LOAD DISPATCHER

City of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 126,000 - 154,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Chicago’s Chicago Department of Transportation, Division of Electrical Operations, seeks a Load Dispatcher to monitor streetlight and traffic management systems and dispatch crews for 24/7 operations. You will manage service requests from 311 Salesforce, read blueprints, and coordinate field staff to ensure timely outages and repairs.

The role requires carrying out dispatch duties, maintaining communications with crews, and producing daily activity reports.

Qualifications

• Requires completion of a US DOL-registered Lineman apprenticeship or equivalent.
• Journeyman status with 2+ years of lineman experience preferred.
• Alternative path with electrician/wireman apprenticeship and relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Receives service requests via 311 Salesforce, 911 calls, or field emails.
• Dispatches work crews using GPS and related software to locations.
• Creates repair tickets and assigns daily field tasks.
• Reads blueprints and schematics for streetlight/traffic circuits.
• Maintains communications with field personnel and coordinates timing.

Skills

Lineman experience

Dispatching

Education

Lineman apprenticeship program (DOL registered)

Electrical power line/telecommunications line installer experience

Tools

311 Salesforce system

GPS dispatch software

ATMS/TerragGo

Job description

Description

Load Dispatcher

Chicago Department of Transportation

Division of Electrical Operations

Number of Positions: 1

(Additional vacancies possible pending budget approval)

Starting Salary: $11,644.53 per month

This position is open to the public and all current City employees covered under the City's collective bargaining agreement with I.B.E.W - Local 9 (Bargaining Unit 29). Only employees in City job titles in this bargaining unit are eligible to bid.

Under general supervision, performs dispatch/communications activities and manages/ monitors streetlight/ traffic management system (s) to support the work functions of electrical work crews including linemen, traffic signal repairmen, streetlight repairmen performing aerial and underground electrical repairs for street lighting and traffic control circuits, and performs related duties as required.

Positions work assigned shifts with rotating days off to cover 24/7 work operations.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Receives service requests regarding faulty traffic signal equipment, streetlight outages, downed traffic or streetlight poles and wires, and related problems via 311 Salesforce system, calls from 911 emergency system or email or phone communication from the field
• Dispatches work crews in response to emergency service requests using a GPS system and related software to locate crews in the district in a timely manner; maintains communications with field crews via cellular phones and/ or email
• Creates job orders for additional repairs for traffic signals or streetlights, receiving information from field crews and entering into various applications to create repair tickets for the scheduling of additional work
• Provides daily assignments for work crews, accessing 311/Salesforce/ TerragGo/ATMS systems to review the type and location of service requests and create an efficient route for each district
• Retrieves, interprets and distributes electronic files and reads blueprints and schematic drawings of streetlight circuits or traffic signal circuits to provide requested information requested by work crews in the field
• Maintains communication via email, cellular or communication app with field personnel to assist in locating underground circuits or cables, or determining correct timing of streetlights and traffic signals based on review of blueprints and schematics
• Prepares and enters into the 311 Salesforce or appropriate application service requests for other city departments (e.g. downed tree, water/sewer lines damages) based on information relayed from the field by crews
• Closes out 311 Salesforce service requests by entering disposition once repair work is completed
• Prepares work activity reports

Additional duties may be required for this position

Location: 2451 S. Ashland Ave.

Days: Various

Hours: Various

THIS POSITION IS IN THE CAREER SERVICE

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education, Training, and Experience

• Successful completion of a US department of Labor registered Lineman apprenticeship training program and journeyman status, OR
• Successful completion of an industry or company sponsored apprenticeship training program as a Lineman, PLUS two (2) years of journey-level Lineman and/or as an electrical power line or telecommunications line installer and repairer work experience

Should the above criteria not be fulfilled, the following options are available:

• Successful completion of a US department of Labor registered electrician/wireman apprenticeship training program and journeyman status, PLUS one (1) year of work experience as a Lineman, Traffic Signal Repairman or Street Light Repairman
• Six (6) years of journey-level work experience as a Lineman, and/or as an electrical power line or telecommunications line installer and repairer

Licensure, Certification, or Other Qualifications

None

WORKING CONDITIONS

Geneal office Environment

EQUIPMENT

• Standard office equipment (e.g. telephone, photocopier, fax machine)
• Computers and peripheral equipment (e.g. personal computer, computer terminals)
• Communication equipment (e.g., two-way radio, dispatch equipment, cell phone

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to operate a personal computer and related equipment
• Ability to work an assigned shift with rotating days off as assigned

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires candidates to pass a written job knowledge exam. Test results will be sent out by the Department of Human Resources after test results have been compiled and analyzed. Candidates will be hired in seniority order by time in title as defined by the collective bargaining agreement.

For Information on our employees benefits please visit our benefits website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/fin/benefits-office.html

For Information on our salary and title structure visit our classifications website at:

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/dhr/supp_info/JobClassification/2025_Classification_and_Pay_Plan.pdf

APPLICATION EVALUATION: Initial

Initial evaluation will be based on information provided on the application and the documents submitted. The Department of Human Resource staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow any and all required Employment/Hiring Plan provisions, federal, state and local laws, and Collective Bargaining Agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience the City of Chicago has adopted the following ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces, and/or residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA) and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates to be referred to departments for consideration. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders, as Collective Bargaining Agreements define the hiring process for bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. To learn more about our hiring practices click here.

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Military Friendly Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor