Entegrus Powerlines Inc. is seeking to fill a Director of Engineering and Operations vacancy. The position will report directly to the Vice President of Engineering and Operations. The position will be responsible for the prudent, safe and efficient operations of all work and activities carried out by the Engineering and Operations Departments. The position will also provide strategic leadership in guiding staff and leading business planning and budgeting.
BACKGROUND
Entegrus brings electricity, renewable energy and water services to approximately 64,000 customers in southwestern Ontario, while keeping safety, reliability and efficiency top of mind. Entegrus is owned by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, the City of St. Thomas, and Corix Infrastructure Incorporated. Entegrus Powerlines Inc. provides safe, sustainable and reliable power to Entegrus customers in the communities of Chatham-Kent, St. Thomas, Strathroy-Caradoc, Mount Brydges, Parkhill, Dutton and Newbury.
Entegrus Strategic Direction
Vision: To be an industry leader in all we do.
Mission: To provide safe, reliable delivery of electricity and related services, in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner. To provide exceptional service to our customers, support to the communities we serve and rewarding growth opportunities for our employees
Values:
- Safety: Safety first in everything we do.
- Inspired & empowered people: Having a workforce of inspired and empowered people who are passionate about their jobs.
- Customer and Community Focus: Exceeding the needs of our customers, and the communities we serve, by having a customer and community focus.
- Operational Excellence: Achieving operational excellence by always striving for continuous improvement.
- Sustainable Growth: Delivering sustainable growth for our stakeholders through wise investments.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
The Director of Engineering and Operations will be in a critical leadership role. The position will have 3 direct reports including an Engineering Manager and 2 Regional Operations Managers. In total, the staff under the direction of the Director will be approximately 54 resources. Note that Entegrus has approximately 140 staff across the entire company.
DUTIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
- Champion and participate in the Company’s Health and Safety program through implementing safe work strategies and practices that reinforce safety incident management, hazard identification and safe work attitudes.
- Update and design engineering and operational procedures.
- Oversee engineering design, estimate, layout and construction for capital renewal programs, voltage conversion projects and residential/ICI customer connections in accordance with customer demand and budget.
- Oversee the construction and upgrading/conversion of the overhead and underground electrical distribution system in accordance with company policies and regulations.
- Lead outage restoration activities and ensure outages are kept to a minimum, with the safety of the public and employees maintained at all times; ensure business continuity and disaster recovery plans are current, effective, and actionable; lead the team in organizing and decision-making for mutual assistance activities.
- Ensure Engineering and Operations teams are equipped with the tools and resources required to perform their work safely and efficiently, including oversight of equipment testing, software systems, and the evaluation and procurement of new tools and technologies.
- Accountable for oversight and administration of ESA Regulation 22/04 and the Company’s Construction Verification Program, ensuring full compliance through effective training, monitoring, and auditing practices.
- In conjunction with the Vice President, lead the budget process, including the capital budget and OM&A expense budget. Oversee scheduling and implementation and identify and mitigate budget variances.
- Liaise with municipal authorities, other utilities, organizations, contractors, consultants and customers to co-ordinate work and provide technical direction and assistance as required.
- Manage employees including performance review, discipline, explanation of work procedures and problem resolution. Administrate appropriate sections of collective agreement and assist in resolution of grievances.
- Identify changes in the electrical distribution industry and ensure that the company deploys the latest distribution processes and technology in the appropriate circumstances.
QUALIFICATIONS
- Education: Professional engineer (PEO) designation with a university degree in electrical engineering. A Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree is an asset.
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in an electrical utility environment.
- Knowledge: Advanced knowledge of electrical distribution designs, technologies (e.g. SCADA, GIS), industry standards and work practices. Comprehensive understanding of work protection, including OH&SA and EUSA standards. Advanced knowledge of management philosophies, techniques and problem-solving methods. Knowledge of long-term strategic planning to establish business priorities in response to government policy, market needs and applicable Ontario Energy Board requirements. Knowledge of system planning, asset management, and budgeting is an asset.
- Skills: (i) Excellent analytical and technical skills with demonstrated ability to solve complex problems, (ii) Excellent leadership and communication skills with demonstrated ability to motivate and develop staff, (iii) Advanced computer skills, including engineering design, GIS, utility software and standard business applications. (iv) Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision, effectively initiating and completing projects with limited information or direction.
- Other: Respond to emergency situations involving electrical distribution system. Be able to easily handle multiple concurrent tasks. Should have a high degree of self-confidence and resolve when developing solutions to problems and issues that may arise.
KEY ATTRIBUTES & COMPETENCIES
- Leadership and ability to drive change. Leadership and ability to drive change. The Director will need to have a willingness to lead and influence others. An ability to communicate with others in an honest, respectful and sensitive manner to gain buy-in for organizational objectives. The Director will also need to lead effectively through periods of industry transformation, including electrification and the integration of advanced technologies such as AI, ensuring the organization remains adaptable and forward-looking.
- Safety leadership and culture. The Director will need to act as a champion of safety culture, leading by example, reinforcing safe behaviors, and driving continuous improvement in safety performance across the team.
- Teamwork that creates progress common goals. The Director will need to deliver work through others. The Director will need to have the competencies to work together effectively with peers that will have interdependent goals and common values and norms to foster a collaborative environment and drive teams in the same direction.
- Communications to build enthusiasm for difficult tasks. The Director will need to have the ability to articulate ideas and concepts in a way that influences receiving individuals. An ability to respectfully communicate ideas and information (often technical) in writing to ensure that information and messages are understood and have the desired impact.
- Management competency to prioritize goals for multiple groups. The Director will need to have the competencies to listen accurately and understand unspoken, partly expressed thoughts, feelings and concerns of others. Included in this competency is an emphasis on cross-cultural sensitivity. The Director will need to foster strong loyalty from direct reports and a willingness to cooperate from other organizational leaders.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
This position leads groups with outside crews working in energized substations and on live primary equipment. There will be a requirement to attend work sites under construction as well as active substations, smart grid installations and other environments with energized apparatus. Day-to-day is mostly office environment. The role will require regular travel within service area to visit job sites and crews, and out of town to attend meetings and conferences.
It is expected that the Director of Engineering and Operations will be working 80% of the time in an office environment while the 20% of the time spent dealing with outside issues such as crew visits, meetings, customers, job planning and inspections. Stress levels fluctuate depending on circumstances which include labour relations, employee differences, budget, timelines and safety issues. The Director of Engineering and Operations will be expected to be periodically on-call and available to assist and direct after hour emergencies as required.
SALARY RANGE
$140,000 to $160,000 with a comprehensive benefits package
APPLICATION INFORMATION
To explore this opportunity further, please email your resume (filename - “Last name, First name - CV”), with “Entegrus Director of Engineering and Operations” in the subject line, in confidence to Mark Fukuzawa at mfukuzawa@kaihen.ca
Entegrus is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a workplace culture that fosters inclusion and respect.
