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Job Description
Description
Power Reliability. Protect Community. | Join Our Utilities Operations Team as a Journey-Level System Operator
The Opportunity
Keep the City of Palo Alto running 24/7. As a Journey-Level Utilities System Operator, you’ll play a vital role in ensuring the continuous, safe, and reliable delivery of electric, water, and gas services across our community.
In this role, you’ll serve as the central control point for Utilities Operations-monitoring system performance, coordinating field switching activities, and managing service restoration during outages or emergencies. You’ll use advanced Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems to maintain real-time situational awareness and work collaboratively with engineers, field crews, and power suppliers to keep essential services operating smoothly.
This is your opportunity to join one of the most forward-thinking municipal utilities in the nation-recognized for innovation, safety, and environmental leadership.
About the Department
The City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) is the only full-service municipal utility in California, providing residents and businesses with electric, water, wastewater, natural gas, fiber optics, refuse, and storm drain services.
Our mission is simple but vital: to deliver safe, reliable, environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective services to our community. Owned by the people we serve, CPAU reinvests locally-supporting libraries, parks, and public safety services while maintaining rates that are competitive and often lower than private utilities across the Bay Area.
Since 2013, Palo Alto has provided 100% carbon-neutral electricity sourced from solar, wind, and hydroelectric generation. CPAU is nationally recognized for its leadership in renewable energy, workforce development, and operational excellence-proving that local control leads to local solutions.
About the Division
The Electric Operations Division manages the City’s electric distribution system and oversees 24/7 real-time operations. The team ensures system safety, reliability, and efficiency while advancing Palo Alto’s ambitious carbon-free energy goals. Operators in this division work in a mission-critical environment where precision, communication, and teamwork keep the community powered every hour of every day.
What You’ll Do- Coordinate switching activities on transmission and distribution lines and substations with City personnel, customers, and power suppliers.
- Issue switching orders and clearances in accordance with established operating procedures.
- Direct personnel and equipment to restore service safely and efficiently during outages or emergencies.
- Monitor electric, water, and gas systems using SCADA, meters, and other operational equipment.
- Maintain detailed system logs, outage records, and mapping data (GIS and wall maps).
- Communicate clearly with crews, customers, and other utilities to ensure coordinated action.
- Provide training on switching, dispatching, and emergency response procedures.
This position follows a rotating 12-hour shift schedule, including nights, weekends, and holidays, as part of a six-person operations team supporting a 24/7 control center.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a safety-driven, detail-oriented professional who thrives in a fast-paced control environment. You take pride in public service and are calm, analytical, and decisive under pressure.
Qualifications and Attributes:- Journey-level experience in electric distribution system operations
- Completion of a recognized apprenticeship or equivalent training program
- Strong foundation in electrical theory, voltage regulation, and safety practices
- Experience operating SCADA systems for real-time monitoring and control
- Knowledge of protective relays and system coordination
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and SAP (or similar enterprise systems)
- Effective communication and teamwork skills
- Commitment to reliability, operational excellence, and customer service
- Availability to work 12-hour rotating shifts in a 24/7 environment
Minimum Qualifications
Education:
Graduation from high school. Completion of a System Dispatch Training Program is desirable.
Experience:- Three (3) years of journey-level experience with an electric utility as a System Operator, or performing substation maintenance, overhead/underground line work, or related distribution maintenance; or
- Five (5) years of electric utility experience requiring knowledge of transmission and distribution systems, equipment, and operation.
- Completion of a recognized apprenticeship and attainment of journey-level status.
Special Requirements:- Willingness to work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays
- Freedom from color blindness and normal hearing
- Possession of a valid California Driver’s License and satisfactory driving record
- Ability to work outside of regular hours for emergency or additional assignments
Make an Impact Where It Matters Most
Join a team that keeps the lights on, the water flowing, and the community safe. Your expertise will directly support Palo Alto’s mission of sustainability, innovation, and service excellence.
Application Period
Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the posting may close without notice once a qualified candidate has been selected. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
View the full job description and apply today.
This position is represented by the Service Employees’ International Union (SEIU).
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Issues emergency and routine switching orders based on loading limits of high voltage lines and other equipment; receives clearance requests and determines removal from and placement in service of Electric transmission and distribution of equipment.
- Receives, troubleshoots, prioritizes and dispatches appropriate personnel and equipment for all emergency and non - emergency calls for the Electric, Water and Gas Systems during business hours and for the Electric, Water, Gas, Street/Traffic lights and any other City services during non-business hours.
- Maintains logs and other Electric, Water and Gas system reports. Updates all prescribed Electric databases and mapping systems with real-time changes including updated asset data that affect the operation and troubleshooting of the Electric Network. All changes are to be validated by operators on subsequent shifts based on departmental standards and established practices.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:- Graduation from high school. Successful completion of a System Dispatch Training Program is desirable.
- Three years of journey level experience with an electric utility: As a System Operator, or performing substation maintenance, or performing overhead line construction and maintenance and underground residential distribution (URD), or five years experience with an electric utility requiring knowledge of electrical transmission and distribution systems, equipment and operation.
- Completion of a recognized, related apprenticeship and attainment of journey person status.
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position typically 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.
This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
Compensation (SEIU) :Comprehensive compensation plan, to learn more click HERE.
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. -
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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