Summary

Responsible for the overall management of SVEC’s Operations Department including strategic planning, organization, coordination and communication in order to provide the safest, most reliable service at the best value to members while achieving Cooperative and departmental goals and objectives within established guidelines. Responsible for execution of SVEC’s Field Safety Programming in coordination with the Cooperative Safety department in order to aid continuous safety improvements and develop a culture that supports safety excellence.

Reporting

• Reports to: Vice President of Engineering & Operations – Chief Operations Officer
• Directs: Operation Supervisors, Field Safety & Training Coordinator

Responsibilities

• Safety and Training:
  • Collaborate with Cooperative Safety to foster a safe, properly trained, and successful workforce.
  • Administer field safety programming in coordination with the Director of Safety & Compliance.
    • Understand and enforce cooperative safety and security procedures and resolve potentially unsafe conditions.
    • Advise, direct, and help as needed on safety-related issues.
    • Administer SVEC’s Field inspection programming and other related items. Perform field visits to observe construction related activities, safe work habits, and quality control.
  • Administer SVEC’s Line Worker Apprenticeship Program.
    • Provides orientation and on-the-job training for employees, ensuring that the authority, duties, accountability, expectations, and responsibilities for each position are clearly defined and understood.
    • Identifies and develops on-going and new training needs for Operations department.
    • Coaches and directs subsequent learning through direct involvement and reinforcement.
  • Provide assistance, expertise, and support for liability and loss control events.
• Operations:
  • Responsible for electric facilities operation including maintenance, capital, and service restoration work on energized and de-energized overhead and underground electric system facilities during normal hours and after hours.
    • Enforces standard operating procedures for safe, proper, efficient, and effective distribution system operations.
    • Consistent and accurate implementation of operating practices found in Employee Policy Manual, Safety Manual, and Switching Tagging manual. Provide expertise and assistance in maintaining and updating both.
  • Responsible for acquiring, organizing, and synthesizing information on complex subjects in order to provide support, guidance, and decision authority to direct reports.
  • Provide support to Operations Supervisors for:
    • Employee issues, time keeping, pay, annual evaluations, and other matters as they arise.
    • Planning, organizing, coordinating, and controlling operations and construction.
    • Develop and ensure uniform operations and procedures among all Districts.
    • Analyze production, workloads, schedules, and procedures to improve efficiency.
    • Project management
    • Vehicle equipment and tooling use and need.
  • Works to build excellent working relationships with all department employees and ensure expectations and accountability for each employee's responsibilities are communicated and understood.
  • Work cooperatively with the Director of Operations Support and Director of Cooperative Safety to manage large scale outage restoration efforts.
  • Coordinates with cross-functional teams to complete inspections, maintenance, and construction projects, ensuring adherence to quality standards and schedule requirements.
  • Monitor system performance metrics and implement improvements to improve reliability (SAIDI/SAIFI) indices.
• Leadership and Administrative:
  • Demonstrate adaptable, compatible, and effective leadership for Operations Department.
  • Provide organized, clear, and consistent communication with Department.
  • Responsible for proper recordation, organization, and retention of all documentation associated with Operations Department including items like Department of Transportation logs, SVEC tailboards, line patrol records, service order information, PPE inspections, work order information.
  • Communicate with members/owners, public, other utilities, and contractors by phone, in person regarding complaints, joint efforts, excavators, installers, underground locating contractors, rules & regulations and service restoration.
  • Develop annually District Budgets for Operations, Maintenance and Capital budgets. Track and manage throughout the year.
  • Monitor performance and conduct performance planning and review sessions consistent with established time frames and guidelines.
  • Reviews reports regarding district performance and adherence to standards and good practices.
• Assist in special projects as necessary.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree or experience and/or training or equivalent.
• A minimum of 15 years’ experience in the Construction, Operations and Maintenance of a utility system.
• Supervisory and management training preferred.
• Thorough knowledge of rural electrification and Cooperative principles
• Supervisory experience preferred.

Required Skills and Abilities

• Must be capable of gathering information from multiple sources.
• Must possess a high level of organization skills for past, current, and future work tasks/needs.
• Must be capable of forecasting needed work in order to meet deadlines with opportunity for input.
• Communicate technical information in an accessible manner to support initiatives and cross departmental decisions. 
• Must be able to maintain professionalism and control under all circumstances.
• Has and maintains a valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record and is able to operate SVEC vehicles.
• Be available after hours by cellular phone.
• Must become and remain certified in CPR and first aid. Must also be skilled in the use of safety equipment.
• Ability to handle the challenge of operating efficiently under a very flexible schedule due to the number of unanticipated and unplanned requests for services from the various individuals, departments and outside contacts with whom this position is involved.
• Leadership ability and the ability to motivate peers toward goal achievement.
• Strong verbal, written, analytical and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to interview and select employees.
• Ability to supervise, coach and direct employees assigned.
• Ability to dissect and resolve complex problems quickly and systematically.
• Ability to deal with irate individuals regarding collections, bills, service restoration, right-of-way, etc.
• Ability to stay abreast of new technology and training.
• Ability to manage different personalities.
• Possess effective techniques to research and access all sources necessary.
• Ability to work well with other departments’ personnel and to break down “silos”.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products including Excel and Word.
• Must be able to communicate to gain acceptance and understanding of programs, policies and services of the Cooperative.
• Must have access to reliable transportation to and from work.

Physical Requirements

• Participation in SVEC job safety and training programs, relevant workshops, seminars and other SVEC sponsored courses and events.
• Must be able to use office equipment including telephone, computer, and other systems and related software in the performance of position responsibilities.
• Must be able and available, during any and all types of weather conditions, to work weekends, holidays, evenings and other times outside normal duty hours to assist in service restoration and other emergencies that may arise or when the workload demands.
• Must always maintain an operating telephone or personal communication device at his/her place of residence. Ability to contact the telephone or personal communication device must be made available to SVEC for the purpose of contacting the manager to conduct legitimate routine and/or emergency business.
• This position involves primarily inside work. Must be able to lift objects unassisted (up to 50 pounds). Some standing, walking, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling to a minimal degree.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

About Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative

Chartered in 1936, SVEC maintains over 8,100 miles of electric lines and serves more than 97,000 member accounts in the counties of Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Highland (all), Page (all), Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren in Virginia, and the city of Winchester (all). Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative was the first electric cooperative chartered in Virginia. SVEC is governed by a democratically elected 10-member board of directors. Each year, at SVEC’s annual meeting, directors are elected by members. Directors serve four-year terms.

Connections working at Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative