Utility Arborist - Atlanta/Rome, GA

Southern Company•Rome, GA

14h•Hybrid

About The Position

There will be two vacancies filled with this post. Both positions are on the Transmission vegetation management team at Georgia Power Company, and both administer and manage the integrated vegetation management (IVM) plan for transmission rights of way. Both positions provide support to their respective Transmission Maintenance Centers (TMCs) for Georgia Power Company’s (GPC) in the following service areas: Northwest position: prominent locations within the service territory include Rome, Carrollton, Dalton, Cartersville, Newnan, and LaGrange as examples. Metro Atlanta position: prominent locations within the service territory include Marietta, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, Conyers, and Covington as examples. The hub of the Northwest territory will be Rome TMC located in Rome, GA. The hub for the Metro Atlanta territory will be Sands Place TMC located in Marietta, Ga. The successful candidate should live within the service territory served by the position, or, within a reasonably commutable distance to the respective hubs so that they can adequately support the TMC locations within the service territory. The office locations for the Northwest Position will be at the Rome TMC office located in Rome, GA. The office for the Metro Atlanta position currently is located at the GPC Distribution office at Shallowford Road in Dekalb County. Work outside normal business hours in support of emergency restoration efforts is expected and occurs often. Occasional overnight travel can be expected and may include off-system restoration support assignments. This position will schedule and conduct aerial inspections of transmission lines in assigned territory. Candidates must be able to operate an assigned company vehicle.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science Degree in Forestry or related field is required
Must possess, or obtain within industry guidelines, ISA Certified Arborist certification
Must possess, or obtain within industry guidelines, appropriate herbicide application license
Knowledge of NERC Standard for vegetation management, FAC 003, required
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
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.
Hold a valid driver’s license with at least one year of verifiable driving experience.
Have no revoked driving privileges within the past 36 months.
Have no major traffic violations (DUI, hit and run, reckless driving, etc.) within the past 12 months and no pending major violations at the time of application.
Consent to continuous monitoring of their Motor Vehicle Record.
Must be able to identify the species of local vegetation and their growth characteristics

Nice To Haves

ISA Utility Specialist desired
Knowledge of distribution and transmission utility electrical systems desired
Familiarity with ANSI Z-133, A-300 standards desired
Utility integrated vegetation management experience desired
Contractor management experience desired
Effective communication and conflict resolution skills highly desired
Experience with mobile applications and GIS / GPS applications is a plus.
Ability to communicate in English and Spanish is a plus
State Registered Forester license is a plus

Responsibilities

Implementation and management of an integrated vegetation management (IVM) plan across the assigned territory
Ensure all compliance and regulatory obligations are met including the requirements of FAC-003 for applicable lines in assigned territory
Perform on-going quality control inspections of completed work as well as work in progress to ensure compliance with contract specifications and departmental policies.
Manage an annual budget to properly prioritize work plans and then to complete the scheduled work plan and maintain adequate contractor resource levels to complete funded work plan
Manage and coordinate the daily work-plans of multiple contractor resources to ensure work practices are performed safely, productively, and within schedule
Effectively communicate vegetation maintenance objectives and practices to both internal and external customers and maintain relationships with various federal, state, municipal, and local government agencies and departments related to vegetation management.
Represent Georgia Power Company to various organizations such as local tree boards, neighborhood associations, professional organizations, company, or industry committees, etc.
Ability to perform emergency call-out response and storm restoration support is required