Job Description

The California Independent System Operator (ISO) manages the flow of electricity across the high-voltage, long-distance power lines that make up 80 percent of California's power grid. We safeguard the economy and well-being of 30 million Californians by operating the grid reliably 24/7.

As the impartial grid operator, the California ISO opens access to the wholesale power market that is designed to diversify resources and lower prices. It also grants equal access to 25,865 circuit-miles of power lines and reduces barriers to diverse resources competing to bring power to customers.

The California ISO's function is often compared to that of air traffic controllers. It would be grossly unfair for air traffic controllers to represent one airline and profit from allowing that company's planes to go through before others. In the same way, the California ISO operates independently—managing the electron traffic on a power grid we do not own—making sure electricity is safely delivered to utilities and consumers on time and reliably.

The California ISO is committed to the health, safety, and work/life integration of its employees and is proud to offer flexible work arrangements. This position requires the ability to work rotating (days/nights/weekends) 12 hour shift schedule for 3 of 6 weeks, and structured time off / work from home or office for remaining 3 weeks.

Relocation Assistance is available.

Job Description

PRIMARY PURPOSE:

Under the general direction of the Manager, works on highly complex engineering projects and provides subject matter expertise and engineering support to Reliability Coordination, Real-Time Grid Operations and Market Operations. Responsible for establishing and updating the operating limits to the Grid, documenting the associated operating procedures to support the safe and reliable operation of the system and modeling the market impacts of transmission constraints. Leads and participates in the development of ISO policies and methodologies associated with the reliable operation of the transmission grid and the efficient operation of the ISO market.

• Provides subject matter expertise and guidance on engineering support in 24x7 control room environment or back office, as assigned. Acts as a point of contact for Operations Engineering, providing direct feedback to daily operational matters. Attends operations planning meetings to communicate current day plan and the next day plan. Mentors and provides training to team members to ensure ongoing skill development and improvement.
  
• Responsible for running the Day Ahead Market and validating the transmission constraints in the ISO market to ensure efficient market operations as well as reliable grid operations. Provides engineering analysis and expertise on model validation and abnormal market price investigations in both Day Ahead and Real Time Markets.  
  
• Responsible for developing operating requirements and instructions in the outage plans and operating procedures to adhere to the NERC Reliability Standards, other requirements in accordance with pre-established guidelines and systems’ physical limitations, as well as pre-existing policies, practices and procedures. Investigates real time events. Prepares and conducts operating studies and contingency analyses, including power flow, short circuit, stability, and post-transient analyses, to improve modeling for key applications (i.e., Real Time Contingency Analysis (RTCA), Voltage Stability Analysis (VSA) and Dynamic Stability Analysis (DSA)) and maintain reliable operation of the Grid. Partners with technical and grid operations teams to bring RMOE perspective to the Full Network Model (FNM) process. Ensures the streamlined inclusion of requests from RMOEs into the FNM process deadlines then provides feedback to department engineers. 
  
• Provides guidance and operations engineering support to ISO Divisions, and Departments as appropriate. Provides specific feedback and essential details relating to the ISO controlled grid and the control area to ISO management. Interacts with Operations Engineering Services, Grid Operations, internal and external customers for application support, enhancement, UAT and process improvement. Act as a Reliability and Market Operations Engineering representative on cross-divisional teams to provide engineering perspective on new policies, market and system functionality. Represents ISO Operations Engineering interest in applicable WECC and other industry meetings as assigned.
  
• Develops, implements, and documents automated computer programs/tools, and other advanced analysis methods, to allow for comprehensive monitoring of operational performance of the transmission system and detection of transmission system problems.

Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirements:

A Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering plus six (6) or more years related experience or a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering plus four (4) or more years related experience is required; concentration in Power Systems preferred.

Master’s degree and or PH.D. preferred.

Certifications:

NERC Reliability Authority (or System Operator) Certification required or must be able to obtain NERC Certification within six months of employment.

Type of Experience:

• Experience conducting simulation and analytical studies of electric power systems including transient stability and load flow analysis.
• Knowledge or experience with simulation programs such as PSS/E, PSLF, PowerWorld, VSAT, TSAT or EMS system desired.
• Familiarity with California Electric System or other portions of the WECC system desired.
• Electric utility industry experience including emphasis in any combination of the following:
  • Operations Planning
  • Real Time Operations
  • Transmission Planning
  • Electricity Markets
  • Renewable Integration
  • Protection relays
  • Energy Management Systems (EMS)

Additional Skills and Abilities:

Demonstrates fundamental leadership skills with the ability to work effectively in a team environment as a leader, facilitator and team member. Ability to provide practical and feasible solutions to problems, keeping multiple conflicting considerations into account. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and writing skills required. Excellent analytical skills are required, including the ability to effectively communicate complex technical materials and concepts in a non-technical manner. Must be able to handle a dynamic and changing work environment, and work independently. Strong computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite. Self-motivated, problem solving skills and the ability to influence others without direct authority. 

Must maintain working knowledge of on shift job aids and procedures for both on shift and back office roles.

Additional Information

The pay range for the Reliability and Market Operations Engineer Lead is $135,000 - $225,000 per year.

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