Operator - I, II, III or Sr - Southwest Power Pool

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

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

• Relocation assistance to those that currently live 50 miles away from SPP’s office in Little Rock
• 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 

Operators work as a team to ensure that system operations functions in a reliable manner. Operators are tasked with acquiring the experience necessary to make timely decisions that concern real time operation of a dynamic state bulk electric system as well as facilitate customer interactions with various transmission service offerings and real-time ancillary service markets under the SPP transmission tariff. In the event of a system emergency, the incumbent must solve complex problems by analyzing the useful and separating the irrelevant or misleading information.  Unusual actions are to be reviewed with their Shift Supervisor.  Operators are required to work a rotating shift and this adds to the inherent stress/fatigue associated with operating a dynamic power system. 

Essential Functions

Operator I, II, or III should be desk qualified to work at least one of the RTBM, WEIS, or Balancing desks or have the ability to be desk qualified within 6 months.  Operator should have a working knowledge of the interactions between their function and the Reliability and Balancing functions.  Operator should be considered a subject matter expert on the RTBM or WEIS functions.  On a continuous around-the-clock basis, the Operator has responsibility for the following:

RTBM Desk

• Processing of transmission service requests using the webTrans and webOASIS tools in a timely manner to ensure optimal reliability of the bulk electric system and intervene manually in the automated processes as necessary or when required
• Coordinate the implementation of schedules on behalf of the SPP Balancing Authority within necessary timing requirements
• Understand the SPP AFC calculations and intervene in the use of the automatically calculated values as necessary
• RTBM case setup and approval.  This includes choosing the correct offsets to enter in the positive and negative direction, and approving the case that ensures operation within the appropriate regulation band.  These cases will be approved every 5 minutes
• Review generation dispatch, load forecasts, and product clearing in RTBm case
• Interchange schedule control, verification that Market System NSI matches EMS NSI
• Monitor and report problems with the Market System, initiate Market holds as needed
• Assisting market participants with resource plan changes as required.
• Verify unit trips via phone call to Market Participant/Generator Operator and relay information to BC operator for reserve sharing events
• Verify real-time outages are present in Control Room Operating Window (CROW)
• Help monitor and identify minimum generation situations in conjunction with Balancing Operator

WEIS  Desk

• RTBM case setup and approval.  This includes choosing the correct offsets to enter in the positive and negative direction, and approving the case that ensures operation within the appropriate regulation band.  These cases will be approved every 5 minutes
• Review generation dispatch and load forecasts
• Interchange schedule control, verification that Market System NSI is correct
• Monitor and report problems with the Market System, initiate Market holds as needed
• Assisting market participants with resource plan changes as required
• Verify unit trips via phone call to Market Participant/Generator Operator
• Verify real-time outages are present in Control Room Operating Window (CROW)
• Help monitor and identify minimum generation situations in conjunction with member BA’s  

Balancing Desk

• Monitors and maintains SPP ACE
• Monitor tie-line and generation SCADA points, making adjustments as required
• Verification of hourly meter accumulated tie-line values
• Monitor real time deployment of regulation
• Determine and initiate the proper emergency action as well as notify and communicate with other entities and SPP Staff in accordance with regional and NERC procedures
• Change scheduled frequency for time error corrections
• Administer inadvertent payback schedules
• Performs intraday Reliability Unit Commitment studies to ensure SPP maintains adequate generation and reserves to meet changing obligations, due to unit trips, load forecast errors, and other changing system conditions. 
• Maintains SPP Current Operating Plan.
• Monitors deployment of Contingency Reserves in Real Time

Reliability Coordination Desk

• Monitor bulk transmission equipment maintenance/outage schedules
• Monitor the Reliability Coordinator Information System (RCIS) and disseminate information
• Communicate time error corrections and GMD notifications
• Provide congestion management for SPP RC footprint utilizing available tools in accordance with NERC standards
• Determine and initiate the proper emergency action as well as notify and communicate with other entities and SPP Staff in accordance with regional and NERC procedures
• Issue short supply and weather advisories

The statements contained herein describe the scope of the responsibility and essential functions of this position, but should not be considered to be an all-inclusive listing of work duties and responsibilities. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other areas to cover absences, or relief to equalize peak work periods or otherwise balance the workload. 

Qualifications

Education Requirements:

• High School diploma or equivalent

Experience Requirements:

• Operator I -Two (2) years’ of job related experience; NERC Certification may be considered toward relevant years of experience
• Operator II - 3+ years of job-related experience
• Operator III - 5+ years' of job-related experience
• Sr Operator - Ten (10) Years’ of job-related experience

(A bachelor’s degree and/or time spent while in a responsible position on one or more of the SPP Operations desks is advantageous and may be considered for a portion of the minimum experience requirement)

Professional Certification Requirements:

• NERC Reliability Coordinator Certification, or the ability to secure such certification within three months of employment

Other Requirements:

• Ability to work a rotating shift schedule
• Good communication skills
• Motivation to take appropriate action when required
• Ability to make decisions with limited supervision
• Ability to be a mentor to the younger operators
• Ability to work with a broad spectrum of individuals with diverse interests when resolving problems
• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures
• Understanding of, compliance with NERC Policies

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, such as electrical engineering
• Knowledge of SPP Criteria, SPP OATT, and Market Protocols, NERC Operating Policies, scheduling practices and pro forma tariff procedures widely practiced in the industry

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 and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job
• Job requires working rotating shift schedules with long hours as needed
• 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 of time; use hands to operate a computer keyboard and standard office equipment
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear in order to exchange accurate information
• Requires the ability to work and cooperate with employees at all levels in order to exchange ideas, information, and opinions to facilitate task

Travel Requirements:

Position requires minimal travel (approximately 5%).

Should you elect to apply for this position SPP will review your qualifications. 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.

Education

• High School or better

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)