Director, Situational Awareness Technology

CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 150 years. 

Our Vision: Our vision is to become the most admired utility in the United States through the execution of our long-term growth strategy. We have an unwavering commitment to safely and reliably deliver electricity and natural gas to millions of people. 

Our Commitment: CenterPoint Energy is committed to creating an inclusive work environment where business results are achieved through the skills, abilities and talents of our diverse workforce.

At CenterPoint Energy, individuals are respected for their contributions toward our company objectives. We strive for an inclusive work environment across all levels that is reflective of the available workforce in the communities we serve.

Job Summary

The Director, Situational Awareness Technology will be responsible for leading cross functional teams to develop IT support and visualization tools used to aide in maintaining real time awareness of system status and availability of key resources, predictive capabilities to monitor environmental and other threat conditions and tools to inform response and restoration activities.  This will include the establishment of a Situational Awareness Center collocated with the CenterPoint Emergency Operations Center that will become a hub to aggregate situational awareness information across the enterprise.  The Director will also be responsible for coordinating with other leaders across CenterPoint to collect needs and coordinate with technical staff to ensure a corporate vision is applied to tools development. The incumbent will manage a staff of subject matter experts that will support the development of threat technology solutions and support emergency management preparedness, response, restoration, and mitigation efforts. 

Essential Functions

• Develop and implement a short- and long-term strategy that determines the scope of situational awareness tool needs across the enterprise, evaluates existing technology, assesses available technology to enhance current capability and continually evaluates and updates strategy based on most up to date resources available.
• Establish metrics to assess effectiveness of situational awareness tools and provide reports to leadership on status of efforts.
• Establish governance structure to track and effectively manage cross functional situational work across all parts of the company.
• Identify Situational Awareness needs for real time tracking of system status and assess needs for decision support tools across the enterprise for “All Hazards”.
• Establish and lead cross functional teams to ensure integration of individual efforts across line organizations are fully integrated into a corporate strategy.
• Supervise a team of Subject Matter Experts.
• Manage project controls system and budget formulation for the Situational Awareness group.  Organize budget input and track expenses, ensure that project control systems are in place, provide project status, and lead development of Watch Office input into the General Rate Case.
• Develop strategies to identify critical information requirements for all operating units and develop business plans to ensure strategies are regularly updated to meet company needs.
• Builds and maintains relationships with industry peers and industry organizations to understand industry trends and best practices; makes recommendations and communicate updates to stakeholders.
• Knowledgeable of all applicable regulatory requirements and impacts to Emergency Preparedness & Response. 

Education Description

• Requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, advanced degree preferred. 

Experience

• Requires seven 10 years of experience working in the areas of research and development or technology integration in support of risk mitigation, emergency management, and resiliency, preferably at a utility. 

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's)

• Knowledge of the laws and regulations governing emergency management.

• Experience performing management/leadership functions such as leading a team, participating in the selection process for scientists/engineers, and providing coaching to others.
• Expert level experience developing and implementing technology to support crisis management decision making, preferably in a utility setting.
• Understanding of the electric utility industry sufficient to determine data sets needed to monitor operating systems status.
• Knowledge of research and development and technology integration efforts within the critical infrastructure sector with specific expertise in developing situational awareness tools.
• Experience in adapting technology to meet the needs of end users and creating decision support and visualization tools.
• Ability to create a vision and strategy that integrates the needs of various business lines into an integrated corporate view.
• Experience in creating metrics to monitor the effectiveness of new technology tools to meet the company mission.
• Experience in developing predictive models to assess the probability and scope of natural and man-made threats.
• Ability to effectively translate highly complex data sets and technology into useful information for Senior Leaders.
• Skill in both verbal and written communication.
• Experience coaching employees on crafting, editing, proofreading detailed reports to convey technical real-time information to an executive audience. In addition to experience to write/create processes, procedures, and guidelines for detailed operational tasks.
• Experience conducting performance reviews, disciplinary/corrective actions, and producing developmental plans for employees.
• Experience leading teams through stressful circumstances including during emergencies / crisis. 

   

We want you to know
Being a part of the CenterPoint Energy team is more than a career alone. It's an opportunity to make a positive impact. You will be an integral part of enabling everyday life and the pursuit of possibilities for the customers we serve and the communities we share. The vital services we provide are at the core of making our world work, and by sharing your energy with us, we'll create a better tomorrow together. 

What we bring to you

• Competitive pay
• Paid training
• Benefits eligibility begins on your first day
• Transit subsidies
• Flexible work schedule, paid holidays and paid time off
• Access to discounts at fitness clubs and an on-site wellness center at our headquarters in Houston
• Professional growth and development programs including tuition reimbursement
• 401(k) Savings Plan featuring a company match dollar-for-dollar up to 6% and a company contribution of 3% regardless of your contribution

Job Type: Full Time 
Posting Start Date: 02/10/2025​
Posting End Date: 02/24/2025

This contractor and subcontractor shall abide by the requirements of 41 CFR §§ 60-1.4(a), 60-300.5(a), and 60-741.5(a). These regulations prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin. Moreover, these regulations require that covered prime contractors and subcontractors take affirmative action to employ and advance in employment individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status or disability.

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