Job opening: Power System Dispatcher

Salary: $104 301 - 152 571 per year

Published at: Oct 02 2023

Company: Western Area Power Administration

Employment Type: Full-time

This position is part of the WAPA-UGP-Upper Great Plains. As a Power System Dispatcher, responsible for ensuring adequate transmission facilities and the required voltage and supportive volt-amp reactive (VAR) levels are maintained, switching programs, including all routine and emergency switching procedures, and compliance with NERC Reliability Standards. **This is not a remote position. The selectee will be required to be physically present at one of the duty location(s) identified.**

Duties

As a Power System Dispatcher you will perform the following duties at the full performance level: Scheduling generation to meet load, maintaining system frequency, activating contingency reserves. Administering Open Access Same Time Information System (OASIS) and energy tagging programs. Monitoring system voltages and power flows, reacting to changing system configurations, maintaining system security and reliability. Switching activities related to forced outages, clearances, hot-line orders, general switching, special work permits, and authorizations to work; and the safety and coordination requirements thereof. Responsible for meeting applicable North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Standards, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders, and Department of Energy (DOE) /Western policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Requirements

Qualifications

Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. To qualify for the AD-3: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the AD-02/GS-9 grade level or equivalent pay band which demonstrates experience in one or more of the following: Power system operator experience with centralized SCADA/EMS control of power system equipment with 34.5-kV or higher voltage power lines and substations. Operations or maintenance experience executing switching programs for clearances or other general switching actions on power system equipment at 100kV or above voltage level. Experience using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/Energy Management System (EMS) to monitor system conditions and respond to contingencies. To qualify for the AD-4: Applicants must have one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the AD-03/GS-11 grade level or equivalent pay band which demonstrates experience in one or more of the following: Power system operator or substation experience with interconnected system monitoring of voltages, power flows, maintaining limits, responding to changing system conditions, meeting safety, reliability, and coordination requirements, and adhering to applicable policies, procedures, and guidelines. Experience using power system switching procedures to prepare, check and direct routine and emergency switching activities. Operating balancing and interchange desks. Experience using a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)/Energy Management System (EMS) to monitor system conditions and respond to contingencies. "Experience" refers to paid and unpaid experience. Examples of qualifying unpaid experience may include: volunteer work done through National Service programs (such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps); as well as work for other community-based philanthropic and social organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills; and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.