Utility Research Operations Manager

CivilGrid•Charlotte, NC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

CivilGrid is seeking a Utility Research Operations Manager to help build and scale a high-performing operation focused on utility data research, agency outreach, and infrastructure intelligence. This role is at the intersection of engineering, data, and operations, and will be responsible for transforming a fast-growing, high-volume workflow into a structured, scalable system. The manager will own how work gets done, how it improves over time, and how a growing team executes consistently.

Requirements

2–5 years of experience in: Utility engineering, civil engineering, GIS, or a related field.
Strong operational mindset—you think in systems and processes.
Ability to create clear, scalable documentation (SOPs, workflows).
Analytical and detail-oriented; comfortable using data to drive decisions.
Strong communication skills (internal and external).
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with utility systems (water, sewer, stormwater, electric, gas, telecom) strongly preferred.
Experience working with municipalities, utilities, or public agencies is a plus.
Experience with GIS tools (ArcGIS, QGIS).
Exposure to SQL, data workflows, or tools like Retool.
Experience in a startup or high-growth environment.
Prior experience improving or scaling operational processes.

Responsibilities

Build, document, and continuously improve SOPs across core workflows: Utility research, Agency outreach and follow-ups, Data intake, validation, and tracking.
Identify inefficiencies and implement scalable solutions to improve speed, consistency, and quality.
Standardize workflows across team members and team leads.
Oversee daily execution of utility research and outreach workflows.
Partner with Team Leads to manage workload, priorities, and timelines.
Step in to troubleshoot and unblock complex or high-difficulty requests.
Ensure consistent, professional communication with external agencies.
Build operational frameworks to support team growth (10 → 15+ team members).
Improve onboarding and training systems to accelerate new hire ramp time.
Partner on tooling and workflow improvements (internal tools, tracking systems, light automation).
Help evolve how work is assigned, tracked, and completed at scale.
Identify trends and drive process improvements based on data.