Associate Forester

Portland General Electric; United States; On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Portland General Electric in Oregon seeks an Associate Forester to support vegetation management across Western and Southern Regions, responding to customer calls, managing work orders in Quickbase, and coordinating crews and contractors.

This role reports to the operations center, conducts field audits, and ensures compliance with safety and regulatory standards while facilitating timely restoration during outages.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in earth science, forestry, natural resources or related field.
• Two+ years in tree trimming/arborist work with vendor and project management.
• ISA Arborist certification required at hire; ISA Certified Utility Arborist within six months.
• Oregon pesticide consultant certification required within six months.

Responsibilities

• Scoping — safety audits and risk analysis to prioritize jobs by urgency and location.
• Scheduling — plan vegetation clearance activities and assign contract crews.
• Vendor management — monitor crew performance and adapt pruning practices.
• Consultation — respond to queries from region engineering and coordinate herbicide applications.
• Coordination — work with line restoration crews and transit/municipal agencies on clearance needs.
• Compliance — ensure adherence to standards, regulations and agreements.

Skills

Safety audits

Scheduling

Vendor management

Field coordination

Regulatory compliance

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in earth science/forestry

ISA Arborist certification

ISA Certified Utility Arborist within 6 months

Oregon pesticide consultant certification within 6 months

Tools

Quickbase

Field data collection tools

Job description

At PGE, our work involves dreaming about, planning for, and realizing a smarter, cleaner, more enduring Oregon neighborhood. Its core to our DNA and we haven’t stopped since we started in 1888. We energize lives, strengthen communities and drive advancements in energy that promote social, economic and environmental progress. We’re always on the lookout for people passionate about leading and being a part of teams that are advancing innovative clean energy solutions that are also affordable and accessible to all.

PGE is hiring two Associate Foresters, with one position based at the Sunset Operations Center and one at the Southern Operations Center in Salem. Working closely with a Senior Forester, each Associate Forester will support vegetation management operations within an assigned region by responding to customer calls, creating and managing work orders in Quickbase, supporting outage investigations, and documenting findings. The role will also conduct field quality‑control audits, coordinate crews completing individual assignments such as hazard‑tree removal, assist with audits of larger grid‑based work plans, and partner with contractors and internal teams to support the safe and timely completion of vegetation management work. Each Associate Forester will report to their assigned operations center at the beginning of the workday, pick up a company vehicle, and travel throughout the assigned region.

Assigned Territories Western Region/Sunset Operations Center: Washington County, including West Portland, Gales Creek, the Highway 26 and Highway 6 corridors, and south to approximately Newberg. Southern Region/Salem Operations Center: From Newberg south to Turner, west to Grand Ronde, and east toward Scotts Mills and the Cascades.

Key Responsibilities

• Scoping — Performs safety audits. Conducts scoping. Analyzes risks and prioritizes jobs according to urgency and location.
• Scheduling — Under direction, plans and organizes vegetation clearance activities. Schedules work assignments and contract crews based on manager priorities.
• Vendor Management — Reviews contract crew performance against PGE standards and specifications. Monitors crew productivity to ensure PGE is receiving benefits for vegetation clearance expenditures relative to statement of work. Adapts tree pruning practices as needed to optimize resource use.
• Consultation — Responds to routine and nonroutine questions from region engineering. Represents PGE’s Forestry department to contractors impacted by/impacting company operations in accordance with established guidelines. Schedules meetings to explain and resolve problems. Works with PGE transmission forester to coordinate herbicide applications in assigned area.
• Coordination — Coordinates vegetation clearance with line restoration crews during emergency periods. Interfaces with regional line operations to determine maintenance and construction vegetation clearance needs. Coordinates vegetation clearance and selective herbicide applications with city, county and state agencies.
• Compliance — Ensures work meets all applicable standards, regulations and agreements. Reviews new standards, regulations and agreements and identifies potential impacts.

Education/Experience/Certifications

Education Requires a bachelor’s degree in earth science, horticulture, geology, forestry, natural resources or similar field or equivalent experience.

Experience Typically two or more years in tree trimming, arborist work, nursery work or related field including vendor management and project management.

Certifications, Licenses and Training ISA Arborist certification required at hire. ISA Certified Utility Arborist and Oregon pesticide consultant certifications required within six months of obtaining position.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

Functional Competencies Intermediate knowledge of forestry processes and procedures. Thorough knowledge of forestry best practices, including tree trimming and herbicide/pesticide application. Thorough knowledge of regulations impacting vegetation management. Working knowledge of vendor management principles. Intermediate skills in critical thinking, including analysis and problem solving. Working skills in using database and documentation tools.

General Competencies Working decision‑making skills. Working skills in critical thinking, including analysis, problem solving and prioritization.

Working Interpersonal Skills Intermediate written and oral communication skills. Working presentation skills. Working organizational awareness.

Physical and Cognitive Demands

Cognitive Level Intermediate: Consistent use of relevant principles to solve practical problems and to deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.

Cognitive Ability — to adhere to set response times, deadlines and time‑sensitive tasks; to follow accuracy standards; to follow through on decision‑making tasks; to interact effectively and collaboratively within a team environment; to communicate and problem solve when under stress; to respond and adapt to frequent change; to accept and demonstrate self‑awareness when provided constructive feedback; to discern feedback and acknowledge ownership of areas of improvement; to avoid future mistakes by applying reasonable skills to new but similar work situations or tasks; to successfully collaborate with peers, managers and others within the organization; to demonstrate sound memory; to process new information to be applied consistently to work tasks.

Schedule/Attendance — Ability to work long hours; ability to adhere to pre‑established schedule, including start/stop time and break/lunch schedule. Standard schedule is Monday – Friday 7:00 am to 3:30. Ability to report to work and perform work during periods of severe inclement weather outside of traditional schedule when restoration needs happen. Ability to consistently meet attendance standards for regular, reliable, predictable, full‑time attendance. Ability to work shift schedule. Ability to work on an on‑call schedule rotation. When scheduled, 7 days rotation begin on Friday and will be 3:30 pm – 7:00 am. Ability to work a variable schedule.

Physical Capabilities Position requires a valid driver’s license. Driving/travel/commute: Daily within service territory – Frequently (at least once a week or more). Driving/travel/commute: Overnight inside/outside the service territory – Occasionally (one to two times a month or less). Computer use (use computer regularly for entire work shift). Lifting/pushing/pulling: Up to 10 lbs. Carrying: Up to 10 lbs. Unstable surfaces requiring balance (i.e., moving equipment, boats). Elevated areas (i.e., catwalks, roofs and high buildings). Walking distances and surfaces (long distances and over rough, uneven or rocky surfaces). Stairs (over 10 steps). Ladders (over 10 rungs).

Environment - Indoor/Outdoor: Office Field

Compensation

Actual total compensation, including a performance based incentive bonus, is commensurate with experience, skills, qualifications, education, training, and internal equity.

Benefits

We provide a total rewards package that is designed to reward your contributions to the company, and, at the same time, support your well‑being and professional development, both now and into the future.

Assisting with storms or other company emergencies is a part of all positions at Portland General Electric.

Equal Opportunity

PGE is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel connected, valued, and empowered to thrive. PGE will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law. PGE does not discriminate on the basis of disability. We recognize individuals have a variety of abilities to offer and we believe there is much to value and celebrate by incorporating different abilities into the work we do.

One very important way we live this out is in our application and interview process. We work hard to support individuals who may need an accommodation to fully participate in these processes. If you feel you may need an accommodation, or would like to request one, please notify the Recruiter associated with the job posting. You may also make this request by contacting [e-mail] or by calling 503-464-7250. The Recruiter will provide information and next steps for the accommodation process.

Posting Close Date

Posting closes at midnight (Pacific Time) on the closing date below. If no date is listed, job is open until filled. October 6, 2026

About Portland General Electric

At Portland General Electric, we’re innovators, builders, and achievers. We’re committed to powering our customers’ potential and making a difference for our community and the planet. Today, that commitment includes developing an intelligent and resilient electric grid, electrifying transportation and de‑carbonizing the energy sector. We’re proud to deliver an exceptional experience to help our customers thrive. Our mission is to make clean, reliable and affordable energy services available to all. We obsess over serving customers and are committed to growing employee career paths with purpose.

Equity and inclusion are core business values; we celebrate our differences and are committed to developing teams that reflect the communities we serve.