Planning Specialist Sr, III, or II - Model Delivery at Southwest Power Pool in Little Rock, Arkansas

Job Description:

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is about more than power. We’re about the power of relationships. Our employees have the opportunity to work together to ensure electricity is delivered reliably and affordably to the millions of people living in our service territory. We have been voted one of Arkansas’ Best Places to work by Arkansas Business and we are looking for a member of our team who is passionate about our mission to keep the lights on!

We have a core ideology here at SPP that we stand by: Do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way.

We believe in supporting our employees through a fantastic benefits package:

• Competitive pay with bonus opportunities


• Excellent insurance package including three great medical plans to choose from, employer-paid short term disability, long term disability, and life insurance


• Relocation assistance


• Flexible working environment for positions that are eligible where employees have the flexibility to work from home and come in where collaborative in person work is needed.


• Fantastic contributions to your retirement through a 401(k) savings plan with employer-match benefits and a defined benefit plan fully funded by SPP

Overview

The Planning Specialist, Modeling is responsible for supporting and/or leading applicable activities/tasks required to perform and/or complete the development of Planning models of the SPP electrical transmission system.  This includes, data gathering, technical and data analyses, model building, and business case development supporting Integrated Transmission Planning (ITP), Model Development Advisory Group (MDAG) and Multiregional Modeling Working Group (MMWG) processes, Tariff Studies, and coordination/compliance with applicable FERC, NERC and SPP Tariffs requirements. This also includes assisting with development of quarterly and annual reports, metrics measurements, and creation of proposals and business assessments as well as support of any special studies or projects for Southwest Power Pool, Inc.  

The incumbent will work closely with SPP’s Engineering and other Departments, applicable SPP Stakeholder staff, personnel from FERC, NERC and state regulatory authorities and other Industry professionals. 

The authority of and supervision required for this position varies based upon the project and the level of experience of the Specialist. In all cases, the employee is expected to work with minimal supervision.  As such, an excellent working relationship and communication with all parties must be established and maintained to ensure the accomplishment of the goals and objectives of organization.  Communication, both written and oral, will be used for the purposes of requests, analysis, coordinating, guidance, and presentations

Essential Functions 

Technical Concepts and Tools: 

• Exhibit an advanced level of understanding of key SPP power systems and associated knowledge of power system issues and concerns.


• Develop and use familiarity and expertise with SPP power system modeling and analysis tools as well as processes.


• Proficient with the most relevant SPP Modeling and Engineering tools for receiving and processing model data as well as developing, reviewing and analyzing models and data developed by the Modeling group and others.

Technical Responsibilities: 

• Develop and use complex Modeling and modeling data gathering processes and identify process improvement opportunities by using industry specific knowledge and process management skills.


• Develop and present with the Modeling engineers robust Planning models (MDAG, MMWG, ITP (Base Reliability (BR), Market Economic Models (MEM), Market Powerflow Models (MPM)), etc.) for use in Engineering study processes in accordance with applicable SPP governing documents, NERC Standards (MOD-032, etc.), FERC Orders, etc.


• Assists Modeling and Engineering management and staff with any Ad Hoc models and special projects as well as with the development of analytical solutions for transmission model creation and review/validation needed


• Develops metrics for analyzing performance of Modeling processes/procedures, analyzes applicable metrics and provides summary of results

Governing Processes: 

• Detailed understanding of specific governing documents and processes will be required depending on specific support needs

Stakeholder Relationships: 

• Develop positive stakeholder technical, supervisory, leadership and/or management level relationships as necessary to accomplish SPP objectives and assigned directives


• Assist with and help lead specific assignments as directed by more experienced engineers or supervisor to develop necessary technical stakeholder relationships to collect data and share results. In these cases, facilitate stakeholder feedback discussions to reach a positive stakeholder consensus, to the fullest extent possible


• Develop basic staff secretary skills (Meeting minutes, action items, Robert’s Rules of Order, etc.) for technical working groups by providing technical & logistical support to active staff secretaries


• Provide support to state commissions and work with the SPP legal team to support their questions

Technical Judgment: 

• Analyze current Engineering/Planning modeling data submittal activities via the Engineering Data Submission Tool (EDST), Model on Demand (MOD) and other tools, and make recommendations regarding requirements necessary for compliance with NERC MOD-032 and SPP Tariff modeling requirements and other NERC/regulatory standards, as applicable


• Analyze complex technical engineering data to support, modify, and develop database processes and administration for use with Modeling department functions regarding the MDAG, ITP, MEM, MPM, RCAR and any ad-hoc model development


• Exercise advanced decision making skills to help support technical studies and services to adapt between standard and non-standard techniques


• Develop reviews and analyze reports for the MDAG data submittal via modeling tools of engineering, and business data for compliance with or support of general business rules, state and federal requirements and SPP transmission development objectives


• Develop recommendations and improvements to the modeling processes to integrate NTC and transmission project tracking requirements

Teamwork and Leadership Skills: 

• Applies advanced teamwork and resource/task delegation skills to support and facilitate Modeling and data gathering processes in a team environment. Also able to support the analytical coordination of stakeholder-driven processes


• Provide strong project management skills from project concept through implementation and completion


• Assist more experienced engineers with advanced studies and technical process with appropriate supervision


• Maintain awareness of more experienced engineering decision-making behavior in anticipation of future development of fundamental leadership abilities

SPP Culture and Core Values: 

• Embrace and promote the SPP Culture, Mission and Core Values in attitude toward stakeholder relationships, current work assignments as well as long term goals and strategic initiative of the organization


• Incorporate a fundamental working understanding of the SPP Culture Drivers, Mission and Core Values and apply this directly to all engineering assignments and any SPP related effort, not necessarily limited to engineering


• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures

Qualifications

Education Requirements: 

• Bachelor degree in economics, mathematics, engineering or other related field; (Four (4) years of extensive engineering or technical related experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirement)

Experience Requirements: 

• Planning Specialist II - Two (2) years of job-related experience


• Planning Specialist III - Five (5) years of job-related experience


• Sr Planning Specialist - Seven (7) years of job-related experience

Required: 

• Practical understanding of the SPP Open Access Transmission Tariff, FERC & NERC governing documents, SPP By-Laws, SPP Criteria and the SPP Committee structure


• Flexibility and ability to function with constantly changing and multiple priorities


• Strong inter-personal and team work skills and the ability to work with a broad spectrum of individuals with diverse interests when resolving problems


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills


• Competent working skills with communication and data handling software such as Microsoft Office© Word, Excel, Project and Access


• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures

Preferred: 

• Experience in the electric utility industry, database management systems, data analysis and ad how report writing


• Four year or Advanced degree in technical or other related field of study or professional certification


• Working knowledge of NERC Reliability Standards, SPP Criteria, Integrated Marketplace Protocols, and applicable OATT (Tariff), and OATT Business Practices


• Experience in Project Management, business assessment and analysis, reliability operations, data analysis and/or ad hoc report writing


• Experience in analyzing and evaluating business and power system behavior

Work Environment: 

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. 

Physical and Mental Demands: 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job successfully. 

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to make decisions, interpret data, and problem solve.


• The employee frequently is required to stand or sit for extended periods; use hands to operate a computer keyboard and standard office equipment.


• The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 10 pounds.


• Requires the ability to work and collaborate with managers and employees at all levels to exchange ideas, information, and opinions to facilitate the task.


• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work: 

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of workweek are Monday through Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Working extended hours may be required. 

Travel Requirement:

This position requires minimal travel (approximately 0-15%).

Should you elect to apply for this position SPP will review your qualifications and if after reviewing the qualifications and experience of all applicants, your skills and credentials meet our needs, someone from our organization may contact you. Please be advised that the time required to complete the applicant review process typically takes between 30 and 90 days, but could extend beyond that. Once the position has been filled, all applicants will be notified via email.

Southwest Power Pool is an Equal Opportunity Workplace and an Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age or any other protected category.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines “reasonable accommodation” as a change or adjustment to a job or work environment that allows a qualified individual with a disability to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of a particular job, and does not cause an undue hardship for the employer. SPP adheres to the ADA and reasonable accommodations may be made to enable a qualified individual with a disability to perform the essential functions.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

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