This position is responsible for the managing, supervising, training, safety, programs, scheduling and coordinating work for substation and metering work areas and staff related to storm/emergency response and management, design, construction, maintenance, operation, troubleshooting, and testing of substations, metering, AMI mesh networking system, design and testing of all electric system Smart Grid Devices (SGD) and fiber & radio communication systems, including wireless, fiber, etc.; hazardous waste and spill prevention.
Illustrative Work Activities:
Essential work activities, pursuant to the American with Disabilities Act, may include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Manages and supervises employees of the Metering and Substation groups
Manages and supervises the Assistant General Foreman Grid Assets in planning, scheduling, implementing, and maintaining including the prioritization of their work.
Provides timely recommendations to the Assistant Director of E&O relative to employee evaluations, step raises, and progression classifications. Works with employees on their Career Development Plan, to ensure they remain updated, reviewed, and maintained per procedure; making recommendations for further training requirements, etc., for employee to achieve required safety and skill proficiencies.
Adheres to and enforces all department policies, procedures, OSHA, standards, codes, rules, laws and regulations. Addresses violations in a timely manner, documents any violations and makes recommendations to the Assistant Director of E & O for any progressive discipline. Participates when required in union/management negotiations, grievance procedures, and arbitrations. Responsible for first step response under the existing labor contracts for grievance procedures.
Ensures proactive and timely documentation, maintaining material evidence and ensuring accurate incident and/or trouble report to support potential insurance claims, billing disputes, etc., adhering to all policies and procedures including scrap and surplus material,
Provides recommendation for operational staffing, including required qualifications and manpower levels for all Meter and Substation assignments for both scheduled and unscheduled work.
Performs Spill Prevention Coordinator duties, coordinates the work of contractors and LSP for the HAZMAT cleanup, maintains records, establishes cyclic training (in-house and/or LSP) for all company operations employees, in accordance with best utility practices.
Provides for all budget input and budget tracking related to managed work areas.
Plans and coordinates all integrated work efforts with the appropriate divisions and subdivisions .
Coordinates and executes switching operations with National Grid and Eversource, ISO operational procedures, and NERC mandated requirements, alerts, reporting, ordinances, and maintains all records on RMLD’s SharePoint, or other company authorized shared location
Develops and/or assists in the development of bid specifications for capital improvement projects equipment and materials.
Ensures that all manufacturers recommended cyclic maintenance, testing, repairing, troubleshooting, , for all equipment responsible under this division, is performed in accordance with standards, procedures, applicable codes, law, etc. (i.e., IEEE, NIST, OSHA, NERC, ANSI, NESC, NEC, etc.).
Manages recordkeeping of all maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, repairing, etc. Uploads the test data, reports, and records , as a minimum, to a shared database such as SharePoint or other company authorized shared data location.
Manages the Dig Safe operations at RMLD. Serves as the RMLD representative to the Dig Safe System, Inc. Ensures accurate field marking and investigates any dig-in incidents. Provides all Dig Safe as-built changes to the GIS plan to engineering for GIS accuracy updates. Provides for all Dig Safe record keeping and dig-in reports
Assists in developing "routine" switching orders (SO) in accordance with the RMLD Switching and Tagging Operating Procedure. Ability to be qualified and assigned as an RMLD Switchman, Tagman under the direction of a Control Authority (CA) as required during the routine and emergency conditions.
Supervises Programming of substations and filed SGDs, downloads data out of control devices and submits required records and reports in detail as required.
Assists in the development and updating the substation and distribution system automation schemes, testing, maintaining, and commissioning plan.
Responsible for ensuring accuracy in meter testing in accordance with the DPU, establishing and maintaining a meter accuracy program, including primary metering. Responsible for demonstrated and procedural efficiency and accuracy in the documented transfer of such meter information, including multiplier, meter discount verification, etc., bringing any inconsistency, customer billing issue, recommended procedural improvement, etc. Promptly to the attention of the Assistant Direction of E&O.
Supervises troubleshooting and works to resolves power quality related issues and troubles, performs power quality measurements, analysis, and provides reports.
Supervises Troubleshooting, testing, programming of AMI Mesh Network equipment, fiber & radio communication devices to resolve problems. Ensures the proper flow of metering data to Meter Data Management (MDM).
Supervises the operation and maintenance of RMLD’s peak shaving Generator(s), BESS, and Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) programs system-wide. Coordinates and implements all scheduled outages of generators or peak shaving with Control Room Operators when called by IRD and the Assistant Director of E & O.
Enforces OSHA safety rules and RMLD’s operational policies and procedures.
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Bachelor’s in electrical engineering or equivalent qualifications as determined by RMLD with minimum of 10 years of demonstrated leadership, management, and supervisory experience in the successful development, and maintained accuracy of ,substation, AMI/Mesh Network, Smart Grid technology, etc. procedures and programs.
Experience:
Minimum 10 years’ successfully demonstrated experience in leadership, management, and supervision of substation and metering groups under normal and storm/emergency conditions. Minimum 10 years’ demonstrated technical experience in the design, construction, programming, testing, troubleshooting and maintenance of substations and metering systems in accordance with current standards, codes, laws and best utility practices. Minimum of 5 years’ experience in system protection and coordination, smart grid systems and associated telecommunications. Minimum 10 years’ experience as a rated Switchman/Tagman. Minimum 10 years’ experience in HAZMAT associated with distribution systems; Spill Prevention Coordinator experience desired. Demonstrated ability to utilize latest testing devices, e.g. Omicron CDC100, is strongly desired.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Demonstrated proficiency, knowledge and experience in management, including program development and maintained accuracy of substation design, operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and testing. Demonstrated knowledge in managing AMI fixed and mesh network metering systems, residential, commercial and primary meter installations and testing. Knowledge of telecommunications network design integration into Smart Grids, including fiber/radio telecommunications input to Outage Management Systems, Meter Data Management (MDM) Systems, etc. Must have excellent project management, multitasking, prioritization, leadership, supervisory and management skills including functional and operational scheduling and planning. Excellent communication skills. Excellent customer service skills. Well-developed computer skills with excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office, iProject Management software, etc. and ability to quickly adapt to new software.
Judgment and Initiative:
Demonstrated ability toexercise judgment and initiative in all aspects of related work. Demonstrated ability to evaluate all work-related practices, procedures and systems to make recommendations for continuing improvements for increased efficiency, productivity and to limit liability. Demonstrated ability to work independently to manage multiple projects and work areas in parallel, establishing short, medium and long-term planning, establishing priorities, developing work schedules and budget plans. As a Department representative on both customer complaints, customer service and emergency service, employee must demonstrate ability to effectively communicate ideas, technical information and directions in a precise and courteous manner.
Manual Skills:
Proficient in the use of computer keyboard, basic hand and power tools and test equipment.
Physical Demands:
Capable of performing all job functions under occasionally adverse weather and working condition during both normal and storm/emergency operating hours ,for extended periods of time. Moderate physical effort may be required on an intermittent basis.
Supervisory: Demonstrated ability to manage and supervise multi skilled labor groups in the safe operation, maintenance, troubleshooting and testing of electrical equipment, telecommunications equipment and metering; implementing procedures for HAZMAT response including reporting requirements; Dig Safe Program.
License: Valid driver’s license required. Ability to obtain Construction Supervisor’s License.
Established in 1894, Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) is a municipal electric utility serving over 70,000 residents in the towns of Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield Center. RMLD has over 29,000 meter connections within its service territory. Residential customers account for approximately one-third of RMLD’s electricity sales while commercial, industrial, and municipal customers account for about two-thirds of sales. There are over 3,000 commercial and/or industrial customers in the communities RMLD serves.
RMLD is the largest of the 41 municipal light departments in Massachusetts with regard to electricity load, is not-for-profit, and is locally owned and controlled. RMLD is governed by a 5-member Board of Commissioners elected by Reading voters. A Citizens' Advisory Board, appointed by the four communities RMLD serves, makes recommendations to the Board of Commissioners. A professional staff of 75+ employees brings a broad scope of utility experience to RMLD’s daily operations, including an up-to-date understanding of the evolving energy market.
RMLD purchases power from a variety of sources for distribution to customers. With a peak demand of more... than 156 megawatts and rising capacity and transmission costs, peak demand reduction is a continued focus in order to reduce future power supply costs and in turn, maintain competitive electricity rates. To that end, RMLD offers a host of energy efficiency and rebate programs to both residential and commercial customers. Solar Choice, our community solar program, also assists with peak demand reduction by generating power within RMLD’s service territory. Solar Choice provides customers the opportunity to support clean energy production without requiring the installation of a system on their own property.
RMLD has long contributed to the communities it serves through a variety of community relations programs. These include school education programs, frequent educational events at local libraries and senior centers, participation in local community events such as town days, and active memberships in local civic groups.
At RMLD, our focus is to be efficient, get greener, and go paperless. Our staff continuously strives toward peak performance by implementing environmentally sustainable processes, creating efficiencies to work smarter, and keeping up with the latest industry trends to provide customers the best possible service at the lowest price.
