Transmission Project Manager - Project Manager Principal

American Electric Power•New Albany, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Manage one or more intermediate and/or complex projects, up to the highest project complexity, or a program area of projects, within a matrix team environment. Provide leadership, direction, training, coordination, and communication throughout project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control, and closeout. Deliver projects safely, efficiently, economically, and with balanced risk while achieving short- and long-range goals and customer satisfaction. Provide project transparency and build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders so they can make informed business decisions. The role leads project planning and delivery, including schedules, budgets, funding, procurement, contracts, vendor performance, and project closeout. It applies project management methods such as Waterfall and Agile, supports AEP’s safety process, communicates status to stakeholders, mentors project managers, and may supervise sub-team project managers or manage programs. The position is listed as on-site and may involve work from home, offices, power plants (including nuclear facilities), and construction sites for Distribution, Transmission, Generation, and Telecom infrastructure. Travel is typically 25% or less, though greater travel may be needed for specific assignments. Work at nuclear power sites may include hazardous areas and possible radiation exposure within NRC limits. Light physical duties may include walking on unstable surfaces, climbing ladders, and awareness of site hazards.

Requirements

For Project Manager SG7: Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, business, project management, computer science, or a related field, with 3 years of qualified experience; or a two-year associate’s degree in the same disciplines with 5 years of qualified experience; or high school diploma/GED with 7 years of qualified experience.
For Project Manager Senior SG8: Bachelor’s degree in a specified or related field with 5 years of qualified experience; or a two-year associate’s degree in the same disciplines with 7 years of qualified experience; or high school diploma/GED with 9 years of qualified experience.
For Project Manager Principal SG9: Bachelor’s degree in a specified or related field with 7 years of qualified experience; or a two-year associate’s degree in the same disciplines with 9 years of qualified experience; or high school diploma/GED with 11 years of qualified experience.
Qualified experience may include project management, outage management, business or financial administration, major construction field work, project estimating, project controls, project engineering, or comparable internal or external experience in a competitive production environment, as applicable to the grade.
For SG8, experience must demonstrate progressively increasing project-management responsibility and business acumen, with responsibility for most certifying-body knowledge areas; demonstrated preparedness for journey-level project management knowledge is required.
For SG9, experience must demonstrate successful project-management duties and business acumen, with prior responsibility for all certifying-body knowledge areas; demonstrated preparedness for specialist-level project-management knowledge is required.
Demonstrate leadership, team-building, meeting-management, and communication skills, including effective listening and the ability to lead a team and project to successful conclusions.
Apply business and economic judgment in project decisions and align project and company financial goals.
Demonstrate strategic planning, risk assessment, prioritization, sound decision-making, scope management, technical-option evaluation, and project risk mitigation capability.
Demonstrate ability to organize and delegate project work, establish expectations, manage deliverables, hold team members accountable, resolve conflict, take independent action, and escalate issues when appropriate.
Demonstrate contract development and management capability, including acceptable allocation of risks within contract terms.
Valid state driver’s license required.
Safely perform light physical duties, including work that may involve construction-site walkdowns on unstable surfaces, climbing ladders, and awareness of hazardous site conditions.
Work may take place at home, offices, power plants including nuclear facilities, and construction sites for Distribution, Transmission, Generation, and Telecom infrastructure; nuclear site work may involve hazardous areas and possible radiation exposure within NRC limits.
Travel is typically 25% or less, although greater travel may be required for specific assignments.

Nice To Haves

Three years of qualified experience as a Project Manager Associate (Grade 6) for SG7, or demonstrated competencies, knowledge, and skills through results achieved in a shorter timeline.
Two years of experience as a Project Manager (Grade 7) for SG8, or demonstrated competencies, knowledge, and skills through results achieved in a shorter timeline.
Two years of experience as a Project Manager Senior (Grade 8) for SG9, or demonstrated competencies, knowledge, and skills through results achieved in a shorter timeline.
Knowledge of construction safety, negotiations, scope development and control, cost estimating, construction contracting, project controls and reporting, and quality control.
Experience in utilities, commercial nuclear power, and/or IT systems.
PMP certification.

Responsibilities

Plan, organize, direct, coordinate, and supervise assigned project activities.
Apply project management principles and techniques, including Waterfall and Agile, to organizational projects.
Support and hold employees and contractors accountable for the AEP System Safety Process and a safe working environment focused on Zero Harm.
Develop, review, coordinate, and manage project and outage plans, schedules, and budgets; manage costs and timely funding reallocations.
Communicate project details and status, lead planning meetings and updates, and prepare clear written and oral reports and presentations.
Build and manage working relationships with project teams, plant and operating-company staff, customers, partners, contractors, vendors, and suppliers.
Provide guidance, instruction, and training to improve design, systems, procedures, processes, schedules, and costs; challenge project work when appropriate.
Pursue customer satisfaction and effective project performance, and mentor other project managers.
Direct and supervise sub-team project managers when assigned.
Develop procurement plans and manage contracts for outside services, including requests for proposals, bid evaluation, vendor selection, contract negotiations, vendor performance, quality, and contract compliance.
Conduct and supervise project closeout, including analysis of whether objectives were achieved and benefits realized.
Learn and support AEP project management organizational standards and manage assigned programs.
Provide leadership, team building, meeting management, and compelling communication with stakeholders at all levels.
Apply economic analysis and business judgment to project decisions and align project and company financial goals.
Influence engineering and design, procurement, contracting, estimating, and construction procedures to optimize project execution; ensure teams use current business-unit guidelines.
Identify opportunities for business process improvement within project scope.
Use project management tools and techniques to plan strategically, assess and prioritize risks, and coordinate project activities.
Assess projects across safety, constructability, sequencing, changing conditions, contingencies, contracts, predictability, priorities, direction, and productivity to identify or mitigate risks and make sound decisions.
Organize project activities, delegate assignments, set expectations, manage deliverables, hold team members accountable, and provide constructive feedback.
Prioritize and resolve conflict, take timely independent action, and know when to elevate issues.
Manage scope, technical options, project risks and mitigations, and contract development and management with appropriate allocation of risk.
Demonstrate accountability and integrity, promote continuous improvement, question assumptions, and seek and assess subject-matter expert input.
Evaluate team members’ skills and capabilities and recommend actions to support project success.
Safely perform light physical duties and work at varying AEP locations and conditions.
Understand and support AEP policies, values, principles, structure, and behavior.