Staff Service Consultant

Job Summary

Serves as a self-directed Reliability Consultant and technical subject matter expert responsible for improving distribution system performance and reducing customer outages through the identification, analysis, and mitigation of reliability risks. Evaluates Worst Performing Circuits (WPC), investigates recurring outage events, conducts field inspections of distribution assets, and performs detailed outage and root cause analyses to identify corrective actions. Develops and issues work orders for the repair, replacement, and rehabilitation of major out-of-service or underperforming devices and infrastructure. Collaborates with Operations, Engineering, Planning, Vegetation Management, Construction, and other stakeholders to implement reliability improvement initiatives, prioritize capital investments, and enhance system performance. Provides technical recommendations that balance safety, regulatory compliance, cost effectiveness, future load growth, asset health, and customer impact while driving continuous improvement and long-term reliability strategies across the distribution system.

Essential Functions

• Proficient in all essential duties and responsibilities and serves as the subject matter expert for assigned location.  Assists in training others and takes the lead role on the most complex projects.
• Manage accounts with customers (residential, small and large commercial, and industrial) and/or their representatives to develop business plans to service customer needs.
• Represent the company in service extension negotiations related to service locations, requirements, costs, easement rights, and construction timeframes.
• Gather, analyze, and design distribution facilities and determine customer electrical loads, metering requirements, etc. and create construction plan documents, including material and labor.  Prepare construction sketches, layouts and drawing of existing and proposed distribution facilities.
• Participate in formal training program, on the job training, mentoring and provide subject matter expertise as required.
• Be able to identify, evaluate, and if necessary correct issues related to compliance to governmental regulations, code violations, and CenterPoint Energy standards.  Corrective action may require negotiation with customers related to safety, cost, and legal responsibility.
• Evaluate equipment type, size, and location. Review facilities for compliance with the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), National Electric Code (NEC), city and county ordinances and CenterPoint Energy standards.
• Perform pro-active follow up with customers regarding their satisfaction with project work and if necessary initiate action based on feedback.
• Develop and maintain business partnerships with elected officials and employees of city, county and state entities, trade and development associations, HOA’s, etc.,  to effectively service customers.
• Support community and civic organizations through active participation on boards and committees, project coordination and fund-raising events.  Must be flexible to attend functions outside of normal work hours to represent CenterPoint Energy.
• Provide project management for distribution system capital and maintenance programs.
• Partner with other consultants to provide assistance and direction on difficult/complex projects.
• Review work orders for accuracy and ensure proper design criteria.
• Regularly represent the Service Consultant function on company task forces and special project assignments.
• Analyze distribution reliability service issues and recommend appropriate corrective action taking into account budget constraints.
• Perform inspections as needed for final project approval, foreign cable attachments, customer installed facilities, and miscellaneous customer requests.
• Review property information to confirm legal rights of ownership for easement acquisition.
• Must accept reassignment to different work locations in Distribution Operations/ Distribution Project Management areas of responsibility to meet business needs for employee development.

Education Description

• Requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college. Area of concentration in construction science, construction management, engineering, or technology preferred.

• Eight years of experience within construction management, engineering or technology may be accepted in lieu of education requirement.

Experience

• Requires a minimum of seven (7) years of experience in a project management role for an electric utility designing overhead and underground electrical distribution systems.

Physical Requirements

• Able to take notes and compose written documents while in the field or in the office.
• Able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a minimal amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
• Able to bend, stoop, kneel, crouch, climb, crawl, lift, stand, walk, and pull, on a daily basis.
• Able to inspect and view work sites.
• Able to view computer terminal/screen, sit, stand or walk for long periods of time.
• Able to operate a copy machine, fax machine, calculator, telephone and other miscellaneous office equipment.
• Able to comply with all company driver safety policy requirements.
• Able to provide a valid state driver's license, present and maintain a safe driving record and to operate company vehicles safely and in compliance with applicable laws and company policies.

Working Conditions:

• Able to perform work in an office environment.
• Able to travel out of town, occasionally overnight, for meetings, audits, conferences, etc.
• Able to tolerate occasional exposure to all weather conditions, work with dirty and/or greasy equipment, high noise levels, and uneven and overgrown terrain, when inspecting work sites in the field.
• Able to work more than 40 hours per week, as necessary, to meet established deadlines and accomplish objectives.
• Able to provide on-call support 24 hours per day including nights and/or weekends.
• Able to support Emergency Operating Plan.