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Job Description
Description
City of Palo Alto Utilities
Palo Alto is the only city in California that offers a full range of utility services to its citizens and businesses. This gives the City a unique opportunity to collaborate with the Palo Alto community, providing homegrown, reliable, and environmentally focused utilities. With over 100 years of successful public utility operations, Palo Alto continues its tradition of delivering safe services, local decision-making on policies, utility rate-setting, environmental programs, and tailored solutions for the community. Learn more about the City's Utilities Department .
The Position
The Electric Operations Substation Supervisor reports to the Manager of Electric Operations and oversees the daily work of substation electricians. This role is responsible for organizing and directing work activities, setting priorities, and ensuring tasks are completed safely, efficiently, and to a high standard of quality. Additional responsibilities include conducting performance evaluations, delivering coaching and training, and promoting a safe, productive, and team-oriented work environment.
We are looking for a knowledgeable, safety-focused professional with extensive experience in substation operations and electrical utility systems. The successful candidate will have a strong understanding of high-voltage equipment, SCADA systems, and field operations, along with the leadership and communication skills needed to guide, support, and develop a highly skilled crew.
The ideal candidate will also possess the following attributes:- Three to five years of experience supervising or leading electrical utility or substation crews
- Proven ability to plan, prioritize, and manage daily operations, maintenance, and emergency response
- Strong commitment to safety, best practices and regulatory compliance
- Effective communication and team development skills, including performance evaluation and training support
Benefits: The City offers a fantastic benefits package that includes affordable healthcare plans, generous retirement packages, paid parental leave, convenient commuter programs and more!
Compensation (UMPAPA): Comprehensive compensation plan. To learn more, click here.
Schedule: This is a full-time, in-person position following a 9/80 schedule, with a regular start time of 6:30 a.m.
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Supervises technical, clerical, and lead staff to prioritize and assigning work; conducting performance evaluations; ensuring staff is trained; and making hiring, termination and disciplinary recommendations.
- Supervises activities and participates in the monitoring, operating, servicing, troubleshooting, and maintenance of division equipment to ensure proper operations, which includes: adjusting processes; scheduling maintenance; interpreting raw data; monitoring activities for industrial compliance; ordering supplies and inventory; and/or, performing other related duties.
- Updates and maintains operating, procedural, and/or maintenance manuals and related files.
- Reviews and prepares a variety of applications, studies, data sheets and/or reports, which includes: compiling and calculating information and data; checking, recording, and updating records; and/or, preparing other related information. Submits reports to applicable internal departments and staff, as well as external agencies.
- Participates in facility maintenance, expansion, design, and/or renovation activities and projects.
- Facilitates and organizes training on applicable safety issues, division procedures, and/or other related topics.
- Responds to requests for information from the general public, other internal departments, external agencies, the community, employees, and/or other interested parties.
- Prepares, reviews, processes, and maintains a variety of records, data, and information in support of assigned program and/or project.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge and skills, which would typically be acquired through:- High School Diploma, or G.E.D., and ten years of related experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above.
- Valid California Class C Driver's License
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 8/28/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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