Position Summary

Performs central dispatching functions related to the daily operation of an electrical utility for construction and maintenance of electrical facilities and other daily activities such as outage restoration. Due to the diverse programs and tasks that are required of this position, must work as a team with all departments at OTEC. System Operator will be responsible for the Coordinator’s quality and quantity of work, in compliance with OTECs policies and procedures and other applicable regulations. Support the System Operations Department’s efforts to document, administer, and coordinate field operations as well as provide member service, clerical, and administrative support for the company.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Must have basic working knowledge of electricity and electric system troubleshooting techniques as well as operating knowledge of line trucks, line material and safety equipment.

• Understands common electric utility dispatching and operating terminology.

• Has a functional understanding of substation and line equipment operation.

• Clear and thorough understanding of switching processes.

• Working knowledge of substation one-lines with the ability to identify relay zones of protection and determine how these will affect system operation in view of switching to be performed.

• Has a thorough understanding of:

       o substation security procedures

       o established dispatch and field work practices

       o local work rules (i.e. OSHA, OTEC policies and procedures)

• Monitors the electrical network.

• Provides routine and emergency instructions and documentation for:

      o  Clearances

      o Terminal Clearances

      o Holds

      o Miscellaneous switching procedures

• Ability to complete scheduled training to continuously improve knowledge levels.

• Ability to read maps.

• Satisfactory oral and written communications skills.

• Strong computer skills are mandatory of this position, along with the ability to self-educate on many computer programs and tasks.

• Must be competent with common Microsoft programs such as Outlook, Word and Excel.

• Must have competency in several utility software programs required to perform daily tasks such as; OSI SCADA, Futura GIS, Futura OMS, TWACS, SEDC, Servicelink/Mobile, CRC Link, radio system, AVL and others as required.

     o Responsibility of remotely operating line equipment through SCADA during normal business hours. 

[Note: Qualified Duty Supervisors and Engineers may operate SCADA after hours and the System Operator will be called in as needed.]

Competencies

• Communication

• Safety Awareness and Participation

• Building Strategic Working Relationships

• Continuous Learning

• Information Monitoring

• Problem Solving/Analysis

• Stress Tolerance

Duties and Responsibilities

• Analyzes member phone calls and inquiries concerning any type of outage, electrical problem and service-related issues.

• Promptly identifies emergency situations and determines the appropriate action and the proper personnel to correct the situation safely in order to maximize the service reliability to members.

• Schedule and dispatch field personnel to resolve time-sensitive problems as necessary.

• Ability to respond promptly to requests for assistance from emergency agencies (fire, police, medical, etc.).

• Communicate with emergency agencies, field operations personnel and management to facilitate trouble call response:

                    o call and dispatch first responders

                    o call, assemble and dispatch crews

                    o provide notification to management, outage coordinators (operations assistant), communications, and systems                           as required.

• Extensive communications with linemen and other utility employees, neighboring utilities, emergency personnel, members, electricians and other contractors.

• Must keep necessary cooperative employees updated on the status of outages/storms as requested.

• Awareness of the risks and hazards of operating an electrical power system.

• Thorough working knowledge of OTEC’s Safety Manual for the assigned area of responsibility.

• Understands the requirement to provide the Operations Personnel with timely, updated information in regard to outages and status of outages, as well as information as to Duty Supervisors and employees who may be actively working after-hours.

• Will work with Engineering and be responsible for writing and executing written switching orders for field employees.

• Perform duties as described in System Operations Coordinator job description as assigned.

• Assist in training the System Operations Coordinator as needed.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

• Participation in cooperative strategy and initiatives

This is a full-time position. This position requires that the employee be available for work outside the normal daily work period. Travel may be required within the four-county service territory during the business day and infrequently overnight. Occasional out of the area travel is expected to attend various activities such as meetings, training and other events.

Qualifications

• Electrically trained with two years vocational school or college with special emphasis in electrical courses preferred or equivalent work experience in the electric utility field

• Require journeyman lineman or Journeyman Substation certification.

• High school diploma or equivalent

• Possess and maintain a valid state driver’s license

About Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative

Baker City, voted one of Rand McNally’s six most beautiful small towns in America three years in a row. The surrounding area includes unlimited opportunities for outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, hiking, biking and skiing. Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort boasts the best powder in Oregon, with an average annual snowfall of 300 inches. OTEC has a competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental, life insurance, disability, 401(k), and other valuable benefits. Please visit our web page at https://www.otec.coop/careers for more information and to view open positions.

Connections working at Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative