Utility Analyst I-II - Energy Resources (Energy Markets Department)

Turlock Irrigation District•Turlock, CA

About The Position

Perform a variety of professional duties involved in the planning, analysis, development and use of District resources including, but not limited to electric generation, electric, financial, & fuel contracts market integrations and support, energy trading & scheduling, settlements, resource planning, rates, and risk management. These positions may be rotated from time to time. The class of Utility Analyst I differs from that of Utility Analyst II in that those incumbents of the Utility Analyst I class perform less varied, complex or technical tasks. A position in the Utility Analyst II class is filled by advancement from the class of Utility Analyst I. Incumbents of the Utility Analyst II class are expected to independently and successfully perform a wide variety of difficult and complex work. Adequate performance requires knowledge of District policies and procedures, and the ability to choose among a number of alternatives in solving problems. Work is normally reviewed only on completion for overall results.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a highly analytical field such as engineering, accounting, finance, science, math, or economics.
Utility Analyst I: Two (2) years experience in one or more of the above fields of concentration or a position that would prepare one for such field(s).
Utility Analyst II: Five (5) years experience in one or more of the above fields of concentration or a position that would prepare one for such field(s).
Utility Analyst I: Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work; demonstrate excellent customer service skills; communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing; and prepare clear and concise financial and administrative reports.
Utility Analyst II: Ability to interact with the Board of Directors, Commissioners, elected and appointed officials as well as management level utility personnel.
Maintain a positive work atmosphere by acting and communicating in a manner so that you get along with customers, clients, co-workers and management.
Utility Analyst I: Knowledge of the principles and techniques of analytical and statistical analysis, basic accounting, basic utility operation and economic evaluation.
Utility Analyst II: Knowledge of: electric utility operations, including electric generation, transmission, and sub-transmission operation; principles, methods, practices, and techniques used in resource, rate and marketing practices; principles and techniques of rate analysis, both short and long-term load and resource forecasting, resource planning, statistics, economics and accounting; electric utility rate making including cost analysis techniques and methods of cost allocation; basic principles of electricity; and financial tools such as forward contracts, options, futures contracts and swaps.
A basic understanding of: database design and operation; methods of risk management.
Must also have ability to research, analyze, and evaluate new program techniques, methods, and procedures.
Utility Analyst I: Ability to recognize and evaluate changing industry conditions, and develop strategies to address change.
Develop and prepare complex analysis and models for assigned work.
Demonstrate familiarity in performing duties related to assigned activities.
Utility Analyst II: Must have ability to supervise, train and evaluate assigned staff.
Must have knowledge of industry terms and the ability to negotiate.
In the field of Outage Coordination, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Reliability Coordinator (RC) or Balancing, Interchange, and Transmission (BIT) certification or able to acquire certification within six (6) months.
Must file a Statement of Economic Interest in compliance with Governmental Code Section 81000.
Sign & Acknowledge a Confidentiality Agreement.

Nice To Haves

Focus for this position is in the areas of Settlements & Reports and Market & Programs Integration & Support.

Responsibilities

Analyze and produce a variety of studies, forecasts, and schedules related to power generation, fuel contracts, and transmission to meet system needs and abnormal contingencies.
Determine and recommend desirable generation investments and long-term generation, transmission, and fuel contracts that will enable the District to meet its electric and environmental obligations and goals reliably and economically.
Negotiate long-term contracts and transactions for such resources that are approved.
Develop multi-year load-forecast information and use it in various analyses, including revenue projections.
Coordinate long-term planning activities for resource acquisition; develop the long-term load forecasts and the integrated resource planning study; and maintain the load research program.
Represent the District in legislative, community, professional and agency proceedings at the federal, state, and local levels with the goal of shaping the design & implementation of energy regulation and policy.
Develop compliance filings for environmental regulations such as the Renewable Portfolio Standard, and Cap and Trade.
Develop, analyze, and communicate the District’s Purchased Power and Fuel Budget.
Analyze and produce short and intermediate-term schedules for the operation of generating units and plants in accordance with power plant and unit characteristics, power sales contracts, gas contracts and water deliveries to District electric load in the most economical way.
Analyze and produce instructions, procedures, logs, records and reports related to load dispatching and field operations, and general instruction orders for energy resource scheduling and dispatching; review daily system record for general instruction orders, compliance and accuracy.
Identify and negotiate short and intermediate-term wholesale contracts and transactions that will maximize beneficial use of District generation, transmission, contracts, and related assets.
Analyze and make recommendations for managing participation in the ancillary services markets; manage projects for development implementation and training of new processes related to power scheduling.
May serve as Energy Trader I or Energy Trader II.
Determine District utility retail cost to provide services by preparing a Cost-of-Service study identifying unbundled costs by customer class.
Produce District retail revenue estimates for the coming year and projections of revenue over a multi-year period using the most current demand forecast information.
Prepare a competitive position report identifying the competitive position of the District’s products and services.
Determine if new rates should be designed or existing rate structures redesigned through the competitive comparison of rates with other utilities’ rates and District’s cost to provide the service.
Prepare new or revise rate design for products and services.
Determine impact on individual customers for any rate change.
Produce District retail revenue estimates for the coming year and projections of revenue over a ten-year period.
Develop and use demand forecast information in determining these revenues and resource availability.
Prepare and analyze material related to the cost structure for each rate schedule.
Analyze customer usage data for use in allocating costs to various rate classes.
Recommend rates for each rate class.
Design, program, modify, and operate systems for measuring, monitoring, and reporting financial risk from power supply position, fuel supply position, and other issues, consistent with Risk Management Policies adopted by the Board and Procedures adopted by the Risk Management Committee.
Coordinate with other administrations in the interactions of scheduling, risk analysis, and forecasting to insure a consistent analytic approach.
Participate in the Risk Management Committee (RMC) with the purpose of communicating to the other RMC members the District’s market risk position and the means utilized to mitigate it.
Conduct analysis related to preparation and approval of invoices related to power supply, transmission, and fuel.
Model in scheduling and settlements software systems.
Analyze settlement data and perform validation to ensure accurate financial results.
Prepare statistical, financial, and planning reports related to the Administration; ensure compliance with Federal, State and local government rules, regulations and standards, and electric and fuel contract requirements.
Perform professional analysis of customer energy use and determine solutions to complex energy problems.
Perform analysis of customer energy efficiency projects.
Assist in Demand-Side Management program design, application and evaluation.
Maintain and expand effective relationships with customers.
Assist in research, development, production, and marketing of potential new services, products, and programs.
Assist in the District-wide coordination of the District’s public benefits programs.
Perform analysis on the feasibility of market penetration in various geographical and market niche areas.
Supports real-time and near real-time activities related to the Energy Imbalance Market (EIM), ensuring reliable and economic operation of the utility’s generation and load resources.
Supports market participation functions for day-ahead, hour-ahead, and real time for the Power Control Center and/or Trading & Scheduling Division.
Monitor and analyze market results in real-time and day-ahead timeframes.
Participate in testing and integration of new market tools, software updates, regulatory changes or new program participation.
Assist in root cause analysis of pricing or dispatch discrepancies and coordinate corrective actions.
Collaborate with real-time operations, forecasting, transmission planning, energy trading, resource planning, compliance, and risk teams to align operational and financial strategies.
Manage the District’s participation in CAISO (California Independent System Operator) matters, including performance and development of the activities of the Scheduling Coordinator; negotiations with the CAISO; preparation of schedules and templates; CAISO settlements; dispute resolution; and coordination with other market participants.
Monitor after-the-fact data related to generation, transmission and services for compliance.
Plan, analyze, and coordinate planned outages for TID’s water and electric operations, ensuring compliance with FERC, NERC, WECC, and Reliability Coordinator standards.
Manage outages across transmission, generation, and distribution systems and act as the primary contact for internal teams and external agencies.
Maintain outage management systems, develops long-term outage plans, and ensures proper coordination for capital construction and maintenance projects.
Generate reports and provide technical expertise related to outages and system reliability.
Contribute to process improvements, develops operational procedures, and ensures compliance with industry regulations.
Handle day to day challenges related to outages and system reliability, ensuring smooth operations at the Power Control Center.
Work with internal and external stakeholders to determine optimum reliability clearance windows and switching for longer-term maintenance and/or construction projects.
Assist in the training of other District staff.
Assist in the supervision of tasks assigned to other District staff or consultants, as directed.
Manage, develop, modify and utilize computer models and other computer applications in the performance of the assigned duties.
Coordinate Administration related activities with other District administrations, departments, and outside agencies.
Make professional presentations to the District management, including the Board of Directors, and others.
Provide analysis and recommendations on regulatory matters directly affecting the Administration.
May serve as acting Department Manager as assigned.
Comply with all District rules, regulations, policies and procedures.
Perform other related duties as required or assigned by supervisor.