Project Manager II - Transmission Focus

Duke Energy; Plainfield (IN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation Assistance Provided

Hybrid work schedule

Job summary

Duke Energy is seeking a Project Manager II to lead a portfolio of transmission projects in a hybrid work environment. You will coordinate internal and external stakeholders, manage scope, schedule, cost, and quality, and ensure safety and compliance across all phases from planning to closeout.

The role requires a bachelor's degree with 5+ years of experience in project management, or a high school diploma with 9+ years of related work experience. Travel is anticipated up to 15–25%.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field with 5+ years of related work experience, or 9+ years with HS/GED.
• Master’s degree or PM certifications are desirable but not required.

Responsibilities

• Create, staff, and lead the project team across multiple internal and external organizations.
• Establish and maintain stakeholder communications and report project status, risks, and milestones.
• Plan assigned projects including scope, schedule, budget, permitting, and risk management.
• Execute projects within approved scope, cost, and schedule, managing changes, risks, and closeout records.

Education

Bachelor's degree AND 5 plus years related work experience

High School/GED AND 9 plus year(s) related work experience

Job description

More than a career - a chance to make a difference in people's lives. Build an exciting, rewarding career with us – help us make a difference for millions of people every day. Consider joining the Duke Energy team, where you'll find a friendly work environment, opportunities for growth and development, recognition for your work, and competitive pay and benefits.

Project Manager II (PM-II)

This role manages a portfolio of low- to moderate-risk transmission projects and may support higher-risk projects under an Enhanced Support and Oversight Plan.

The PM-II provides leadership, decision-making, coordination, and control in accordance with established policies, procedures, systems, and regulatory requirements.

Project Manager II (PM-II) has single-point accountability or works under the general direction of a Project Director or Manager of Project Management.

The PM-II is responsible for managing, or assisting with management of, all phases of project planning and execution to ensure project success factors are met, including scope, schedule, cost, quality, environmental, safety, communications, security, and integration.

Types of Transmission Projects Managed

Assignments may include:

• New overhead transmission line projects and line extensions, including greenfield and brownfield construction.
• Rebuilds, reconductoring, uprating, and structural replacement projects for existing overhead transmission lines.
• Underground transmission cable installations, replacements, relocations, and associated transition structures.
• New transmission substations, switching stations, and collector stations, as well as expansions or major modifications to existing facilities.
• Substation equipment projects involving transformers, breakers, switches, bus, switchgear, protection and control systems, relaying, communications, station service, grounding, and physical security.
• Customer-driven interconnections for large load, generation, storage, industrial, commercial, or utility customers, including facilities needed to establish a transmission point of delivery.
• Network upgrades and reliability projects required to address system performance, capacity, resilience, equipment condition, or compliance needs.
• Projects requiring transmission & distribution outages, cutovers, temporary configurations, energization, commissioning, and turnover to Operations.
• Right-of-way and access projects involving route development, survey, easement acquisition, encroachment resolution, access roads, and restoration.
• Transmission facility relocations or modifications driven by highways, railroads, municipalities, developers, third parties, or property redevelopment.
• Storm hardening, asset replacement, end-of-life equipment renewal, and emergency restoration support when assigned.
• Projects delivered through alliance partners, engineering-procurement-construction contractors, or combinations of internal and external resources.

Responsibilities

• Create, Staff, and Lead the Project Team (25%) Provide leadership, oversight, direction, delegation, and coordination across internal and external organizations, including Transmission Engineering, Line Engineering, Substation Engineering, Protection and Control, System Planning, Grid Operations, Construction Management, Supply Chain, Estimating, Scheduling, Real Estate/Right-of-Way, Environmental, Permitting, Legal, Regulatory, Finance, Communications, Security, Safety, Quality, and customers or interconnecting parties.
• Establish and Maintain Stakeholder Communications (25%) Maintain clear communication among team members, management, landowners, communities, agencies, customers, contractors, and other affected stakeholders. Prepare and communicate project status, decisions, risks, change impacts, outage requirements, routing and siting matters, and upcoming milestones.
• Plan Assigned Projects (25%) Lead scope and work definition, estimating, schedule development, design strategy, procurement and contracting strategy, permitting and right-of-way plans, outage and construction sequencing, quality planning, safety planning, risk management, commissioning, and turnover. Integrate engineering, long-lead material, property rights, regulatory approvals, interconnection dependencies, and system outage constraints into an executable baseline.
• Execute Projects Within Approved Scope, Cost, and Schedule (25%) Direct execution from initiation through closeout. Manage the work breakdown structure, schedule, cost forecast, commitments, contracts, changes, risks, issues, decisions, quality, safety, environmental obligations, permits, outage readiness, field progress, testing, energization, as-built documentation, asset records, financial closeout, and lessons learned. Escalate emerging threats and implement recovery plans when performance deviates from the approved baseline.

Transmission Specific Delivery Expectations

• Coordinate route and site development, surveys, geotechnical work, environmental reviews, permitting, land acquisition, and stakeholder outreach.
• Integrate transmission planning assumptions, design criteria, interconnection requirements, constructability, equipment lead times, and outage availability.
• Lead readiness reviews for design release, procurement, construction mobilization, outages, commissioning, energization, and turnover.
• Manage interfaces among line, substation, protection and control, telecommunications, civil, real estate, environmental, operations, and customer workstreams.
• Maintain a current risk register and decision log, with particular attention to routing, property rights, permitting, long-lead equipment, outage windows, contractor capacity, and customer dependencies.
• Confirm required project controls are maintained, including estimates, schedules, forecasts, accruals, commitments, change control, contingency, status reporting, and closeout records.

Basic/Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree AND 5 plus years related work experience
• OR In lieu of Bachelor's degree(s) AND 5 plus year(s) related work experience listed above, High School/GED AND 9 plus year(s) related work experience

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Project Management or Business Administration.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), Professional Engineer (PE), or Construction Management certification.
• Utility transmission, substation, line, protection and control, construction, regulatory, or right-of-way experience.
• Experience with project scheduling, cost controls, estimating, contracting, procurement, and regulated-utility governance.

Mobility Classification - Hybrid.

Three days per week in office/onsite.

This position requires an employee reside within a 50 mile radius of the posted position location.

Travel Requirements 15-25%.

Relocation Assistance Provided (as applicable).

No Represented/Union Position.

No Visa Sponsored Position.

This is not a Visa Sponsored Position. This role requires the ability to work lawfully in the U.S. without employment-based immigration sponsorship, now or in the future.

Please note that in order to be considered for this position, you must possess all of the basic/required qualifications.

Diversity & Inclusion

Read about our commitment to supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Duke Energy values ideas that come from a diverse and inclusive workforce, and we’re dedicated to providing a work environment where all people are valued, respected and able to reach their full potential.

Duke Energy is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, including but not limited to lactation, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, medical condition, military status, or protected veteran status.

Duke Energy complies with all applicable state, federal and local laws, regulations and ordinances prohibiting discrimination.