The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Northwest Power Pool corporation (NWPP Corporation) reports to the corporation president. The COO manages several of the technical and operational senior leads and their related staff members involved in coordinating a number of the primary Northwest Power Pool committee activities such as system operations, contingency reserve, and western frequency reserve sharing programs. The COO will also be involved in the Pacific Northwest Coordinating Agreement and eLearning development and delivery functions. Responsibilities include involvement in NWPP regional organizational and program development efforts, including Resource Adequacy and similar related activities. The COO will oversee and participate, as required, at WECC and NERC in standard development and compliance related activities.
CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS
The Northwest Power Pool has continually evolved since the inception of operational coordination among regional utilities in 1941. The NWPP Corporation formed in 1999 to provide contractual support services to the 31 organizations that work together under the Northwest Power Pool Agreement. These entities (which are the customers of the NWPP Corporation but are referred to as “members” under the Northwest Power Pool Agreement) include utilities (both private and public), generators, and energy managers. The NWPP Corporation’s services include facilitation and coordination of reserve and frequency response sharing, response strategy, transmission planning, system coordination management, operational training services, and additional services to members and third parties through separate, customized contacts.
Candidates are expected to offer a successful track record as a manager who cultivates a healthy and modern work environment in which employees are valued, developed to their potential, and empowered to contribute to the success of the organization in every way possible. Intellect, open collaboration, networking capability, political savvy, agility, flexibility, ethics, and integrity are necessities. Experience with reliability organizations or associations is desired (required?).
The daily affairs and service offerings of the NWPP Corporation require that candidates offer an excellent understanding of the electric system operations, expert oral and written communications, and relationship management skills. Ideal backgrounds should include system operations, cultural/organizational skills, proven business management capabilities, and quality control of service or product offerings in the electric utility industry. Candidates should expect to offer demonstrated facilitative and leadership skills and a natural inclination toward unlocking employees’ potential. Candidates should also offer a desire and tendency to derive career satisfaction from leading collaborative processes and executing resultant solutions to industry challenges. Interpersonal skills are of the utmost importance and candidates should expect to offer exemplary networking capability and an established industry presence in the western half of the nation. The NWPP seeks to attract candidates with experience and credibility in the western and northwest regions.
A bachelor’s degree in a technical field is required and an advanced degree, an MBA, is a plus.
NORTHWEST POWER POOL CORPORATION
The NWPP Corporation is based in Portland, Oregon. Having evolved from its informal origins of three engineers on loan from member utilities in 1941 to the existing staff today, the NWPP Corporation strives to help its customer organizations achieve maximum benefits of coordinated operations. The staffing and governance functions supporting the committees of the Northwest Power Pool Agreement were folded into a non-profit corporation in 1999. As it has evolved, the NWPP Corporation has refined its core values to be customer-driven, relationship-based, independent, and operating with great integrity. From this foundation, the NWPP Corporation provides professional and management services to its participating organizations, as defined by its General Services Agreements, and professional service contracts with individual participants.
The Northwest Power Pool Agreement provides for a voluntary association whose membership consists of major generating utilities serving the Northwestern United States, British Columbia, and Alberta. Smaller, principally non-generating utilities in the region participate indirectly through the member system with which they are interconnected. NWPP membership activities are largely determined by major committees – the Operating Committee, the Coordinating Group for the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement, the Reserve Sharing Group Committee, and the Transmission Planning Committee.
SALARY and BENEFITS
The NWPP Corporation offers a competitive salary based on candidate qualifications.
The NWPP Corporation offers a full and unique complement of health, dental, and vision benefits along with life insurance, short-term disability, and accidental death and dismemberment insurance at no cost to the employee. Details of the benefits can be provided upon request.
The NWPP Corporation’s retirement program (401K) is a valued component of the compensation package and information is available upon request.
TIMELINE
July 3 – Resume submittal deadline
July 13-17 – Semi-finalist virtual interviews
July24 – Finalist virtual interview
August-September 1 – COO begins employment
CONTACT INFORMATION
Resumes preferred in Acrobat (PDF) format.
Frank Afranji
NWPP, President
Frank.Afranji@NWPP.org
Tel: 503-445-1074
Cell: 503-701-1895