Senior Operations Manager

Personna Employment Solutions; Kennewick (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Personna Employment Solutions is seeking an experienced Senior Operations Manager to lead electric utility field operations, infrastructure maintenance, construction activities, and workforce safety within a municipal electric utility environment.

This leadership role oversees electrical distribution operations, field personnel, and capital projects while coordinating contractor work and emergency power restoration.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in electric utility operations, power distribution, or electrical infrastructure construction and maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of electric distribution systems, utility safety standards, and field operations.
• Experience supervising electrical crews, utility contractors, or infrastructure maintenance teams.
• Familiarity with capital improvement projects, construction contracts, budgets, and operational planning.
• Experience coordinating emergency outage response and power restoration.

Responsibilities

• Direct daily field operations, maintenance, construction, and repair of electrical distribution infrastructure.
• Supervise field personnel, support workforce development, and coordinate training and apprenticeship programs.
• Develop and enforce electrical utility safety programs, operating procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee electrical distribution construction, maintenance programs, capital improvements, and contractor performance.
• Manage operational budgets, equipment, staffing, fleet resources, and project expenses.
• Coordinate emergency outage response, system repairs, and service restoration activities.
• Collaborate with engineering teams, contractors, utility partners, and BPA representatives.
• Support long-term infrastructure planning, operational improvements, and utility performance goals.
• Support collective bargaining agreement administration, employee relations, and apprenticeship development.

Skills

Leadership

Electrical distribution

Crew leadership

Safety compliance

Contractor management

Emergency response

Strategic planning

Labor relations

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Location: Tri-Cities, WA

We're seeking an experienced Senior Operations Manager to lead electric utility field operations, infrastructure maintenance, construction activities, and workforce safety within a municipal electric utility environment.

This leadership position oversees electrical distribution operations, field personnel, capital improvement projects, contractor management, and emergency power restoration while ensuring safe, reliable, and efficient electrical service.

Ideal candidates bring experience in electric utility operations, power distribution systems, electrical infrastructure, crew leadership, construction management, and utility safety.

Candidates from municipal utilities, public utility districts (PUDs), electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and power distribution contractors are encouraged to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Utility Operations: Direct daily field operations, maintenance, construction, and repair of electrical distribution infrastructure.
• Team Leadership: Supervise field personnel, support workforce development, and coordinate technical training and apprenticeship programs.
• Safety & Compliance: Develop and enforce electrical utility safety programs, operating procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Infrastructure & Capital Projects: Oversee electrical distribution construction, maintenance programs, capital improvements, and contractor performance.
• Budget & Resource Management: Manage operational budgets, equipment, staffing, fleet resources, and project expenses.
• Power Restoration: Coordinate emergency outage response, system repairs, and service restoration activities.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Collaborate with engineering teams, contractors, utility partners, and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) representatives.
• Strategic Planning: Support long-term infrastructure planning, operational improvements, and utility performance goals.
• Labor Relations: Support collective bargaining agreement administration, employee relations, and apprenticeship development.

Qualifications & Experience

• Significant leadership experience in electric utility operations, power distribution, or electrical infrastructure construction and maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of electric distribution systems, utility safety standards, and field operations.
• Experience supervising electrical crews, utility contractors, or infrastructure maintenance teams.
• Familiarity with capital improvement projects, construction contracts, budgets, and operational planning.
• Experience coordinating emergency outage response and power restoration.
• Strong communication, decision-making, organizational, and personnel leadership skills.
• Experience working with union-represented employees and utility apprenticeship programs preferred.
• Municipal utility, PUD, electric cooperative, or investor-owned utility experience highly valued.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a hands-on electric utility leader who combines technical expertise in power distribution with strong operational management, employee leadership, and infrastructure planning experience.

Whether you're an experienced Power Operations Manager, Electric Utility Superintendent, Distribution Operations Manager, Line Superintendent, or senior utility leader ready for the next step, we'd love to connect.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.