Senior Manager, Grid Planning

Toronto Hydro; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 132,000 - 166,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & Dental benefits

OMERS pension

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Job summary

Toronto Hydro is seeking a Senior Manager, Grid Planning to own and integrate the utility’s system and capacity planning strategy for safe, reliable electricity delivery to customers in Toronto. You will lead a multidisciplinary team and align asset investments with growth, electrification, grid modernization, and regulatory requirements.

The role reports to the Director of Investment Planning and synthesizes inputs from planning, asset management, and operations to deliver an integrated system

Qualifications

• Electrical or Systems Engineering degree required.
• P.Eng in Ontario required.
• 10+ years at a senior/leadership level in utility planning, design, operations, or execution.
• Minimum five (5) years progressive supervisory leadership experience.
• Minimum three (3) years experience in distribution system planning, asset management, and capital investment planning.
• Experience with Grid Modernization and electrification planning.

Responsibilities

• Own the integration and delivery of short- and medium-term distribution system plans and investment strategies.
• Integrate inputs to establish planning horizons and scenarios for future demand and electrification.
• Deliver a consolidated system plan aligning asset management, reliability, growth, and strategies.
• Identify risks, investment needs and mitigations across priorities.
• Develop the 5-Year Distribution System Plan narrative with inputs from assets.
• Oversee continuous improvement of asset management and lifecycle practices.
• Ensure investment recommendations reflect asset condition and prioritization.

Skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Change management

Problem solving

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical or Systems Engineering

Professional Engineer (P.Eng) in Ontario

Postgraduate degree in Business or Engineering

Job description

Expected Salary Range

Expected Salary Range: $132403 - $165504 Annually

Target Variable Performance Pay: 25%

The salary range shown above reflects the expected compensation for this position. The final salary offered will be determined based on a holistic assessment of the candidate’s experience, education, training, and alignment with the role’s requirements. For positions covered by a collective agreement, placement within the range will follow the applicable step or classification.

The Senior Manager, Grid Planning is responsible for owning and integrating the outcomes of the utility’s system and capacity planning strategy to ensure the safe, reliable, sustainable and cost-effective delivery of electricity services to customers in the city of Toronto. The role provides enterprise-wide accountability for aligning and reconciling inputs across asset capital investment planning, distribution system planning, capacity planning, grid modernization, and electrification readiness into a single, integrated system plan and capital strategy.

Reporting to the Director of Investment Planning, the Senior Manager, Grid Planning synthesizes and consolidates evidence-based inputs from across planning, innovation, asset management, and operational functions into integrated recommendations that align asset investments with system and customer needs, regulatory requirements, municipal growth objectives, corporate strategy, and emerging trends. This position is accountable for ensuring the consolidated system plan positions the utility’s distribution system to support future growth, transportation electrification, decarbonization initiatives, changing customer expectations, and evolving technologies while optimizing lifecycle costs and asset performance.

The role leads a multidisciplinary team of engineers, planners, analysts, and technical specialists and acts as the primary advisor to senior leadership on integrated infrastructure investment decisions, trade-offs, and prioritization and regulatory submissions.

The incumbent is expected to behave ethically and follow the established code of business conduct, policies and internal control procedures, laws and regulations governing Toronto Hydro.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Responsibilities

• Own and provide final accountability for the integration and delivery of the utility’s short- and medium-term distribution system plans, capacity plans and infrastructure investment strategies.
• Integrate inputs from the Long-term planning team to establish planning horizons and scenarios to support future customer demand, electrification, and large load connections.
• Deliver a single, consolidated system plan that align asset management, system reliability, customer growth, and corporate strategies.
• Identify future system constraints, risks, and investment requirements and determine recommended mitigation strategies across competing priorities.
• Develop the narrative for the 5-Year Distribution System Plan, incorporating inputs from asset management functions.
• Integrate and reconcile inputs from Long-Term Gid Planning and Grid Strategy team on the continuous improvement of enterprise asset management and asset life-cycle practices.
• Ensure final investment recommendations appropriately reflect asset condition, criticality, performance, and asset investment prioritization frameworks.
• Ensure alignment with applicable asset management standards and industry best practices through integrated planning outputs.
• Integrate grid modernization and innovation inputs into system planning outcomes in alignment with the digital and modernization strategy roadmap.
• Incorporate evaluations of emerging technologies (including smart grid technologies) into investment decision-making.
• Review and integrate business cases supporting innovative investments and modernization programs into broader system priorities.
• Assess opportunities to improve system flexibility, resilience, reliability, and operational efficiency and prioritize within the overall system plan.
• Oversee integration of system study outputs that support safety, operational and customer connection processes.
• Provide final planning direction and prioritization for short- and medium-term stations and capacity-related investments.
• Assess impacts of population growth, economic development, electric vehicle adoption, distributed energy resources, energy storage, and electrification initiatives.
• Integrate inputs from Long -Term planning team and external stakeholders to determine future infrastructure requirements.
• Oversees and manages departmental activities to comply with required environment, health and safety (EHS) legislation, regulations, policies, procedures and practices.
• Conducts office inspections and audits performance for alignment with requirements.
• Provides coaching and feedback to front-line managers and employees to reduce and/or eliminate EHS hazards and risks, introduces controls and maintain and improve EHS performance.
• Conducts incident investigations and root cause analysis (proactive and reactive) to continually drive EHS performance.
• Acts to resolve escalated health and safety concerns. Attends safety meetings and contributes as a subject matter expert to the development of organizational environmental health and safety management and technology systems and programs.
• In alignment with organizational programs, practices and collective agreements, manages employee performance, attendance and training and development.
• Provides coaching and feedback to motivate and engage employee outcomes in the attainment of organizational goals; acts to address gaps in performance which may impact outcomes.
• Provides varied growth opportunities and supports specific rotations for all employees.
• Own the consolidation and final recommendation of short and medium-term capital plans and investment portfolios
• Ensure investment recommendations are supported by prudent engineering, financial, and risk analyses and reflect cross-functional trade-offs.
• Balance and reconcile inputs from Grid Strategy team and senior leadership to establish capital expenditure forecasts and funding priorities.
• Monitor portfolio performance and alignment with strategic objectives and adjust planning direction as needed.
• Support regulatory applications and proceedings, including rate applications and investment justifications
• Provide integrated planning evidence and defend consolidated investment decisions
• Support and cultivate collaborative relationships with key stakeholders like the Independent System Operator, Hydro One and the City of Toronto
• Ensure system risk assessments are integrated into planning decisions
• Integrate inputs from grid strategy and standards and policy teams to develop strategies to address climate adaptation, extreme weather events, cyber-physical risks, and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
• Ensure planning activities incorporate reliability, safety, environmental, and business continuity considerations.
• Establish performance metrics and reporting frameworks to monitor planning outcomes

Requirements

• Undergraduate degree in Electrical or Systems Engineering or related discipline.
• Ten (10+) years professional level experience in utility planning, design, operations, or execution.
• Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in the province of Ontario
• Minimum five (5) years progressive supervisory leadership experience.
• Minimum three (3) years experience in distribution system planning, asset management, and capital investment planning.
• Experience with Grid Modernization, electrification planning and advanced utility technologies.
• Post graduate degree in Business or Engineering (preferred).
• Strategic thinking and planning focus with strong emphasis on vision setting.
• Remain calm under pressure and able to make decisions in a complex and uncertain environment.
• Travel between work centers.
• Comprehensive knowledge of electrical substation and distribution system design, planning, operations and reliability principles.
• Thorough understanding of asset management frameworks and lifecycle planning methodologies.
• Demonstrated knowledge of capital investment planning, and risk management principles.
• Understanding of climate resilience, sustainability, and environmental considerations affecting utility infrastructure.
• Familiarity with utility planning software, GIS systems, power system analysis tools, and asset management systems.
• Knowledge of risk management and climate resiliency planning principles.
• Awareness of the electricity industry changes and the ability to predict trends.
• Knowledge of design and foundations of different electrical systems (e.g. URD, CRD/CLD, radial loop and secondary mesh network).
• Knowledge of regulatory and business case development.
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and management skills.
• Strong change management skills.
• Strong problem solving and decision-making skills (under pressure).
• Understanding of effective project management practices and skills.
• Understands the financial, regulatory, operational, and customer impacts of planning decisions and balances competing priorities.
• Demonstrates ownership of outcomes, builds high-performing teams, and drives departmental performance.
• Can challenge traditional approaches and promotes adoption of new technologies.

TOTAL REWARDS

• 100% employer paid Health & Dental benefits
• 24/7 access to Employee & Family Assistance Program and Virtual Healthcare
• Company-paid life insurance and long term disability
• Spending account to support fitness goals (e.g. gym memberships)
• Competitive paid time off (including vacation and parental leave)
• Defined Benefits Pension Plan through OMERS
• Career development and tuition reimbursement
• Exciting employee engagement and appreciation events throughout the year

This position is based in a hybrid environment allowing for remote work two days per week, based on business needs. Employees will be required to come onsite Tuesday to Thursday. You are expected to live in Ontario and within reasonable commuting distance of the office.

Toronto Hydro is committed to leveraging new technologies to support an efficient and inclusive recruitment process. As part of this, artificial intelligence (AI) systems may be used to assist in screening, assessing, or selecting applicants for this position. These tools are used in combination with human decision-making to ensure fairness and consistency.

ACCESSIBILITY AND APPLICATION SUPPORT

Toronto Hydro is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible recruitment process.

Toronto Hydro is pleased to provide reasonable accommodation for qualified individuals throughout the job application process. Please note this email is for accommodation requests only. Resumes sent to this email address will not be considered. Learn more about our commitment to accessibility.