Electrical Department Director

AtWork Group; Greenwood (SC); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Retirement benefits

Growth opportunities

Community-focused environment

Job summary

AtWork Group in Greenwood, SC is seeking an experienced Electrical Department Director to lead the Electric Department and ensure safe, reliable, and cost-efficient utility services for the community.

The role combines strategic leadership with deep electrical engineering expertise to guide planning, design, maintenance, and capital projects while coordinating with engineering, operations, and external partners.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or higher.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred.
• Strong leadership and team development capabilities.
• Deep knowledge of electric power and distribution systems.
• Experience with planning, reliability, and capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, technical, and administrative leadership for the Electric Department.
• Lead planning, design, operation, maintenance, and improvement of the distribution system.
• Oversee performance, reliability, and cost-effective operation of the electric system.
• Provide technical leadership for system upgrades and capital projects.
• Review engineering calculations, studies, and specifications.
• Budget, staffing, and succession planning for the department.
• Ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and emergency readiness.
• Collaborate with other departments, contractors, and stakeholders.

Skills

Leadership

Electrical engineering

SCADA familiarity

Budgeting & financial management

Strategic planning

Communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering

Professional Engineer (PE) license

Job description

We are seeking an experienced, technically strong, and results-driven Electrical Department Director. This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an experienced Electrical Engineer who is passionate about utility operations, system reliability, infrastructure development, and delivering dependable electric service to the community.

As the Electrical Department Director, you will provide strategic, technical, and administrative leadership for the Electric Department, overseeing the performance, reliability, planning, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the electric distribution system. The position will play a critical role in ensuring safe, reliable, efficient, and cost-effective electric service while supporting the long-term growth and development of the utility. The Director will work closely with department leadership, engineering, operations, technical teams, contractors, customers, community stakeholders, and other departments to ensure operational excellence and strong service delivery.

This position is ideal for a technically accomplished utility professional who combines strong electrical engineering knowledge with proven leadership, sound business judgment, excellent communication skills, and the ability to lead teams in a collaborative municipal-utility environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide strategic, technical, and administrative leadership for the Electric Department and its day-to-day operations.
• Lead the planning, design, operation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the electric distribution system.
• Oversee the performance and reliability of the electric system, identifying opportunities to improve service quality, system efficiency, resiliency, and operational performance.
• Provide technical leadership for system improvements, infrastructure upgrades, capital projects, and long-term electric system planning.
• Review and prepare electrical engineering calculations, technical studies, system analyses, specifications, plans, and related documentation.
• Monitor system performance and reliability and recommend appropriate corrective actions, upgrades, or improvements.
• Provide leadership and direction to department supervisors, field personnel, SCADA technicians, and other Electric Department employees.
• Oversee department staffing, performance management, professional development, training, and succession planning.
• Promote a strong culture of safety, accountability, teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate electric construction, maintenance, inspection, and infrastructure improvement activities to ensure projects are completed safely, efficiently, and according to established standards.
• Support the evaluation, implementation, and maintenance of SCADA, communications, control, and other technology systems supporting electric operations.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Information Technology, Gas, Water, Customer Accounts, Purchasing, and other departments on cross-functional projects and operational priorities.
• Review and support agreements involving joint-use facilities, utility infrastructure, rights-of-way, and related electric system matters.
• Assist with capital planning, departmental budgets, purchasing, resource allocation, and financial management for the Electric Department.
• Evaluate equipment, materials, technologies, and services to support reliable and cost-effective utility operations.
• Maintain awareness of applicable electrical codes, engineering standards, utility practices, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Support emergency response, storm restoration, outage management, and mutual-aid activities when required.
• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with customers, contractors, vendors, governmental agencies, community stakeholders, and other utility organizations.
• Represent the Electric Department professionally in internal meetings, industry organizations, community activities, and other appropriate forums.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from an accredited institution.
• 5–7 years of progressively responsible professional experience, preferably within a public utility, electric utility, municipal utility, or related environment.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license in South Carolina is highly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of electric power systems, distribution systems, electrical engineering principles, and utility operations.
• Demonstrated technical and administrative leadership experience.
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and motivate technical and operational teams.
• Experience with electric system planning, reliability analysis, infrastructure improvement, and system performance evaluation.
• Strong understanding of electrical distribution operations, substations, circuits, system protection, and related utility infrastructure.
• Familiarity with SCADA and utility communications systems is highly valued.
• Strong analytical, engineering, problem-solving, and decision‑making skills.
• Excellent project management and organizational abilities, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Strong understanding of budgets, capital projects, resource allocation, and cost-effective utility operations.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with external stakeholders.
• Strong commitment to employee safety, public safety, reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence.
• Ability to respond effectively to emergencies, outages, severe weather events, and other operational situations when required.
• Strong professional judgment, integrity, accountability, and commitment to public service.
• Ability to build and maintain positive relationships with employees, customers, contractors, vendors, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
• Must be willing to work outside normal business hours when operational conditions, emergencies, outages, or special projects require it.

Compensation Package:

• Competitive base salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• Retirement benefits and long‑term financial planning options.
• Opportunity to lead a critical utility operation serving the Greenwood community.
• Professional growth and development opportunities within a respected municipal utility organization.
• Collaborative, professional, and community‑focused work environment.