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Construction & Maintenance Substation Supervisor

Salary

$158,288.00 - $222,892.80 Annually

Location

Tacoma, WA

Job Type

Non-Classified

Job Number

P1460-25B

Department

Power

Division

Power - T&D

Opening Date

10/22/2025

Closing Date

11/5/2025 5:00 PM Pacific

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

Position Description

Tacoma Power is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Construction & Maintenance Substation Supervisor to lead our critical construction and maintenance crews responsible for across our substations and switchyards. This role is essential to ensuring the safe, reliable, and compliant operation of our substations, switchyards, and the high-voltage underground network, directly supporting our mission to deliver clean, reliable services essential to the community's quality of life.

This position provides hands-on leadership, technical guidance, and daily direction for approximately 15-30 journey-level professional and technical staff. You'll be the driving force behind daily operations, guaranteeing all work adheres to rigorous safety standards, regulatory requirements—including NERC, FERC, and WECC—and internal procedures. This position requires serving as a back-up subject matter expert for regulatory compliance and being part of the 24/7 on-call rotation for system emergencies and restoration efforts.

Key Responsibilities

Supervision & Leadership

+ Provide daily leadership and direction to crews engaged in the maintenance and construction of substations, switchyards, and the high voltage underground system.

+ Monitor and enforce safe work practices and compliance with policies, procedures, and union contracts through regular crew visits and site inspections.

+ Develop and mentor staff through performance reviews, and apprentice/journey-level development programs.

+ Respond to and investigate outages, safety incidents, and personnel issues, coordinating root cause analysis and corrective actions.

Work Management & Coordination

+ Plan, prioritize, and assign daily and long-range maintenance and construction activities, ensuring crews are properly staffed, equipped, and supplied.

+ Oversee the creation, assignment, and tracking of work orders and notifications in SAP to support accurate asset management.

+ Collaborate with engineers, account executives, contractors, and internal and external partners to plan and execute complex projects.

Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

+ Ensure all maintenance and construction activities meet applicable NERC, FERC, WECC standards, along with federal, state, and local regulations.

+ Maintain and update accurate records in SAP and other systems to ensure accuracy for regulatory reporting and audits.

+ Act as the back-up subject matter expert for regulatory standards, supporting internal/external audits and training staff on evolving requirements, including cyber security and critical infrastructure protection procedures.

Budget & Data Maintenance

+ Develop, maintain, and monitor the biennium budget expenditures for the Substations cost center.

+ Review and approve accounting for labor, training, contracts, and material costs to ensure expenditures remain within budget.

+ Maintain accurate records of equipment, maintenance plans, and work activities in SAP and other systems to support Tacoma Power’s asset management program.

+ Create and assign work orders and notifications, very coding, and audit documentation including as-builts, timecards, safety forms, and incident reports.

Emergency Response

+ As assigned, serve as the On-Call Supervisor (24/7 coverage) to respond to situations that could cause outages, damage to the electrical system, or hazardous conditions; direct and coordinate

+ Participate in the Incident Command System (ICS), serving as Duty Supervisor or Incident Commander until relieved, and acting as a backup to the Branch Manager during major restoration events.

Qualifications

Minimum Education*

+ High School Diploma or equivalent and completion of an electrical apprenticeship, or completion of a 2-year trade/technical school specializing in electrical, machining, fabrication or heavy equipment trades; OR

+ Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, electronics or directly related field

Minimum Experience*

6 years of related industry experience, including:

+ Four (4) years as a journey electrician working on high voltage equipment, journey hydroelectric or power generation mechanic or operator working on power generation equipment. OR

+ Six (6) years as a Hydro Utility Worker. OR

+ Six (6) years as a NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) certified system operator.

AND

+ At least one (1) year of lead/supervisory experience.

*Equivalency: 1 year of experience = 1 year of education

Licensing, Certifications and Other Requirements

+ Incident Command Certification

+ First Aid/CPR Certification

+ State of Washington Driver's License

Some positions may require additional licenses and / or certifications, including:

Qualifying journey-level high-voltage electrical certification

Completion of annual training and passing comprehensive personal risk assessment (background check) prior to employment and every five years thereafter as required by federal regulatory requirements (NERC-CIP) and/or NERC BITO or RC Certification

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

City of Tacoma Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At the City of Tacoma, we're on a mission to make our workforce as diverse and inclusive as the community we serve. We're committed to eliminating racial and other disparities, and we actively seek out candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. Join our team at the City of Tacoma and help us build a more vibrant, inclusive, and equitable community for all.

The City of Tacoma believes that diversity of thought, background, and experience contributes to our success and innovation. If you’re passionate about this role and our mission, we encourage you to apply. If you have a less traditional background, we want to hear about your transferrable skills and experience. We value a variety of perspectives and are excited to see what you bring to the table.

Apply

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process.

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Details:

Hourly Rate: $76.10 - $107.16

Annual Salary: $158,288.00 - $222,892.80

Employee Benefits | City of Tacoma (https://tacoma.gov/government/departments/human-resources/employee-benefits/)

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.

The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.

01

Select your educational background.

+ High school diploma or equivalent and completion of an electrical apprenticeship

+ High school diploma or equivalent and completion of a 2 year trade/technical school specializing in electrical, machining, fabrication or heavy equipment trades

+ Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, electronics or directly-related field

+ None of the above

02

Select which best describes your experience.

+ 6 years of related industry experience, including: four (4) years as a journey electrician working on high voltage equipment, journey hydroelectric or power generation mechanic or operator working on power generation equipment

+ 6 years as a Hydro Utility Worker

+ 6 years as a NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) certified system operator

+ None of the above

03

Do you have 1 year of lead/supervisory experience?

+ Yes

+ No

04

Do you have a Washington State Driver's License or the ability to obtain one at time of appointment?

+ Yes

+ No

05

Please describe your experience with high voltage underground systems, in reference to construction and maintenance of network systems. If you do not have this experience, please include N/A.

06

Please list network underground equipment that you have installed or planned the work for installing. If you do not have this experience, please include N/A.

07

Please share your experience coordinating work for substations and switchyards. If you do not have this experience, please include N/A.

08

One of the City's Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and describe any experience you have working with diverse groups of people.

09

Please tell us how you learned about this job opening.

+ Job Interest Card notification

+ Internet search

+ Professional organization

+ Military organization

+ Union job posting

+ City of Tacoma employee

+ Online job board posting

+ Word of mouth

+ LinkedIn

+ SEED

+ TTEP (Tacoma Training and Education Program)

+ Indeed

+ Facebook

+ Instagram

+ Careers in Government

+ Government Jobs

+ NWPPA

+ Outreach Event

10

Please provide specific information regarding how you learned about this job opening. Thank you, your feedback will be used to evaluate our success reaching the public and refine our methods for future job postings.

Required Question

Employer

City of Tacoma

Address

Human Resources Department 747 Market Street Tacoma, Washington, 98402-3764

Phone

253-591-5400

Website

http://www.tacoma.gov

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