Manager, Engineering (Long Term Grid Planning)

Reporting to the Director of Investment Planning, the Manager Engineering, Long-term Grid Planning provides technical leadership and oversight to planning staff and consultants, ensuring that planning recommendations are supported by sound engineering analysis, risk-based decision-making, and industry best practices.

The Manager, Long-Term Grid Planning, is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of the utility's system distribution system planning activities to ensure the safe, reliable, sustainable and cost-effective delivery of electricity services to customers in the city of Toronto. The role leads the assessment of future system needs through load forecasting, capacity planning, asset investment planning, grid modernization, and electrification readiness. Working closely with engineering, operations, asset management, regulatory, and customer groups, the Manager develops integrated long-term plans that support customer growth, electrification, distributed energy resources (DER) integration, infrastructure renewal, and evolving regulatory requirements

The position contributes to the development of capital investment plans and serves as a key resource in regulatory and stakeholder engagement activities and serves as a key coordinator of the utility's participation in Regional Planning activities.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the development and execution of the utility's long-term distribution system plans, capacity plans and infrastructure investment strategies.
• Coordinate with the sort-and medium-term planning team to establish planning horizons and scenarios to support future customer demand, electrification, and large load connections
• Develop integrated plans that align asset management, system reliability, customer growth, and corporate strategies
• Identify future system constraints, risks, and investment requirements and recommended mitigation strategies.
• Support the implementation of the 5-Year Distribution System Plan.
• Coordinate with Grid Strategy team on the continuous improvement of enterprise asset management and asset life-cycle practices.
• Ensure the capital investment decisions are supported by asset condition, criticality, performance, and asset investment prioritization frameworks.
• Ensure alignment with applicable asset management standards and industry best practices
• Lead business cases supporting innovative investments and modernization programs
• Assess opportunities to improve system flexibility, resilience, reliability, and operational efficiency
• Lead the system studies portfolio to execute special studies that support safety, operational and customer connection processes
• Direct long-term stations asset investments
• Lead short-, medium-, and long-term load forecasting activities
• Assess impacts of population growth, economic development, electric vehicle adoption, distributed energy resources, energy storage, and electrification initiatives
• Collaborate with short-and medium-term planning team to understand the impact of municipal development, large load customer connections, and regional planning stakeholders to understand the future infrastructure requirements.
• Advocate and present the Utility's priorities to external stakeholders through Regional Planning engagements.
• Develop planning scenarios to support investment decision-making and risk management
• Manages departmental activities to comply with required environment, health and safety (EHS) legislation, regulations, policies, procedures and practices.
• Conducts office inspections and audits performance for alignment with requirements. Provides coaching and feedback to front-line managers and employees to reduce and/or eliminate EHS hazards and risks, introduces controls and maintains and improve EHS performance.
• Conducts incident investigations and root cause analysis (proactive and reactive) to continually drive EHS performance.
• Acts to resolve escalated health and safety concerns. Attends safety meetings and contributes as a subject matter expert to the development of organizational environmental health and safety management and technology systems and programs. In alignment with organizational programs, practices and collective agreements, manages employee performance, attendance and training and development.
• Provides coaching and feedback to motivate and engage employee outcomes in the attainment of organizational goals; acts to address gaps in performance which may impact outcomes. Provides varied growth opportunities and supports specific rotations for all employees.
• Lead the development of long-term capital plans and investment portfolios
• Ensure investment recommendations are supported by prudent engineering, financial, and risk analyses.
• Collaborate with the Grid Strategy team and senior leadership to establish capital expenditure forecasts and funding priorities.
• Monitor portfolio performance and alignment with strategic objectives
• Support regulatory applications and proceedings, including rate applications and investment justifications
• Prepare reports, studies and planning documentation required for regulatory compliance
• Support and cultivate collaborative relationships with key stakeholders like the Independent System Operator, Hydro One and the City of Toronto
• Identify long-term system risks and vulnerabilities
• Collaborate with the grid strategy and standards and policy teams to develop strategies to address climate adaptation, extreme weather events, cyber-physical risks, and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
• Ensure planning activities incorporate reliability, safety, environmental, and business continuity considerations.
• Establish performance metrics and reporting frameworks to monitor planning outcomes

REQUIREMENTS:

• Undergraduate degree in Electrical or Systems Engineering or related discipline
• Professional Engineer (P. Eng) in the province of Ontario
• Seven to ten (7-10) years professional level experience in utility planning, design, operations, or execution.
• 4+ years progressive supervisory leadership experience.
• Minimum three (3) years experience in distribution system planning, asset management, and capital investment planning
• Experience with Grid Modernization, electrification planning and advanced utility technologies is strongly preferred
• Strategic thinking and planning focus with strong emphasis on vision setting
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and able to make decisions in a complex and uncertain environment
• Travel required between work centers
• Comprehensive knowledge of electrical substation and distribution system design, planning, operations and reliability principles
• Load Forecasting and Scenario Modeling
• Power system studies and capacity assessments
• Thorough understanding of asset management frameworks and lifecycle planning methodologies
• Demonstrated knowledge of capital investment planning, and risk management principles
• Understanding of climate resilience, sustainability, and environmental considerations affecting utility infrastructure
• Familiarity with utility planning software, GIS systems, power system analysis tools, and asset management systems
• Knowledge of risk management and climate resiliency planning principles
• Awareness of the electricity industry changes and the ability to predict trends
• Knowledge of design and foundations of different electrical systems (e.g. URD, CRD/CLD, radial loop and secondary mesh network
• Knowledge of regulatory and business case development
• Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills
• Strong stakeholder engagement and management skills
• Strong change management skills
• Strong problem solving and decision-making skills (under pressure)
• Understanding of effective project management practices and skills
• Understands the financial, regulatory, operational, and customer impacts of planning decisions and balances competing priorities
• Demonstrates ownership of outcomes, builds high-performing teams, and drives departmental performance
• Strong knowledge of Regional Planning activities and how the interface with utility electrical planning
• Results oriented and delivers projects within established timelines and budgets

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