Senior Manager Operations Planning

Salt River Project; Tempe (AZ); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension Plan

401(k) with matching

Medical coverage

PTO

Parental leave

Wellness programs

Disability plans

Tuition assistance

ERGs

Job summary

Salt River Project in Tempe, AZ, is seeking a Senior Manager Operations Planning to lead the planning and strategy for electricity, natural gas, and transmission product trading; oversee load forecasting, resource optimization modeling, and market participation strategies.

The role also coordinates maintenance outages, monitors CAISO EIM, and drives the Resource Transition strategy, with a focus on reliability and cost efficiency within a hybrid workplace.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree is required.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and strategy for trading electricity, natural gas, and transmission products used to support sales to retail and wholesale customers.
• Forecast near-term load and renewable generation output.
• Perform resource optimization modeling and analysis to develop supply and market participation strategies.
• Coordinate and optimize SRP generation unit maintenance outages to minimize replacement power cost and ensure reliability of supply.
• Evaluate participation and performance in CAISO’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM).
• Report operational drivers of retail fuel and purchase power and wholesale net revenue.
• Support SRP’s Resource Transition Strategy initiatives including Operational Readiness, Integrated System Planning, and Battery and Reserves Governance.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

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Senior Manager Operations Planning

Location: Tempe, AZ, US

Date: Aug 13, 2026

Requisition ID: 20453

Join us in building a better future for Arizona!

SRP is one of the largest public power and water utilities in the U.S. providing electricity to approximately one million customers in the greater metropolitan Phoenix area. Since its founding in 1903, SRP has fostered a culture of stewardship and customer service consistently ranking as an industry leader in customer service according to J.D. Power and named one of Arizona's best employers by Forbes. SRP continues to adapt to its changing business environment by seeking innovative ways to reimagine utility service and the provision of critical resources essential to the life and economy of Arizona.

Why Work at SRP

At SRP, we foster an inclusive work environment and believe everyone should have a fair chance to work, regardless of who they are. That’s why we value teams with diverse perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to help SRP deliver on its mission of providing reliable, affordable and sustainable water and power.

SRP's success is rooted in our employees' happiness, health, and safety. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package to meet the needs of our employees and enhance their well-being. In addition to competitive pay and performance incentives, eligible employees can take advantage of the following benefits:

• Pension Plan (at no cost to the employee)
• 401(k) plan with employer matching
• Available your first day: Medical, vision, dental, and life insurance
• Over 200+ hours of PTO (includes vacation days, holidays, floating holidays, and sick leave)
• Parental leave (up to 4 weeks) and adoption assistance
• Wellness programs (including access to a recreation and fitness facility)
• Short and long-term disability plans
• Tuition assistance for both undergraduate and graduate programs
• 10 Employee Resource Groups for career development, community service, and networking

Summary

Operations Planning serves as a critical bridge between SRP planning and operations and has responsibilities spanning multiple specialty areas. The Senior Manager provides leadership around the planning and strategy for the trading of electricity, natural gas, and transmission products used to support sales to retail and wholesale customers (encompassing a Fuel and Purchased Power budget in excess of $1B and Wholesale Net Revenue budget of $90M)); forecasting near term load and renewable generation output; performing resource optimization modeling and analysis used to develop supply and market participation strategies; assessing market intelligence and performing analysis of electricity, natural gas, and emissions markets to support trading execution; coordinating and optimization of all SRP generation unit maintenance outages to minimize replacement power cost and ensure reliability of supply; evaluating participation and performance in CAISO’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM); reporting operational drivers of retail fuel and purchase power and wholesale net revenue ; supporting SRP’s Resource Transition Strategy initiatives including Operational Readiness, Integrated System Planning, Innovation & Technology, Distribution Enablement and Battery and Reserves Governance.

• Manages the professionals that perform the load & resource modeling and analysis.
• Manages the professionals that are responsible for designing, developing, and implementing sophisticated modeling techniques used to identify operational viability of long-term plans, reliability risk, and net long and short positions.
• Directs the analysis of electricity and natural gas markets to support and guide trading execution - evaluate market fundamentals, monitor key trends, and evaluate trading strategy performance.
• Planning for the procurement and trading of electricity, natural gas, and transmission products used to support sales to retail and wholesale customers – through modeling and analysis, develops short and long-term plans to identify energy and fuel needs.
• EIM performance - serves on the internal EIM Analysis team, ensuring collaboration among the departments responsible for EIM business processes, participating in CAISO stakeholder groups, and supporting the creation of processes and analytics to achieve operational excellence and meet SRP EIM goals. Additionally, leads the activities pertaining coordination, collection and data submission of dispatch, variable O&M and EIM Major Maintenance Adder negotiations with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), analyzes performance of and reports on EIM transactions and EIM benefits.
• Oversees the coordination and optimization of all SRP generating unit maintenance; evaluates timing of generating unit maintenance outages to ensure reliability of supply and minimize replacement power cost; interfaces with plant personnel to balance maintenance of logistical needs of the plant with system reliability concerns and replacement power costs; negotiates and coordinates with other participants in joint ownership plants regarding maintenance schedules.
• Manages the transaction evaluation and reporting – utilizes complex modeling techniques to evaluate production expense and net revenues from wholesale trading activity and organized market participation, reports on monthly and year to date variances to annual retail fuel and purchase power and wholesale net revenue budget.
• Manages variance reporting for various categories of energy and commodities (natural gas, coal, energy, nuclear, etc.) to Corporate Accounting Services. Coordinates with Supply, Trading & Fuels, Resource Analysis, and other SRP departments on an annual basis to develop estimates for the wholesale, purchased power and valley gas budgets.
• Executes SRP’s Resource Transition strategy by providing thought leadership, strategic direction and modeling in renewable forecasting for Operational Readiness, data analysis and market intelligence for Western market development, battery optimization guidance and outage strategy development for reserves governance.
• Advances ambitious standards of data quality, routinely communicates complex information to SRP leadership and Elected Officials
• Develops and maintains strategic alliances with entities in the electric business, including power marketers, independent power producers, and industry leaders.
• Works closely with all levels of leadership in Corporate Accounting Services; Financial Services; Supply, Trading, and Fuels; Generation Engineering; Transmission Generation and Operations; Operational Readiness; and SRP planning groups.
• This position ensures the team has a mindset of continuous process improvement- seeks routine customer feedback and develops key performance indicators of team

Education

A bachelor's degree relevant to the assignment from an accredited institution is required.

Experience

Minimum 8 years of relevant experience is required.

Additional Requirements and Qualifications

• Preference will be given to applicants with master’s degree and/or bachelor’s degree in Economics, Finance, Engineering, or related quantitative disciplines.
• Extensive contact with outside customers, brokers, and other counterparties is desirable.
• Experience with organized power markets in operations and trading is desirable.
• Extensive use of confidential and proprietary information, and strict adherence to Standards of Conduct (SOC).
• Anticipates future internal customer needs and develops customer solutions.
• Ability to lead in a dynamic work environment that requires frequent, quick decision making.

Testing and Certifications

Hybrid Workplace

SRP currently offers a hybrid workplace, which allows employees whose jobs can be performed remotely, and who have sufficient technical capability, to telework up to three days per week. Although teleworking is available, all employees must live and work in Arizona.

Drug/Alcohol Policy Statement

To promote the safety and well-being of our employees, customers, and the communities we serve, SRP is committed to maintaining a drug/alcohol free work environment. Although marijuana may now be legal in Arizona, except as otherwise specified under Arizona law, SRP considers it to be an illegal drug for the purpose of our drug/alcohol policy because marijuana remains illegal at the federal level. Any candidate found to be impaired during the hiring process or who has the presence of an illegal drug or unauthorized substance in their system during the pre-employment drug/alcohol test may be disqualified from further consideration in the hiring process.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Salt River Project (SRP) is committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other protected status under applicable federal, state or local law.

Work Authorization

All candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Currently, SRP does not sponsor H1B visas, OPT, or other employment-related visa's.