Planner III - US Tech Solutions, Inc.

Notes:
Transportation: Candidates must have their own means of reliable transportation, daily. This position will frequently travel to sites. Mileage from assigned office to sites is reimbursable. Daily travel can be up to an hour away, occasional overnight travel for meetings. For overnight travel, expenses are reimbursable. CW could be required to drive up to 300 miles a week.
Schedule: Team works 4x10 schedule. Candidate is expected to be onsite/in the Field as needed which is anywhere from 2-4 days a week. There is some flexibility for occasional remote work.
Key Takeaway: Candidates must have field experience with substation, line, and relay knowledge.
 
Job Description:

• This position reports to the Supervisor of Aera Coordination and supports the Transmission field personnel who perform construction and maintenance activities for substation assets.
• The Planner is responsible for the preparation of work packages to perform both Construction and Maintenance activities.
• The Planner will review the maintenance/performance history of the equipment to identify and determine special requirements necessary to successfully complete the work.
• The Planner will identify any additional maintenance work or capital projects that could be worked concurrently to gain resource efficiencies. The Planner will document and explain variances in the actual job task work hours versus estimated job task work hours.
• The Planner must closely monitor the progress and status of work and is responsible for raising issues to schedulers and supervisors to identify areas for improvement and opportunities to improve efficiencies. The Planner may also be required to ensure accurate completion of NERC related documentation.
• The Planner also works closely with the construction resources and resources within Transmission Project Management to plan, estimate, and allocate resources to all projects assigned to the Transmission Construction Section.
• This requires first-hand knowledge of Construction activities or the ability to draw on resources within the Construction Section to gain that knowledge. The position must possess good organization and collaboration skills for working in team environments to produce excellent project plans and estimates.
• This position supports the development and implementation of construction and maintenance work plans to support annual programs ranging from $150M - $300M annually (capital and O&M, approximate). In addition, this position continually manages changes in these plans to align with changing funding requirements, and to align plans to execute the highest priority work. The Planner has a responsibility to ensure the annual Construction & Maintenance work plan is completed.

 
Responsibilities
The Planner will develop work packages to include:

• Scope of work required.
• Accurate estimate of hours required to perform job.
• Skill sets required to perform work.
• Provide procedures required to perform work.
• Identify special tools required to perform work.
• Plan for any mobile equipment needs.
• Plan for any special part needs.
• Obtain necessary DOT or Environmental permits.
• Project job durations for scheduling purposes.
• Provide any sketches, digital pictures or drawings needed.
• Provide any vendor support information.
• Provide any Safety or Environmental information.
• Provide any special PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) needs.
• Secure and ensure materials are available for appropriate delivery to meet CMI date.
• Produce construction estimates for durations and man hours and resources required for construction projects.
• The Transmission Work Management Planner identifies critical work activities and keeps all transmission work groups informed of work nearing overdue status in order to avoid negative consequences.
• The Transmission Work Management Planner communicates and schedules with various work groups (i.e. Construction, Project Management, Energy Services, T&D Key Account Reps, Nuclear & Fossil Plants, etc.) to identify and coordinate high priority work. Planners participate in project planning meetings with Project Management to develop a project plan for each capital construction project. Clarifies project scope, identifies and assigns required construction resources, develops construction work sequence, identifies potential obstacles to completing the project, identifies clearance requirements, and makes initial resource assignments.
• Additionally, the Planner coordinates transmission clearances with Grid Management, ECC & TCC, and DCC when there are load issues with project coordination the Planner assist in resolving and re-sequencing the work considering any customer sensitivities. In some regions the Planner also processes and stores completed work package documentation.
• Obtains feedback from schedulers, crew members and supervisor(s) and takes necessary action to remedy any work package quality issues to ensure future accuracy.
• Assist with emergency planning, clearance requests and hot line tag requests. Travel to work location(s) to develop work/project requirements, attend scoping meetings, pre-bid meetings, and/or pre-construction meetings, perform walk down of job sites, audit the effectiveness of the work packages and to ensure adequate parts, special tools, and special equipment is available.

 
Required/Basic Qualifications

• Associates degree
• 5 years related work experience.
• In lieu of Associates degree(s) AND 5 year(s) related work experience listed above, High School/GED AND 7 year(s) related work experience.

 
Desired Qualifications

• Bachelors’ degree
• In addition to desired degree, 6 years related work experience.

 
Additional Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of work management system, e.g., Passport, MS Project, MAXIMO, SLATE, TITUS, ITOA, P6, Adobe, Paper port, MS Office (word, excel, access, etc). (Preferred)
• Requires substantial specific knowledge in craft areas such as electrical, relaying, apparatus, sub-station and line construction / maintenance work to effectively develop job plans. (Preferred)
• Must have excellent communication and organizational skills and the ability to function effectively in a diverse support organization. (Preferred)
• This individual must possess a vast knowledge of substation, apparatus, relaying and line maintenance practices in order to identify all needed procedures, resources and clearances to effectively perform each maintenance / construction job. (Preferred)

 
Working Conditions

• This Position will support planning for multiple Transmission Substation crews with each crew made up between 10 to 15 Crew members. The Transmission Work Management Planner will work closely with each crew's Supervisor or Foreman to make sure each crew is assigned an adequate work schedule that is aligned with the Transmission business strategy.
• This Position will occasionally support planning for crews during storm restorations or emergency conditions.
• Must have the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to communicate effectively via clear written and verbal communication.
• Ability to formulate data and process information. Must be willing to periodically lead presentations in front of small to medium sized teams.
• Work outside of normal business hours may be required during emergent situations.
• Must work well in a team environment.

 
Specific Requirements

• Able to attend onsite visits and in person meetings during normal business hours in the area in which the Substation Crews support 2 or more times per week.
• Able to navigate & utilize basic computer software on a laptop or tablet.

• Must have means of transportation.
• 5% overnight travel within DEP area.
• Maybe needs in a storm roll for support.

About US TECH Solutions:
US Tech Solutions is a global staff augmentation firm providing a wide range of talent on-demand and total workforce solutions. To know more about US Tech Solutions, please visit www.ustechsolutions.com.

US Tech Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity,
national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.