Utility Arborist Technician

Southern Company • Marietta, GA

7h

About The Position

Utility Arborist Technicians are responsible for providing support to Distribution arborists in their respective work territories. This support includes but is not limited to identifying and documenting vegetation-related hazards on the right-of-way, monitoring contracted tree crews, communicating with GPC customers, and assisting with work planning.
The position supports all Distribution vegetation management activities for Georgia Power in West Georgia (Rome, Smyrna, Jonesboro, and Columbus). This position supports four Utility Arborists with their respective field responsibilities in these territories. There is no required office location for this role, but the successful candidate must live within the work territory.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry or related field preferred
• Must possess, or obtain within industry guidelines, ISA Certified Arborist certification
• Must possess, or obtain within industry guidelines, appropriate herbicide application license
• Knowledge of distribution and transmission utility electrical systems desired
• Familiarity with ANSI Z-133, A-300 standards desired
• Knowledge of NERC Standard for vegetation management, FAC 003-5, preferred
• Utility integrated vegetation management experience desired
• Contractor management experience desired
• Demonstrate commitment to personal safety and the safety of your team
• Must be able to meet schedules and critical deadlines
• Ability to learn basic business skills such as budgeting and finance
• Able to value and interact with people with different perspectives and backgrounds
• Effective communication and conflict resolution skills highly desired
• Must be self-motivated and demonstrate ability to work without direct supervision
• Ability to work with commonly used applications including Microsoft Word, Outlook, Access and Excel. Also, experience with mobile applications and GIS / GPS applications is a plus.
• Ability to communicate in English and Spanish is a plus
• Early start and extended work hours will be routine
• Ability to perform emergency call-out response and storm restoration support is required
• Must be able to identify the species of local vegetation and their growth characteristics
• Must have at least one year of verifiable driving experience (Must hold a valid driver’s license for the class vehicle to be operated. Driving permits are not typically considered a valid driver’s license).
• Must have no revocation of driving privileges within the 36 months prior to application, no convictions of major traffic violations (DUI, hit and run, reckless driving, etc.) within the 12 months prior to application, or any pending charges for a major traffic violation at the time of application.

Nice To Haves

• ISA Utility Specialist desired

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development, planning and Implementation of an integrated vegetation management (IVM) plan across the assigned territory
• Perform rights of way patrols, vegetation, and electrical clearance assessments
• Communicate with customers and land owners regarding rights of way and vegetation matters
• Assist with management of the daily work-plans of multiple contractor resources to ensure work practices are performed safely, productively, and within schedule
• Perform on-going quality control inspections of completed work as well as work in progress to ensure compliance with contract specifications
• Establish and maintain relationships with various federal, state, municipal, and local government agencies and departments related to vegetation management.
• Represent Georgia Power to various organizations such as local tree boards, neighborhood associations, professional organizations, company or industry committees, etc.
• Effectively communicate vegetation maintenance objectives and practices to both internal and external customers
• Ensure all compliance and regulatory obligations are met
• Work outside normal business hours in support of emergency restoration efforts is expected

Benefits

• Southern Company invests in the well-being of its employees and their families through a comprehensive total rewards strategy that includes competitive base salary, annual incentive awards for eligible employees and health, welfare and retirement benefits designed to support physical, financial, and emotional/social well-being.
• This position may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as an incentive program, with the amount of any bonus/awards subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable incentive plan(s).
• A summary of the benefits offered for this position can be found here https://seo.nlx.org/southernco/pdf/SOCO-Benefits.pdf.
• Additional and specific details about total compensation and benefits will also be provided during the hiring process.

What This Job Offers

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