Opportunity Snapshot

If you are an experienced power industry professional, you owe it to yourself to consider a career with the California Independent System Operator (California ISO):

• You will work with technologies and solutions for the transmission and management of California's bulk power transmission grid, a unique opportunity.
• On a regular basis you'll interact with technical professionals of some 90 transmission owners, power generators and market participants including PG&E, SDG&E and Southern California Edison.
• We operate at the cutting edge of our industry and need innovative minds to solve complex, intriguing challenges.
• While we have more than 500 employees, we run flat, meaning you will interact with our senior leaders and be able to make an impact on our organization.
• California ISO places a premium on continuous learning and professional development, and we offer employees a variety of stimulating programs, such as ISO Academy, a broad curriculum of master's level courses taught on-site by preeminent university professors and industry leaders.
• We are a highly diverse organization made up of an extraordinary group of individuals from a variety of cultural and educational backgrounds who bring different perspectives and contribute a vast array of expertise to the organization.

You will help ensure the day-to-day reliability of the power grid, solving real time issues in collaboration with operations, and also contribute to short-term studies and analyses. To be a good fit for this opportunity you will have advanced academic credentials, significant experience in grid operations reliability, transmission engineering (250kV and higher) from utility, ISO, consulting firms, or research institutions, and strong familiarity with policy issues related to the power grid.

The California ISO is a not-for-profit public benefit corporation brought on line in 1998 as the impartial link between power generators and the utilities that provide electricity to customers. We are building a "reserve bench" of talented professionals whom we can bring on board at a time that is mutually beneficial, whether that time is in the immediate future or further out. We offer competitive compensation and we are open to sponsoring H-1B visas and transfers.

What Else You'll Bring to the Table

In addition to the qualifications detailed above, you'll need:

• A master's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering from a school with a recognized Power Systems Engineering Program.
• Proficient writing skills and strong verbal communication skills, including the ability to deliver technical messages in a concise, clear manner for a wide variety of audiences.
• Interest in solving real-time engineering issues in cooperation with grid operations.

Preferred but not required:

• International education or experience in electrical engineering.
• A PhD with a dissertation topic in power related subject.
• PE licensure or registration.

What's in It for You

Intriguing challenges, leading edge solutions -- you'll enjoy a steady stream of new challenges. Of course, the Market Redesign Technology Upgrade (MRTU )program will generate many new projects, but we have a number of projects already in the pipeline, including those supporting our commitment to "green the grid." These challenges will involve transmission grid reliability and energy market efficiencies; our control room in Folsom is one of the largest in the world, and directs the delivery of more than 200 billion kilowatt-hours of power annually.

A commitment to ongoing education -- our senior leadership team supports continuously building the capabilities of our employees so that the ISO is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. To that end we established ISO Academy, specialized courses in Power Operations, Engineering, Economics, Leadership and Business. In addition, we offer tuition reimbursement, a Performance Planning Program providing opportunities for career planning, Corporate Rotation Programs, Leadership Development Plans, Dual Technical and Management career paths, and more.

High visibility -- in our flat organization you'll interact with our senior executives on a frequent basis, and you may represent our organization to external stakeholders such as legislators, regulators, utility company leaders, and others. If you are involved in ISO Academy, you will have the opportunity to present the results of your projects (based on real world applications) to the Academy Council, which includes our CEO.

Serving the public interest today and in the future -- our mission statement says it best:

"For the benefit of our customers, we:

• Operate the grid reliably and efficiently;
• Provide fair and open transmission access;
• Promote environmental stewardship;
• Facilitate effective markets and promote infrastructure development;

All through the provision of timely and accurate information."

Excellent compensation -- California ISO believes that investing in our employees makes good business sense. In addition to a competitive salary and bonus incentive programs, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes all you would expect plus some pleasant surprises, such as a 401(k) with a 6% company match and retirement contribution, retiree medical program, and more.

More About Your Role

If you're a good fit for this position, you already know most of what this job entails. However, to be sure we're providing a complete picture, here are some details.

Acting as a senior technical advisor, you will focus most of your attention on solving highly complex operational issues as they arise, including spending a good deal of time in our control room, side by side with the grid operators. In addition, you will be in our on-call rotation for responding to emergencies, such as the recent fires in Southern California that threatened major power lines. You'll also contribute to shorter-term studies and analyses, such as the impact of equipment outages and seasonal demand fluctuations.

Your activities will include:

• Anticipating, identifying and resolving engineering-related problems and potential problems.
• Attending daily operations coordination meetings to discuss changes and updates in transmission equipments clearances.
• Representing the ISO's interests in applicable WECC and related committees, work groups, and other public and industry forums.
• Providing ISO management and other external entities with essential information relating to the ISO controlled grid and control area.
• Serving as a senior technical advisor to Operations, serving as a technical leader to other engineers, and providing technical training and expertise as needed.
• And more.

Keys to Success

To excel in this role you will take a proactive approach to establishing your hands-on operations credibility with the our highly experienced operators. You will need to engage in a constructive, collaborative back-and-forth dialog to solve problems. In addition, in order to be an outstanding Senior Operations Engineer, you will:

• Manage multiple projects and competing priorities effectively.
• Demonstrate initiative and achieve your goals independently, while keeping any stakeholders in the loop.
• Bring a constant thirst for learning and developing, keeping an eye out for opportunities to develop your own skills as well as improve processes and systems.

If this sounds like the right mix of challenge and opportunity for you, and you meet the minimum qualifications, we want to hear from you!

Who We Are

California's electricity industry includes traditional utilities, private power generators, market participants, and state and federal agencies, each of which plays a unique role. The California ISO is charged with ensuring the safe and reliable transportation of electricity on the "electron superhighway" we know as the power grid. As the impartial grid operator, it has no financial interest in any market segment and makes sure diverse resources have equal access to the transmission network and markets used to fine-tune the flow of electricity.

The California ISO control area includes more than 80 percent of the state's total electrical load and serves more than 30 million of its residents. More than 90 transmission owners and power generators participate in the ISO markets, which are used to allocate transmission space, maintain operating reserves and match supply with demand.

Another central function of the California ISO is to provide transparent information about the state of the system and prices. This information helps market participants assess the economics and manage the risks of wholesale power transactions and supply options. Timely and accurate information about wholesale markets is the centerpiece of an effective and competitive marketplace. At the same time, economists within the ISO Department of Market Monitoring keep a close eye on activity within the ISO markets, monitoring wholesale prices and market participant activity looking for trends, anomalies and areas for improvement.