio communications, fleet locations, standby call-ins, and trouble reports; communicate operating conditions during shift turnover.
Assess emergencies with the T&D Duty Supervisor and call in standby personnel or additional workforces as required.
Receive and process electric, water, and telecommunications outage reports; enter electric outages in the Outage Management System; dispatch personnel; notify supervisory and management staff; assess outage scope; develop restoration plans; address safety hazards; and record outage and restoration data for reliability indices.
Monitor, record, and dispatch two-way radio communications using OMU protocols, 10-code language, and three-part communications where applicable; track and log personnel and crew status and location.
Comply with applicable NERC Reliability Standards and SERC Regional Criteria, maintain required NERC certification and continuing education, and demonstrate competency in company BES operating tasks.
Act as the central authority for real-time operation of the OMU Transmission System and take or direct timely actions to protect the system and public safety.
Follow Reliability Coordinator Operating Instructions unless they conflict with safety, equipment, regulatory, or statutory requirements.
Provide real-time and historical load, balance, and power-quality information to OMU Engineering and take directed actions to control system power factor.
Compile weather, load, and system data; prepare hourly, daily, weekly, and extended load forecasts; submit system load files to required regulatory agencies; and monitor and adjust forecasts when significant deviations occur.
Communicate with BES entities in accordance with NERC standards and document BES actions and communications in the Operator Shift Log.
Monitor and interpret SCADA data for normal and abnormal conditions, assess trends and disturbances, and determine system impacts, probable causes, and corrective or restoration actions.
Operate transmission and distribution SCADA devices, including recloser relays, ground relays, transformer tap changers, and substation breakers; take corrective action to prevent overloads and maintain system voltage.
Write, review, and coordinate switching schedules; issue switching orders using three-part communication; remotely operate devices through SCADA; document actions; and update device statuses in OMS and the manual map board.
Coordinate requests for and releases of hot-line safety clearances; verify personnel and circuit locations using mapping and SCADA tools; document tag activity; and operate relevant relays and remote-control disable functions as appropriate.
Perform monthly functionality testing of primary and backup control-center communications devices and systems.
Monitor consistency among the map board, ESRI ArcGIS, OMS system maps, and reference materials; update the map board for system reconfigurations.
Compile, maintain, and update daily, monthly, and yearly standby-personnel schedules and logs by department and specialized group.
Monitor OMU facilities after hours by camera; control secured-lot and building access; and report abnormal activity, unauthorized access, or potential sabotage according to OMU policy.
Follow governmental safety codes and company standards; complete assigned OMU safety and HR training; and perform other related duties as assigned.