SVP of Operations

Our client is a well-established electric distribution cooperative serving a high-growth service territory. The Cooperative provides power to a diverse customer base that includes residential, commercial, and large-load industrial customers, with significant growth tied to data center and infrastructure expansion.

The system is scaling quickly to meet rising demand, and leadership is investing in the operations bench to sustain reliability, safety, and modernization through the next decade of growth.

As SVP of Operations, you’ll lead the people, systems, and strategy that keep the grid running and keep pace with sustained load growth. You’ll oversee a sizable workforce of internal staff and contract line and substation crews, with multiple director-level direct reports spanning electric system operations, substation and telecommunications, system operations and technical services, business services, and fiber optic systems.

This is an executive-level seat on the Leadership Team, reporting directly to the President & CEO.

• Overall strategy and performance of the power delivery system construction, operation, maintenance, service restoration, and dispatch control across the Cooperative’s transmission and distribution infrastructure
• Operational technology, electric metering, vegetation management, and emergency management functions
• Annual and multi-year operations, maintenance, safety, and security budgets and staffing plans
• A strong safety culture and compliance with all worker protection standards and government mandates
• The Cooperative’s position with its transmission provider, regional cooperative associations, and the Regional Transmission Operator including representation on operations and emergency actions
• Labor relations with union workers under collective bargaining
• Grid modernization strategy SCADA, fiber, substation computing, field devices, cybersecurity, and resilience
• Executive input into rate cases before the state regulatory commission, capital planning, and cost-of-service studies
• Succession planning, leadership pipeline development, and mentorship of directors and managers
• Engagement with legislators, local jurisdictions, universities, and community partners

• Minimum 15 years of directly related experience in power delivery system operations and maintenance
• At least 5 years of management experience in operations and maintenance at an electric utility
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Business from an accredited institution
• Working knowledge of utility operations, engineering, large project management, finance, and power supply
• Understanding of multiple utility business models (cooperatives, investor-owned, public power)
• Proven ability to operate strategically while staying close enough to the detail to deliver
• Track record of building and retaining top-tier operations talent

• Master’s Degree in Business or Management
• Experience serving large industrial or data center loads, or managing rapid load growth
• Familiarity with regional reliability organizations, RTOs, and utility partnerships
• Experience leading unionized workforces
• Executive sponsorship of grid modernization and cybersecurity initiatives