The outage communications role, referred to as OCS (Outage Communications Specialist), is a newer role to PGE. Created in 2022, the focus of the OCS is to manage and summarize communications both internally and externally regarding outages. Internally they are a single source of truth' for what's happening in the field and the status of restoration efforts, including managing estimated restoration times (ERT's). Externally, they support our ability to give our customers a better overall sense of what is happening and when they can expect their power to be restored. The team tracks planned and unplanned outages until power is restored to affected customers. By watching over these activities and managing accurate communications on the status of the outage, cause codes, and ERT's, affected customers and PGE employees involved in the restoration work can more easily track the status and progress of the work. Beyond outage communications the team also support critical Wildfire and outage data validation functions.
The end goal for this team is to better the overall experience for our customers in outage situations. The communications role is a 24/7 staffed role from within the Distribution Control Center, on site at our Integrated OperationsCenter in Tualatin, OR. The Outage Communications Specialist will go through a multi-week onboarding and qualification period with capability asessments.
*We're hiring for a position open to both entry and assoicate level candidates. The level will be determined based on the successful applicant's qualifications, experience, and demonstrated skills during the interview process.
Responsibilities for the Entry Level position:
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Uses the Distribution Outage Management System (OMS) to schedule distribution planned customer outages from Crew Coordination.
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Uses OMS to manage Estimated Restoration Times (ERT) which involves reviewing assigned ERT assigned by the system, validating the assets associated with the outage, confirming resource (material/human/equipment) availability and assignment, and forecasting appropriate ERTs based on scenario analysis.
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Uses the OMS to prepare, review & update distribution planned customer outage switching sheets involving secondary voltage for accuracy and schedule according to Crew Coordination and Work Order Owners request.
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Contacts customers regarding same day changes associated with planned outages.
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Issues, monitors, and updates planned outage status, in the Outage Management System, in real time, to capture accurate outage duration and customer impact.
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Notifies PGE Mapping Department of device mapping corrections needed.
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May be required to perform real-time updates in OMS for secondary voltages for unplanned outages. May assist with customer callbacks.
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Works closely with Distribution Control Center staff including Distribution System Operators and Repair Dispatch to interpret the situation and pull relevant information together.
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Prepares communication updates on outages to inform PGE employees as well as customers through OMS and the outage log.
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Communicates unplanned outage/emergency condition details to various entities, including customers, Corporate Communication, Key Customer Management, Crew Coordination and Repair Dispatch.
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First point of contact for PGE's Key Customers experiencing and outage, reporting, tracking, and monitoring outage and providing updates until services have been restored.
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Reviews records, logs and summaries and verifies and validates outage data; verifies data is properly entered into applicable systems or records and corrects as needed; prepares formal reports and/or provides feedback on results of review; recommends improvements.
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Monitors and communicates 24/7 wildfire conditions such as enhanced wildfire system setting change requests to various teams within the, System Control Center such as Distribution System Operators, Transmission System Operators and Repair Dispatch.
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Monitors and provides level I wildfire support for IRWIN and NIFCI wildfire alerts escalating scenarios as appropriate.
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Communicates distribution planned outage switching sheet information to Crew Coordination, Customer Relations, Work Order Owner(s) and the Key Customer Group, Distribution System Operator, Line Crew, etc. when applicable
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Monitors Outage Management System for de-energization and re-energization activities associated to distribution service point and transformer device planned outages to ensure safety, reliability, efficiency, and compliance requirements are met with NERC, WECC, FERC, OPUC, DOE and other applicable government and industry criteria, as applicable to the position.
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Interact with Crew Coordination, Work Order Owners, Repair Dispatch, Key Customer Group, Business Continuity & Emergency Management, Corporate Communications, Project Management Office, Engineering, and other appropriate parties for both planned and unplanned outage events.
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Documents processes and or relevant procedures.
In addition to the Entry, the Associate level is responsible for:
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Assists System Control Center (SCC) with processing complex permanent primary distribution system configuration changes for outage data validation and system configuration tracking and reporting.
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Assist with training of new hires and or other key stakeholders.
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Participates in outage After Action Reports (AAR) resulting in investigation and data analysis throughout several systems to compile lessons learned related to customers outages.
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Compiles, analyzes, and reports on a variety of metric data related to departmental and system performance such as ERT forecasting efficiency, PSPS forecasting, system interruptions and outages tracking, etc.
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Leads communication and meetings with Crew Coordination, Work Order Owners, Repair Dispatch, Key Customer Group, Business Continuity & Emergency Management, Corporate Communications, Project Management Office, Engineering, and other appropriate parties for both planned and unplanned outage events as needed.
Qualifications
Education Required:
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Associate degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience.
Experience Required:
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One or more years in operational occupations such as generation, transmission or distribution systems or a related field.
Preferred:
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Excellent verbal and oral communication skills
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Working knowledge of PGE's distribution system
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Working knowledge of electrical principles and concepts
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Working knowledge of PGE's safety procedures
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Working knowledge of and skill in using PGE's Outage Management System, Maximo Asset Management System, GIS, Vehicle Locator System (AVL) and Company Radio System, Microsoft suite, and SharePoint,
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Working knowledge of PGE's geographic territory
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Working computer skills for routine office activities such as email and document preparation
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Intermediate analytical thinking skills
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Working business acumen
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Intermediate decision-making skills
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Intermediate interpersonal skills
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Working organization and prioritization skills
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Intermediate problem-solving skills
Portland General Electric Company
121 SW Salmon St
Portland
Oregon United States
www.portlandgeneral.com
