Outage Coordinator

ACTalent; United States; Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent in Oakbrook Terrace, IL seeks a Transmission Outage Coordinator to plan, schedule, and coordinate outages. You will act as the central contact among project management, transmission, and operations teams to ensure reliable grid performance.

Requirements include 5+ years in transmission or distribution operations, solid knowledge of power flows, and outage planning with LOTO and documentation. This hybrid role combines office and field work with some travel and a competitive hourly rate.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in transmission or distribution operations.
• Understanding of power flows and isolation points.
• Experience in transmission/substation operations or planning.
• Knowledge of electrical distribution and planning.
• Experience coordinating outage planning.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with project management, transmission, and operations teams.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and coordinate outages to support reliability.
• Develop and manage outage schedules and boundaries.
• Submit, track, and reschedule outage requests.
• Coordinate LOTO requirements and clearance sequencing.
• Lead outage planning meetings and communicate plans and risks.
• Communicate outage impacts to stakeholders.
• Support reporting and documentation for outage activities.
• Serve as primary contact between PM, transmission, and operations.
• Ensure compliance with company and industry standards.
• Participate in short- and long-range outage planning.
• Coordinate capacity planning and outage support cross-functionally.

Skills

Transmission experience

Electrical grid knowledge

Outage coordination

Cross-functional collaboration

LOTO coordination

Documentation management

Project coordination

Strong organizational skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

Job description

Job Title: Transmission Outage Coordinator

Job Description

The Transmission Outage Coordinator plans, schedules, and coordinates transmission and substation outages to support safe, efficient, and compliant operations. This role serves as a central point of contact among project management, transmission, and operations teams, while managing outage schedules, documentation, and communication to ensure reliable grid performance.

Responsibilities

• Plan, schedule, and coordinate transmission and substation outages to support system reliability and project execution.
• Own the development and management of outage schedules, including identification of required outages and outage boundaries.
• Submit, track, and reschedule outage requests in alignment with operational and project needs.
• Coordinate lockout/tagout (LOTO) requirements and clearance sequencing to ensure safe work practices.
• Facilitate outage planning meetings and ensure all stakeholders understand outage plans, risks, and contingencies.
• Communicate outage impacts and schedule changes clearly and promptly to project management, transmission, and operations stakeholders.
• Support administrative functions such as reporting, documentation, and planning related to outage activities.
• Serve as a primary point of contact between project management, transmission, and operations teams to drive alignment and issue resolution.
• Ensure all outage-related work is completed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with company requirements and industry standards.
• Participate in daily, weekly, monthly, and long-range outage planning to support both near-term and strategic system needs.
• Work cross-functionally with other groups to coordinate capacity planning, outage support, and transmission planning activities.

Essential Skills

• 5+ years of experience in transmission systems or distribution systems operation.
• Strong understanding of how power flows through an electrical grid, including isolation points and boundaries.
• Experience in transmission or substation operations, systems operation, or transmission engineering.
• Knowledge of electrical distribution, transmission planning, utility distribution, and transmission & distribution systems.
• Demonstrated experience in project coordination and outage support.
• Ability to perform capacity planning and outage planning in a utility or transmission environment.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with project management, transmission, and operations teams.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple outage schedules, requests, and documentation simultaneously.
• Clear and professional communication skills for coordinating with diverse technical and operational stakeholders.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelors degree is preferred but not required.
• NERC or FERC certifications are encouraged and considered a strong asset.
• Experience participating in daily, weekly, monthly, and long-range outage planning processes.
• Ability to adapt to changing outage schedules and operational priorities.
• Willingness to relocate if necessary, with relocation arranged independently.

Work Environment

This role operates in a hybrid work environment with three days in the office and two days remote each week, Monday through Friday. Core hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, with flexibility outside of that window to accommodate operational needs. The position may require occasional travel to jobsites, and the individual must provide their own transportation and protective clothing appropriate for field visits. The work involves collaboration with transmission, operations, and project teams in both office and field settings, using standard utility and project coordination tools to manage outage schedules and documentation.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $40.00 - $55.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your jobclassification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may besubject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefitsavailable for this temporary role may include the following:Medical, dental & visionCritical Illness, Accident, and Hospital401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions availableLife Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)Short and long-term disabilityHealth Spending Account (HSA)Transportation benefitsEmployee Assistance ProgramTime Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Oakbrook Terrace, IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 19, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Oakbrook Terrace,IL.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification oradjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability,please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in thecity and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicantswith arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as acondition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this lawshall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process,including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applicationsand qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, youacknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.