Distribution Operator

aes; Dayton (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

AES Ohio, part of The AES Corporation, serves about 500,000 customers in Southwest-Central Ohio with 14,800 miles of distribution lines and 150+ substations. Under limited direction, the Distribution Operator controls and operates distribution resources, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance while coordinating switching and outages.

The role emphasizes real-time actions, reliability, and collaboration with field crews and EMS systems to support a stable, resilient electric grid.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a technical field preferred but not required.
• Associate degree with aptitude in math and electrical theory accepted with related experience.
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered.
• Company-level training completion required.

Responsibilities

• Implements real-time actions, including shedding load under operator guidance.
• Directs safety and reliability actions for field crews and equipment.
• Directs switching/tagging for LOTO isolation on mainline gear.
• Responds to disturbances to maintain continuous electricity supply.
• Communicates status of abnormal conditions to team and management.
• Monitors reactive reserves to ensure system reliability.
• Mentor trainees through operator training program.
• Review and update department SOPs annually.
• Use system model to simulate removal of elements and study contingencies.
• Assist with outage scheduling and write switch orders.
• Develop and maintain tools for model updates and contingency analysis.

Skills

Grid operations

Real-time decision making

Safety compliance

Communication skills

Data interpretation

Electrical theory

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Associate degree with math/electrical aptitude

Equivalent combinations of education and experience

Company-level training completion

Job description

Are you ready to be part of a company that's not just talking about the future, but actively shaping it? Join The AES Corporation, the largest US-based global power company with a team of 8,300 employees across 12 countries.

AES has been ranked #1 by BloombergNEF in renewable energy sales to corporations in the US and Americas for five consecutive years, providing electricity for millions of people worldwide.

We are proud to foster a strong workplace culture, earning prominent positions in Great Place to Work™ rankings across the markets where we operate. AES was also named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the 13th consecutive year in 2026, highlighting our dedication to integrity, transparency, and responsible business practices.

Our spirit of innovation continues to earn industry recognition. AES is the only seven-time winner of the Edison Electric Institute's Edison Awards in the twenty-first century, a distinction honoring global leadership in advancing the electric power industry.

If you're ready to be part of a company that's not just adapting to change, but driving it, AES is the place for you. We're not just building a more sustainable future , we're powering it.

AES Ohio serves approximately 500,000 customers across a 6,000 square-mile service area in Southwest-Central Ohio. This includes 14,800 miles of distribution lines and over 150 substations.

Under limited direction, the Distribution Operator controls and operates the company's distribution resources-including circuit breakers, switches, voltage regulating equipment, and other devices associated with the system. The role ensures compliance with PUCO regulations and AES safety and operating standards, while coordinating and directing all switching operations on the mainline distribution system.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Implements real-time actions, up to and including shedding firm load under direction of the transmission System Operator
• Directs all actions for safety and reliability of the distribution electric grid, including field crews, electrical equipment, and customers in matters that affect distribution grid reliability
• Directs all switching and tagging activities to achieve LOTO isolation on mainline distribution equipment for both scheduled and outage situations
• Responds to distribution disturbances within established regulatory, industry, and company standards to assure a continuous supply of electricity to customers
• On point to communicate to co-workers and management the status of abnormal system conditions
• Monitors and utilizes reactive reserves to ensure system reliability
• Mentor Distribution Operator Trainees through the Operator training program.
• Annually review and update department Standard Operating Procedures
• Utilize the system model to simulate removing distribution elements from service and review resulting contingency analysis to prevent any real time violations which may occur
• Responsible for being knowledgeable of the procedures to transfer operations to the Back-up Control Center and implementing if necessary
• Assist with outage scheduling - writing switch orders, coordinating resources, customer and, running load flow studies to evaluate outages and contingencies, planning projects and looking for conflicting outages, develop mitigation strategies for reliability concerns
• Assist with developing and maintaining department tools - support model updates, state estimator and contingency analysis troubleshooting, monitor and resolve solution cost or high iteration alarms, solve bad data problems, PI situational awareness displays, work with EMS staff on ADMS updates and model pushes
• Develops and maintains knowledge of the Company's substation, distribution and transmission systems, relay protection schemes, safety requirements, electrical theory, field equipment capabilities and associated operating procedures and guidelines

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or other technical discipline is preferred but not required.
• Associate's degree with demonstrated aptitude in math and electrical theory accepted, especially when paired with relevant work experience in electrical utility operations
• Equivalent combinations of education and experience will be considered
• Company-level training completion required

Skills

• Strong written and verbal communication
• Ability to comprehend complex instructions and technical documentation
• Proficiency in algebra, geometry, and electrical theory
• Skilled in using databases, spreadsheets, and word processing tools
• Ability to make sound judgments and crucial decisions in short amounts of time
• Ability to understand and assimilate complex technical information
• Ability to work with little supervision and only general guidelines at times
• Ability to operate grid operations systems and other computer platforms
• Capable of interpreting diverse data sets to ensure grid