Description
About Idaho Falls:
Idaho Falls offers a rare combination of small-town charm and big-city amenities, making it an ideal place to live and work. Nestled along the Snake River with stunning views of the Rocky Mountains, the city boasts a low cost of living, excellent schools, and a strong sense of community. Outdoor enthusiasts will find endless opportunities for adventure, with Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks just a short drive away, as well as world-class fishing, hiking, skiing, and more right in the area.
Professionally, Idaho Falls is a growing hub for innovation, energy, and technology, anchored by institutions like the Idaho National Laboratory and a thriving local business community. The city has been recognized for its economic growth, low unemployment, and high quality of life making it an attractive destination for individuals and families looking to build both a career and a lifestyle they love. For more information about the City of Idaho Falls, please visit the link below.
To learn more about our community and the work we do, please visit the link below for additional information about the City and our Power Department.
About the City of Idaho Falls:
City of Idaho Falls
About Idaho Falls Power:
Idaho Falls Power
Position Overview:
The General Manager is responsible for the overall planning, management, budgeting, capital planning and direction of all operations of Idaho Falls Power (IFP) and Idaho Falls Fiber (IFF) consisting of power supply, generation, transmission, distribution, fiber services, traffic, customer service and business functions. The incumbent will lead the utility in providing safe, reliable, cost-effective electric and broadband services, ensure regulatory compliance, lead long-term strategic planning and capital investment, and foster an organizational culture of excellence, accountability, and public-power values.
Supervision Received
Works under the general supervision of the Idaho Falls Mayor and City Council.
Supervision Exercised
Provides direct supervision to a leadership team of highly skilled professionals who are responsible for various departments and general supervision to the approximately 95 employees of IFP and IFF.
Essential Functions:
Provide executive leadership to all divisions of IFP: Generation, Transmission, Distribution Customer Accounts, Operations Technology, Traffic, Engineering and Administration.
Works collaboratively with other City directors to implement city goals and priorities.
Develop and implement the utility’s strategic plan, long-range power supply plan, and business plan to ensure continued reliability, affordability, growth of fiber broadband services and alignment with City goals.
Oversee the development and monitoring of the annual operating budget and capital improvement program; ensure financial health, cost control, efficient operations and appropriate rate and tariff structures. Maintains the IFP Financial Stability and Creditworthiness policy to support future projects, maintain adequate reserves, and ensure continued access to favorable financing.
Ensure compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations (e.g., utility, environmental, safety, reliability standards).
Foster and sustain a strong safety culture across all operations and ensure safe work practices and safe service to customers.
Engage in resource planning including generation, transmission, distribution and fiber broadband; manage risks associated with power markets, regulatory changes, emerging technologies, grid modernization and changing customer demands.
Oversee system reliability, outage response and restoration, vegetation management, asset maintenance and replacement, network performance (both electric and fiber) and resiliency planning.
Act as a key public-face of the utility: work with community stakeholders, elected officials, regional utility agencies, media and the public; build strong relationships with major customers, neighboring utilities and industry bodies.
Administers collective bargaining agreements; participates in bargaining negotiations. Drive organizational culture: recruit, develop, motivate and retain high performing staff; set expectations for performance, accountability, service quality and customer satisfaction; promote innovation and continuous improvement.
Monitor technology trends (smart grid, distributed generation, renewables, cyber security, energy storage, fiber broadband) and evaluate strategic opportunities and threats; lead innovative initiatives when beneficial.
Oversee contract management, vendor/partner relationships, regulatory filings (WECC, NERC, FERC, DEQ, etc), bulk power purchase agreements, energy efficiency programs, and fiber broadband business operations as applicable.
Ensure effective customer service, maintain key account relationships, support customer outreach, education and communication efforts and oversee rates, load forecasting and demand-side management programs.
Provide regular reporting to the Mayor and City Council, supply metrics on reliability, financial performance, customer satisfaction, broadband growth, outage statistics, and key strategic initiatives.
Oversees day-to-day operations, ensures compliance with organizational policies and practices; makes operational decisions as needed to resolve issues or problems and allocates resources as needed. Ensures compliance with safety policies and procedures as well as regulatory standards within these departments; ensures safe and reliable delivery of electrical and fiber optic service.
Assists in developing and approving documented procedures for utility operations and business processes; ensures compliance with necessary contracts and regulatory standards; assists with evaluating current operational practice to identify changes that should be implemented. Works closely with managers to create collaboration and transparency among the different departments.
Must have general knowledge of IFP’s electrical, generation and communications systems and understanding of IFP’s expertise and resources for managing those systems.
Must be able to perform and make informed decisions under high pressure situations such as large outages, major weather events, or other natural or human caused major incidents. Must be able to allocate a variety of in-house and/or contracted resources during major events.
Perform related duties as assigned.
Requirements
Minimum Qualifications:
1. Education and Experience:
A. Ten (10) years of progressive experience in utility operations.
AND
B. Graduation from college with a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or related field.
OR
C. An equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Strong technical understanding of electric utility operations (generation, transmission/distribution, reliability), and/or fiber broadband network operations.
Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, capital project planning, budgeting and financial management, regulatory compliance and risk management.
Proven leadership, organizational development and change-management capabilities.
Excellent interpersonal, communication and stakeholder engagement skills (working with elected officials, community, regulatory bodies and the public). Able to clearly articulate vision and expectations.
Thorough knowledge of utility construction techniques, construction contract requirements, union rules and regulatory compliance.
Knowledge of utility fleets, specialized equipment, and other rolling stock that is required to perform job functions across the different department.
Track record of promoting safety culture and operational excellence. Must be familiar with utility safety rules, best practices and is a committed advocate of the safety culture at the utility. Works closely with the safety committee to execute and implement any new safety standards or procedures.
Must have a good understanding of technology systems required to operate a utility.
3. Desired Attributes and competencies:
Strong strategic thinker with vision and the ability to translate strategy into action.
Results-oriented and disciplined in financial and operational oversight.
Collaborative leader who builds high-performing teams and fosters a culture of service, safety and innovation.
Adaptable, forward-looking and able to navigate change in a dynamic utility environment (e.g., renewable integration, digitization, fiber broadband convergence).
Commitment to public-power values (serving the community, affordability, reliability, transparency) and aligning with the mission of Idaho Falls Power to serve its customers and community.
A working understanding of FEMA’s National Incident Management System.
4.Special Qualifications:
Must possess a valid Idaho State driver’s license or be able to acquire one within two months from start date.
Travel required.
Work Environment:
Incumbent of the position performs in a typical office setting with appropriate climate controls. Tasks require variety of physical activities, involving minimal muscular strain, related to walking, standing, stooping, sitting, and reaching. Essential functions require talking, hearing and seeing. Common eye, hand, finger dexterity are required. Mental application utilizes memory for details, emotional stability, discriminating thinking and creative problem solving. Periodic travel required in normal course of job performance. Regular exposure to changing weather conditions and hazards common to high voltage electrical system.
The salary for this role will be determined based on the candidate’s experience, qualifications, and overall alignment with the position. The expected annual salary range is $250,000 - $321,000.
To Apply: Please submit a completed electronic job application with detailed information about your background and experience. Be sure to include a resume that highlights how your skills and interests align with this opportunity. Applicants are also encouraged to attach a cover letter sharing more about their passion for the role.
