Chief Substation Operator III Job

Summary

This job is open to

• Internal to an agency

  Current federal employees of this agency.

Duties

As a Chief Substation Operator III, you will perform the following:Supervisory Responsibilities

• Assigns Duties. Assigns work to Substation Operators and other subordinates who are permanently or temporarily assigned to the operating district. Assigns tasks in accordance with the subordinates' abilities, need for training, and the requirements of the tasks to be performed.
• Maintains Discipline. Leads, influences, and maintains discipline of employees being supervised. Sets an example of diligence, pride of accomplishment, and good conduct and requires the same from subordinates. Ensures compliance with regulations, procedures, and working rules.
• Enforces Safety Rules. Actively participates in the BPA safety program. Instructs employees in proper work practices and safety rules to insure the safety of all workers. Investigates all accidents involving persons under personal jurisdiction. Completes required accident reports accurately and promptly.
• Reviews and Inspects Work. Reviews and evaluates the work performed by subordinates.
• Responsible for Quantity and Quality of Work Performed.

• Short Range. Acts as the intermediary between Outage Dispatchers and customers in making outage arrangements, develops switching procedures and schedules Operators to perform necessary switching and tagging. Makes changes in work schedules on a day-to-day basis as necessary. Works with Chief Substation Operators of other operating districts and the Regional Manager office to obtain maximum utilization of operations personnel. Is responsible for instructional sessions with customer switchmen in the operation of BPA substations. Helps resolve customer voltage and other operating problems.
• Long Range. In cooperation with Outage Dispatchers determines the optimum time for outages to equipment and customers required for BPA maintenance and construction activities. Through personal contact, is knowledgeable about customers' future plans and coordinates them with BPA planning. Determines material and tool requirements for future substations, including fire-fighting equipment, high-voltage fuses, switchyard signs, etc. Plans non-electric plant maintenance, environmental, and other programs as assigned. Determines priorities of work assignments, considering urgency indicated by Regional Manager. Develops long range work schedules for subordinates. Discusses problems and possible methods of work improvement with employees. Takes necessary action to insure accomplishment of the workload by revision of methods, changing work assignments, or revision of use of equipment and material. Plans the preparation and maintenance of the Substation Operating Manual and supplementary material for each substation in the operating district. Plans and schedules work to be performed on a continuing basis, including delegation of jobs to subordinates.
• Coordination of Crews and Activities. In cooperation with Outage Dispatchers, coordinates requested outages to provide the maximum amount of work with minimum outage time to BPA facilities and customers. Arranges for qualified switchmen to perform switching and tagging for prearranged outages.

• Reviews Subordinates' Performance and Recommends Personnel Actions. Evaluates subordinates' performance and conducts performance interviews. Takes necessary action to improve skills, increase job satisfaction, improve conduct, resolve problems, and develop team spirit. Recommends personnel actions, official commendations, or disciplinary action as required.
• Identifies, Plans, and Implements Training. Determines the orientation, instruction, and training needs of subordinates, including assigned apprentices, in proper work and safety practices. Provides the necessary instruction. Plans for development of subordinates' potential abilities.
• Records and Reports. Reports on work performed in the operating district. Reports abnormal or unsatisfactory conditions of plant facilities to those responsible for that maintenance. Recommends non-electrical maintenance to be performed. Reports breaches of security to appropriate law enforcement agencies, BPA Security Office, and to supervisor, as appropriate. Responsible for preparation of COTR related documentation when assigned those duties. Responsible for preparation of substation inspection reports, system equipment records and inventory, equipment use reports, time reports, per diem, leave, etc. Reports on personnel errors and accidents that occur to personnel and facilities in the operating district. Approves leave and overtime.
• EEO Responsibilities. As a supervisor, the incumbent is actively and regularly involved in achieving BPA's EEO program commitments for all applicants and employees.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Position is subject to initial pre-employment Drug Testing and random drug testing thereafter.
• First time supervisors will be required to serve a 1 year probationary period.
• This position requires a pre-employment medical exam, at BPA expense, prior to appointment due to the physical requirements of the position.
• When you apply you will be asked a series of questions to determine your eligibility for employment and your qualification for this position specifically. You must answer all of these questions completely and truthfully.
• Apprentices in the last year of the program are encouraged to submit an application to indicate duty locations for which they want to be considered for permanent placement.
• You must be a United States Citizen.
• Provide a means for contact by the Administration.
• Subject to call for emergency work at any time.
• Operate any type of motor vehicles applicable to assigned duties.
• Follow and enforce the safety practices of BPA.
• A preliminary background check must be completed before a new employee can begin work. Current Federal employees or other individuals with an existing completed background investigation may not be required to undergo another background check.
• Establish a residence that is within one hour or less commuting time under normal weather and road conditions, to the duty station headquarters.
• Possess within 30 days after appointment, and maintain continuously thereafter, an Electrical Worker's Permit.
• Possess a valid state driver's license. Traffic citations indicating poor driving habits may disqualify applicants.
• Obtain certification on the equipment associated with substation operations if assigned to use or operate.
• Possess within 90 days after appointment, and maintain continuously thereafter, a Standard Clearance certification.
• Possess within one year after appointment, and maintain continuously thereafter, a First Aid Card.
• If exposed to health hazards have periodic physical examinations as prescribed by competent medical authority at BPA expense. (Employees will work in close proximity to substances, such as acids, PCB's, or pesticides, asbestos, mercury, solvents, etc., which may have effects on health unless prescribed handling procedures are followed.)

How You Will Be Evaluated

Required Documents

How to Apply

To be considered for this position, you must submit your complete application no later than 11:59 pm on 12/31/2024 . If you do not submit a complete application prior to the closing time (regardless of when you started) the online application system will not allow you to finish! Requests for extensions will not be granted, so please begin the application process allowing yourself enough time to finish before the deadline. Our online application system displays a countdown timer at the top of the screen for your reference. For your security, your session in our online application system will "time-out" if you are inactive for a certain period of time. We recommend that you preview the assessment questions before you apply and prepare all of your information prior to beginning the application. If you do get "timed-out" you will have to log back in to USAJOBS and re-visit the vacancy announcement, you can then click "Update Application" to finish where you left off.

Steps to submit a complete application:

1. Click the "Apply Online" button. If you are not already logged in, you will need to do so.
2. You must have a complete resume associated with your USAJOBS account. Please note that some DOE offices do not accept uploaded resumes and instead require that you submit a USAJOBS-formatted resume using the Resume Builder.
3. You will be prompted to select a resume and any documentation you have attached to your USAJOBS account before you are transferred to the Department of Energy's online application system. Please be aware that any document you select before being transferred to our system will not automatically be received. You must take steps to download your documents from USAJOBS during the "Documents" step within our online application system (see Step 6).
4. If you are a first-time applicant to the Department of Energy, you'll be asked to register an account first. If you are a returning applicant, you will skip this step and go straight to the application portion.
5. You must respond to all applicant assessment questions, carefully following all instructions provided.
6. You will then be asked to upload additional supporting documentation. If you selected documents from USAJOBS prior to being transferred to our application system (Step 3), you will need to click the "USAJOBS" link to complete the transfer process. These documents ARE NOT automatically transferred! It is ultimately your responsibility to make sure all required documents are either faxed, uploaded, or transferred from USAJOBS successfully. If you are unsure that your documents went through, please contact the HR Specialist listed on the announcement BEFORE the vacancy closes.
7. After reviewing your submission in the final step, you must click "Submit Application" at the bottom of the page. If you leave the application before clicking Submit, your application will not be received.

If your resume does not support the responses in your application questionnaire, or if you fail to submit required documentation before the vacancy closes, you may be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score may be adjusted accordingly.

NEED HELP?

• If you experience any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Apply Online' button): Contact USAJOBS below or contact the HR Office listed on this announcement between normal business hours. If you are receiving any kind of error message, please be ready to provide a screenshot or at a minimum, the error message text and number.
• If you need help with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder): please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center. Ask USAJOBS directly for support, by using the "Contact Us" Button at the bottom of this page. We regret that we are unable to support any issues with USAJOBS, as this service is not maintained by the Department of Energy.
• If you are experiencing a significant hardship which hinders your ability to apply online please contact the HR Office listed on this announcement during normal business hours to discuss your situation.

Next steps

After each step in the recruitment process, your status will be updated in our application tracking system. Once this happens, if you have elected to receive e-mail updates, you will be notified through your USAJOBS registered e-mail address. If you have not elected for e-mail updates, you can review your current application status in USAJOBS at any time. Please check that your USAJOBS profile contact information is current and correct each time you apply to a job--this will ensure we are able to contact you as quickly as possible.

In addition to changing your status online, we will send you e-mail notifications at each major step in the process, to include: application received, eligible or not eligible, referred or not referred, selected or not selected.

Additional Locations

• Malin, OR
• North Bend, OR
• Redmond, OR
• The Dalles, OR
• Umatilla, OR
• East Wenatchee, WA
• Grand Coulee, WA
• Kent, WA
• Longview, WA
• Olympia, WA
• Pasco, WA
• Richland, WA
• Snohomish, WA
• Spokane, WA
• Vancouver, WA