Director of Operations

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Southside Electric Cooperative is seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Director of Operations in the power distribution field to lead our District Operations teams across central and southside, Virginia. 

The Director of Operations is a key member of the Operations team and is responsible for many operations functions within the Cooperative. The Director of Operations is responsible for district construction activities, system restoration, and overall effectiveness of the district operations. These activities include operation, maintenance, repair, and construction of the Cooperative’s distribution system. The position is also responsible for supporting all transmission line maintenance, transmission delivery point operation and maintenance, downline protective apparatus operation and maintenance, and voltage control apparatus operation and maintenance. Of key importance is the overall reliability of the Cooperative’s distribution system, including substations, transmission lines, distribution lines, and protective apparatus. The position provides supervisory support for the Cooperative’s Operations Center during restoration activities. The Director of Operations must work closely with the Director of Utility Services and Director of Engineering to ensure all strategic projects are carried out in harmony.

You aren’t afraid to offer an alternative point of view, but you are committed to showing unity and support for final decisions by the senior leadership team. As a coach, you know the career goals of your team and excel at finding ways to motivate and train them to meet the responsibilities and requirements of their position as well as their personal goals for improvement. As an advocate, you know that engaged employees best reflect the mission of the Cooperative to provide safe, reliable electricity at the highest value to our member-owners. You seek to refine existing work procedures and develop new techniques, concepts, or programs within established policies.

As Director of Operations, you excel at leadership, building consensus, and fostering teamwork among diverse populations, including colleagues, subordinates, industry peers, our member/owners, and the public. You have extensive knowledge of how to develop and maintain a comprehensive operations initiative within the Cooperative environment.

What will you do if hired?

• Manage all operations functions in accordance with established Cooperative guidelines.
• Manage all aspects of projects related to supervision of personnel, equipment, and processes as they apply to district operations.
• Manage and monitor the Cooperative’s construction and maintenance activities to ensure they meet established goals.
• Manage strategic planning of personnel and operations.
• Act as a resource to all Cooperative members with respect to operations functions.
• Establish annual objectives for direct reports, conduct ongoing progress meetings and performance appraisals per policy guidelines.
• Work with human resources on issues related to the Operations department, including recruitment, selection, interviews, employee discipline, and terminations.
• Ensure ongoing communications with the Vice President of Engineering & Operations and senior management team to ensure that they are informed of all relevant activities, events, and issues.
•  Maintain current knowledge of operations requirements, regulations, and reporting requirements as requested by Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and other regulatory agencies.
• Serve, as appointed, on internal or external special committees, task forces, and panels. Work as a member of a team or in a leadership role on special projects, initiatives, and committees.
• Develop annual operations budget in accordance with all policies, objectives, plans, and accounting practices.
• Offer input on and provide vehicle and equipment specifications as needed.
• Support the System Operations Center during emergency situations with the ability to assess resource needs, coordinate operations resources, assist with communications among departments and support system switching.
• Partner with the Engineering department, engineering consultant firms and other areas in support of the Cooperative’s Construction Work Plan.
• Manage the review and study of all technological issues and industry developments related to operational efficiencies.

The above responsibilities are not all-inclusive for the responsibilities of the position.

The selected candidate must be able to answer “yes” to the following questions:

• Do you have five years’ electrical line experience, or commercial project design, construction or management experience in a related field?
• Do you have a thorough understanding of all system switching, emergency load transfers, and system dispatch capabilities, including ability to provide training on these capabilities to others, as needed?
• Are you familiar with substations, transmission lines, and transmission stations?
• Do you have extensive knowledge of line equipment, materials, protective equipment, and construction equipment?
• Do you have strong knowledge of liability insurance and the ability to interpret and provide guidance concerning such questions pertaining to field emergencies?
• Do you have strong knowledge of project management practices and standards, including corporate regulations and industry and governmental standards related to the Cooperative environment. 
• Do you have a minimum of three years of supervisory experience?
• Are you able to analyze and make sound decisions based on actual and projected issues and concerns related to all aspects of operations?
• Can you plan, develop, and execute strategic plans to support the objectives of the Cooperative with respect to all dimensions of the operations functions?
• Are you able to analyze complex operations issues and situations?
• Do you have experience teaching, reviewing, explaining, and recommending training and improvement plans for employees?
• Are you capable of negotiating complex issues with external vendors and organizations?
• Do you present yourself in a professional manner when communicating with others?

Education:

• High school diploma or GED required
• Bachelor’s degree in management, engineering, or business preferred.
• Master’s degree in management, engineering, or business preferred.

Selected applicants must be highly organized, proficient with Microsoft Office products including Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Applicants should also be able to multi-task, maintain confidentiality, work independently, and with high degree of accuracy. You are highly skilled at communicating complex information in an easy-to-understand way.

 Experience:

• Five years' electrical line experience, or commercial project design, construction, or management experience in a related field is required.
• Three years supervisory experience required.
• At least three years’ utility experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge and understanding of Cooperative policy and work procedures.
• Class A Virginia Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) or ability to acquire one within six months from date of hire.

The Director of Operations must reside within 45 minutes legal driving time to our Headquarters Office in Crewe, VA. This position requires frequent travel to various locations throughout the Cooperative’s service area/system in central and southwest Virginia to complete work assignments.

At Southside Electric Cooperative, our members are our priority. We are not intimidated by adverse situations, and we know extra hours will be necessary during emergencies. Like you, we are always ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work when the workload demands. While other businesses close their doors during inclement weather, we report to work to serve our members, any time, night, or day.

Benefits

Because SEC employees take great care of our members, we reward them with a very competitive salary and an excellent benefits package that includes:

• Employer sponsored Retirement plan after one year of service.
• Employer contributions to employee 401(k) accounts after one year of service. (Employees may contribute after completing a full calendar month of service.)
• HDHP Anthem HealthKeepers health insurance with 100% employer paid premium for employees and 95% employer paid premiums for their eligible dependents. (Anthem KeyCare is also available with a small employee premium.)
• Anthem Dental and Vision, with 100% employer paid premiums for employees and their eligible dependents.
• HSA with annual employer contribution.
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA).
• Basic Life Insurance and AD&D insurance, each at 3x annual salary for employees with 100% employer paid premium.
• Affordable life insurance for dependents including $20,000 life insurance per child for only $2 per month, regardless of the number of children covered.
• Tuition reimbursement including books and fees.
• Premium LifeLock with Norton

 Salary - $154,000 + based on experience

NO RECRUITERS OR AGENCIES!

Documents to establish identity and employment eligibility are required. Offers of employment are conditional upon a negative alcohol and controlled substance test.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability status, veteran status, or other legally protected status.

To ensure that your application is properly routed, please click the blue "Apply" button and not "Apply with Indeed".