Senior Manager, Power Operations and Marketing

Full Job Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served.

Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound.

Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

The Power Supply Business Unit at Seattle City Light is seeking a Senior Manager to provide management and leadership direction to the Power Operations & Marketing (POM) unit.

The role is responsible for the strategic planning, operational direction, and management of the wholesale energy market functions for the utility’s substantial energy portfolio, including energy trading, market systems development and implementation, wholesale market analysis and risk management.

Wholesale energy trading represents a significant aspect of the utility’s financial picture.

This Executive position will establish goals and objectives for this crucial team of staff and create a central and single point of contact and decision making for this critical organizational unit, which serves City Light’s load, schedules its generation resources and power contracts, and sells and purchases energy, capacity, and transmission.

This unit plans for and executes energy, capacity, and transmission trades and, exchanges, and other wholesale transactions.

The unit is also responsible for tactical analysis and recommendations that support near term and long-range power needs, while remaining consistent with City Light’s and the City of Seattle’s stated policy objectives and direction.

The role oversees all tactical aspects of the operation and is responsible for assuring that the POM team is equipped with the tools, technology, and training to perform its functions and deliver best-in-class results.

This includes development and stewardship for business practices, data and analytics, risk management, operations, and other functions related to effective merchant activities.

This role requires an experienced professional with advanced understanding of energy trading, market operations, organized markets, and power contract execution.

The ideal candidate is a dynamic leader skilled in talent acquisition and development, and capable of leading broad and transformational change in a rapidly evolving environment for Western electric utilities.

The individual will be an enterprise leader, capable of writing big picture vision and recommendations to leadership on the overall direction of the utility’s merchant operations, while also managing varying levels of detail for the ongoing execution of wholesale power marketing activities.

This position will report to the Power Supply Officer.

Requirements

Here is more about what you’ll be doing:

• Manage City Light’s Power Generation and Supply portfolio to serve load reliably and, economically, and ensure environmental compliance, which includes a portfolio of transmission and power supply contracts that cost over $300 million annually.
• Oversee management of the utility’s transmission portfolio and ensure that rights and contracts are effectively managed to optimize value and enable delivery of power purchases.

Develop, seek approval, and execute risk management hedging strategies and plans consistent with City Light’s Wholesale Energy Risk Management (WERM) Policies and Procedures.

This includes direct input and assistance in revising this City Council approved policy to the Director of Risk Oversight, the Chief Financial Officer and the Power Supply Officer.

• Lead all trading and deal origination within City Light transactional authority as contained in the WERM Policy as approved by City Council.
• Manage regional coordination of City Light's reservoirs and generation maintenance outages.
• Responsible for the near-term forecasting of the surplus power revenues and for implementing the risk policy as it pertains to the sales of forward power.
• Oversee implementation and compliance with any resource adequacy programs such as the Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP).
• Provide strategic insight regarding organized markets and any expansion of participation in a day ahead or other organized market.
• Integrate new generating and storage resources into City Light’s power supply portfolio, including intermittent resources such as wind or solar. Provide insight and support to resource acquisition efforts.
• Support and provide guidance on opportunities to leverage customer energy programs to decrease wholesale power costs.
• Plan for extreme weather events and coordinate internally and externally for safe operations of City Light generating resources during extreme weather.
• Responsible for planning and forecasting operations City Light’s hydro resources and contracted resources in a safe, efficient, reliable, regionally coordinated manner, and in compliance with all applicable laws, contracts, licenses, and regulations.
• Seek new opportunities for City Light to maximize its New Wholesale & Power Marketing Revenues; net wholesale energy revenue of approximately $40-$70 million annually.
• Lead the identification and execution of opportunities for non-energy Power Marketing revenues.
• Hire, direct, train and develop Power Marketing and related support staff and supervisors including Real Time, Pre-schedule and Forward marketing areas, Origination, operational and marketing support and analytics, and other related functions.
• Provide guidance, support, and recommendations to ensure that all tools, analysis, reports, and other supporting functions are available and optimized to enable best-in-class power marketing performance.

Specific activities this role is responsible for include:

• Prepare written evaluations and history of performance of marketing and operating plans.
• Coordinate generating unit maintenance schedules and activities with Operations, Engineering, and System Control Center for least cost operations.
• Report on fisheries flow compliance to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
• Integrate Seattle's resources with Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement, or successor activities.
• Project Skagit and, Pend Oreille (for Boundary project) runoff from snow survey and precipitation data.
• Manage the City Light operational Load and Resource Databases and ensure production of all required System Operations Reports for internal and external customers, as well as meet City Light's regulatory and contractual obligations related to City Light's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) licensed projects.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:

Experience: Six years of experience in Power Marketing and Operations, or related Energy operation function, with three years of experience in a supervisory role.

• Strong experience in negotiation and deal structuring in energy markets.
• Understanding of market and operational analytics tools and methodologies, with experience applying them to merchant energy activities
• Working knowledge of regional and federal transmission issues.
• Must have the ability to work effectively at all levels of the City Light Department, with other City Departments, and with regional, state, and federal agencies.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and/or experience (or a combination of education and/or training and/or experience which provides an equivalent background required to perform the work of the class).

Certification/License: Current Washington State Driver's License or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire.

Desired Qualifications - You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:

• Advanced Degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or related field.
• Expertise with data and analytics tools and technologies.
• Knowledge of organized market concepts and market operations. Preference for demonstrated experience with Imbalance and/or Day-Ahead markets, or working and trading in an RTO or ISO, is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of power contracts structuring and applicability to utility power portfolio. Direct experience with the Bonneville Power Administration and familiarity with BPA’s power and transmission contracts and operations.
• Ability to work with both public and private entities in a consultative and sound manner that secures the Utility’s interests.
• Demonstrated vision, leadership capabilities, sound judgment, and strong consensus building and negotiating skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills
• Understanding of power marketing operations with a diverse portfolio of energy resource types, and experience in optimizing value through effective integration, coordination, and operations.
• Knowledge of existing and emerging federal, regional, and local regulations, and energy and greenhouse gas compliance markets necessary to develop strategic insights to support City Light’s objectives and customer needs.
• Understanding of generation operations, including but not limited to hydro system and watershed operations, as well as operations and integration of renewable generation, storage resources, and other relevant elements of current and future portfolios for City Light.
• Experience leading diverse cross-functional teams and having success in satisfying internal and external customers.
• Skill in planning, organizing and managing multiple complex projects concurrently.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Additional Information

The full salary range for this position is $78.22 to $125.14 per hour.

Application Process

Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Incomplete applications may not be considered.

Emergency Response Commitment: Seattle City Light is committed to reliable service during emergencies.

Through our Emergency Response Program, each employee is assigned a role—usually aligned with their regular duties—to support emergency operations.

Your participation is vital to helping the utility stay prepared and serve our community when it matters most.

Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences.

Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check.

The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3.

A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020.Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.

More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans.

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.