NCC Power System Operator II

The Base Salary for this position is dependent upon experience and location:
Location: Vancouver, WA
Salary: $48.75 to $60.93 hourly
The Power System Operator is responsible for the safe and reliable remote operation and dispatch of Avangrids diverse U.S. renewables and thermal generation fleet and substations. The OIT I interfaces with plant personnel, asset management, real time trading & forecasting, transmission operators, ISOs/BAs, and other entities to maintain optimal Avangrid resource availability and system reliability, and in a manner consistent with its commercial obligations and economic considerations. The integral OIT I role is located primarily out of Avangrid National Control Centers Vancouver, Washington facility, and compliments the 24×7 continuous staffing presence there.
Roles and Responsibilities:
• Maintains constant situational awareness of plant performance and impactful meteorology, wind speed, equipment status, operating constraints, and outage factors.
• Optimally dispatches generation resources in consideration of commercial and economic factors.
• Communicates with and responds to directives from balancing authorities and transmission operators.
• Troubleshoots turbine and substation alarms, taking corrective actions and enlisting diagnostic control systems and engineering support as needed.
• Interprets turbine and substation SCADA, and system-grid conditions to maintain stable and optimal plant performance and availability.
• Monitors plant automatic generation control and SCADA response to instantaneous dispatch signals from the ISO/RTO regions that Avangrids resources operate in.
• Coordinates via multiple scheduling application systems, with plant managers, and other internal and external parties to start and return generation units with planned and unplanned outages.
• Monitors and notifies site personnel of potentially dangerous site conditions.
• Monitors and ensures reliable and continuous plant and substation telemetry. Troubleshoots system communication issues and takes immediate corrective action to resolve.
• Notifies management and other critical parties of adverse operating conditions and emergency events.
• Performs safe substation switching using established procedures in coordination with field personnel.
• Operates reactive equipment in response to voltage stability needs and directives, and monitors resources for voltage schedule compliance.
• Coordinates with plant managers regarding special operating conditions and requirements.
• Promptly identifies substation alarms and plant trip events and notifies and follows up with technical support personnel to resolve and restore affected resources.
• Performs periodic and real time system reporting.
• Understands and adheres to applicable NERC and RTO reliability standards.
• Dispatches field services and emergency service personnel as appropriate.
• Adheres to internal controls and operating procedures.
• Adheres to Avangrids cyber and security protocol.
Job Requirements:
If not already certified, the hired candidate must study for and pass the PJM Generation Dispatcher exam certification within 6 months of hire and the NERC Reliability Coordinator exam certification within 9 months of hire. Earning and maintaining these certifications within the allotted times is a condition of ongoing employment.
Education, Experience and Work Environment:
2 years in real time/power plant/transmission operations or electrical, engineering roles. Vocational experience with applicable and equivalent technical skillsets will also be considered.