Kootenai Electric Cooperative is located in scenic North Idaho, the heart of abundant recreational opportunities.  Settled in a beautiful lakefront mountain setting, it is a favorite destination for tourists.   Just outside our back door are national forests, lakes, rivers, and trails offering plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, boating/water sports, fishing, hunting, golfing, snow sports, and much more. The four distinct seasons offer recreational opportunities year-round.  The Coeur d’Alene/Hayden metropolitan area also offers a variety of entertainment and shopping venues and is a short 45-minute drive to Spokane, Washington and access to domestic and international air travel.

The purpose of the Operations Coordinator is to be responsible for the day-to-day communication and coordination within the Operations Department.

Core Competencies

• Safety:  Adhere to all workplace and trade safety laws, regulations, standards, rules, and practices. Use of Personal Protective Equipment as required.  Take individual responsibility in managing safety risks and reporting unsafe conditions or unsafe work practices.  Respond positively to safety-oriented feedback. Contribute to a culture of safety.  
• Quality of Work:  Produce thorough, high quality work with minimal errors.  Seek feedback, make corrections as needed.  Identify problems and solve them.  Strive to improve processes.  Work collaboratively with team members to implement systemic changes.
• Productivity:  Complete assigned work in a timely fashion.  Utilize slow periods productively.  Produce amount and volume expected, at accepted speed.
• Technical Skills/Job Knowledge:  Demonstrate appropriate level of understanding of technical skills in area of expertise, technology, products, and/or processes involved.  Perform assigned duties.  Keep current on changes.  Competent with all technology and industry best practices necessary to perform job. Maintains necessary certification(s).
• Communication:  Oral and written communication clearly convey information.  Keep others informed of activities and problems in timely manner.  Listen well.  Respond appropriately and respectfully.
• Teamwork/Ability to Work With Others:  Demonstrate ability to work in positive manner with co-workers and/or customers with differing backgrounds, opinions, capabilities, etc.  Willingly share skills, competencies, and knowledge with others.  Establish and maintain strong, effective working relationships.  Contribute effectively to group efforts.  Promote harmony.  Agree to disagree without damaging relationships.
• Accountability:  Maintain excellent attendance and punctuality.  Arrive on-time and be prepared to work.  Accept responsibility for work and actions.  Be reliable.
• Integrity:  Demonstrate honesty, high ethical standards, and respect for all team members, co-workers, and KEC members.
• Professionalism:  Always address internal and external customers with courtesy and respect.  Dress in work attire appropriate to the position.  Communicate business information in timely fashion, using means of communication appropriate to the situation.
• Support of Cooperative Goals, Policies, and Procedures:  Support Cooperative goals.  Adhere to all Cooperative policies and procedures.  Understand that internal customer and external member focus is always top priority.  Contribute effectively in support of that priority.
• Problem-Solving:  Use sound logic and methodology to solve problems.  Explore multiple sources for answers, as required.  Able to identify hidden problems.  Propose solutions.

Job Responsibilities/Essential Functions

• Outage Management/System Operations duties:
  • Monitors outage management system and communication for outage management.
  • Communicates all outage information and other relevant information to Operations Superintendent(s) and responding
  • Places deadline clearances, hot line holds, and smart tags into the outage management system and communicates them accordingly.
  • Utilizes communication system and phone notifications for planned and/or unplanned outages.
  • Maintains phone and radio communication with line crews and Engineering.
  • Monitors and responds to a variety of system alarms.
  • Communicates and coordinates with members as needed.
  • On call for outage management.
  • Monitors and relays information from other emergency response agencies.
  • Manages meal tracker for after-hours work.
  • Receives and responds to a variety of emergency (MAYDAY scenarios) and non-emergency services and complaints.

• Material/Accounting duties:
• Acts as backup for creating and forwarding picking list.
• Assists with month-end research for work order closings.
• Assists with year-end inventory count.
• Processes new connects/make perms in subdivisions.
• Accounts for credit card expenses for line crew personnel and invoices for outside contract crews.

• Payroll/Fleet/Contractor Accounting duties:

• Codes work orders for time entry and reconciliation of labor/vehicles for work orders.
• Reconciles daily time entry for labor and equipment.
• Reconciles month-end payroll and meal tracker for Accounting.
• Administration duties:
• Maintains line crews’ tailboard, hotline hold tags, PCB/transformer testing and disposal records.
• Maintains line crew on call list and standby list.
• Maintains daily line crew list.
• Assists with research on KEC caused damage claims.
• Provides Operations orientation for new employees.
• Orders office supplies and maintains office supply inventory.
• Makes travel arrangements.
• Arranges DOT medical exams.
• May direct activities of temporary clerical staff and interns.
• New Connect, Service Order, and System Changes duties:
• Generates service orders for maintenance issues.
• Monitors the vegetation management line and generates service orders as appropriate.
• Schedules appointments for line drops, meter changes, and disconnects; assists with scheduling new connect jobs.
• Tracks pre and post construction status; follows up on pending jobs.
• Communicates with and answers questions from builders, electricians, etc.
• Builds in/exchanges/removes transformers and map locations from iVUE system and updates data.
• Scans/transfers daily jobs to CIS vault.
• Performs other duties as required.

Job Requirements

• Education/Experience:

• High school graduate or GED equivalent required.
• Post-secondary education preferred.
• 5 years of experience in an operation coordinator, accounting, or member services position preferred.
• Knowledge/Skill:
• Knowledge of electric utility organization and operations.
• Knowledge of basic engineering principles for power systems.
• Knowledge of basic operation and maintenance principles for power systems.
• Knowledge of line construction specifications.
• Knowledge of uniform system of accounts for power system operations and maintenance.
• Ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing.
• Excellent math skills.
• Ability to use office equipment such as a copier, computer, printer, and various software packages such as Microsoft Office and other job-related software packages.
• Ability to effectively respond to and resolve difficult member inquiries and complaints.
• Ability to use logic and reasoning in recognizing solutions and conclusions to problems.
• Proficiency in KEC mapping and work scheduling programs.
• Proficiency in KEC material and system operations.
• Proficiency in KEC MAYDAY procedures.
• Must be able to work in excess of 12 hours during outage situations. 
• Must be available for unscheduled work.
• Ability to work in stressful and/or difficult conditions. 
• Ability to think quickly, calmly, and clearly in emergency situations.
• Ability to use sound judgement to evaluate situations, establish priorities, and make decisions with minimal data.
• Ability to compare, copy, compute, compile, analyze, and coordinate. 
• Must have attention to detail and ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple distractions.
• Working Conditions
• Normal office environment.
• Occasional work in warehouse with temperature variations.
• Overtime hours occasionally required.
• Travel may be required.

Interested candidates must complete a KEC employment application at www.kec.com. This position will remain through February 1, 2026.

Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their disability or protected veteran status.

About Kootenai Electric Co-op, Inc.

Kootenai Electric Cooperative is located in scenic North Idaho, the heart of abundant recreational opportunities. Settled in a beautiful lakefront mountain setting, it is a favorite destination for tourists. Just outside our back door are national forests, lakes, rivers, and trails offering plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, boating/water sports, fishing, hunting, golfing, snow sports, and much more. The four distinct seasons offer recreational opportunities year round. The Coeur d’Alene/Hayden metropolitan area also offers a variety of entertainment and shopping venues and is a short 45 minute drive to Spokane, Washington and access to domestic and international air travel.

Connections working at Kootenai Electric Co-op, Inc.