Description

Position Description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation's largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

This Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) Supervisor role oversees Seattle City Light's (SCL) Power Line Clearance (PLC) and Transmission Rights-of-Way (TROW) Vegetation Management programs, providing daily supervision, direction, and support to specialized crews to ensure system reliability, regulatory compliance, and operational safety. Reporting to the Vegetation Management & Wildfire Mitigation Manager and based at the South Service Center, the role supervises 3 direct and 12 indirect reports while overseeing vegetation work on distribution lines and high-voltage transmission lines from Seattle through Skagit County to the Cedar Falls and Tolt generation sites. You will be responsible for providing input and secondary oversight of a $6.5 million annual O&M budget. Staff are geographically spread over three reporting locations.

Job Responsibilities

• Supervise daily Power Line Clearance (PLC) and Transmission Rights-of-Way (TROW) vegetation management work through subordinate crew chiefs and coordinators, including trimming and removal of trees and vegetation near transmission and distribution lines, substations, switching networks, underground systems, and civil construction sites.
• The supervisor is responsible for daily planning, workload management, and field visibility - assigning and adjusting crew rosters, monitoring productivity, managing overtime with discretion, and ensuring accurate time and work documentation.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor work progress, verify safety practices, assess crew performance, and provide visible leadership and support.
• Participate in City Light's Incident Management Team during storm or catastrophic events, maintaining situational awareness of crew and work status throughout emergency operations.
• Uphold and model Seattle City Light's Workplace Expectations by leading with integrity, fairness, accountability, and respect; foster a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as the Subject Matter Expert for NERC FAC-003 compliance, maintaining required documentation and recommending program improvements to meet federal and state vegetation management standards.
• Forecast and manage resource needs, approve purchasing, and submit budget recommendations to ensure cost-effective operations. Manage overtime and callout activity with discretion (approving only urgent, essential work) and ensure accurate documentation and justification.
• Oversee documentation and reporting, including timecards, overtime requests, leave, reimbursements, purchasing, and training records; certify the accuracy of all time reporting.
• Hold regular 1:1 meetings, quarterly check-ins, and annual performance reviews with direct reports; address personnel matters promptly and constructively.
• Support workforce development by coordinating training, certifications, and performance improvement efforts; identify and resolve barriers to crew efficiency.
• Comply with company-wide Safety program and strive to maintain an accident-free environment. Participate in several committees involving employee safety, construction standards etc. that affect overall departmental operations.
• Manage day to day clearance requirements in our work studio lidar and work assignment platform.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications: In addition to the skills and experience mentioned below, a successful applicant will have experience that reflects a commitment to creating fair and equitable outcomes and has:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: Completion of an electrical apprenticeship or college-level coursework in engineering, business, forestry, science, natural resource management or public administration equivalent to a two year certificate; or additional qualifying experience.
• Three years' experience in design, construction, maintenance and/or operation of electrical distribution systems, or associated facilities and/or assets including landscapes.
• Two years of supervisory experience.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to communicate positively and effectively, both in writing and verbally.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

• Work is performed outdoors in all types of weather, and in an office environment.
• Work is performed at multiple reporting locations, and at remote generation sites.
• Requires working evenings, weekends, holidays and long hours during emergency and outage situations.

License, Certification and Other Requirements

• Current Washington State Driver's License

Desired Qualifications - You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:

• Experience resolving complex personnel and labor relations issues.
• Experience with preparation and management of a multimillion dollar budget
• Experience with management and analysis of workload forecasting and planning.
• Experience supervising or managing a diverse workforce in a utility setting.
• Experience identifying and implementing new processes and/or procedures to increase efficiencies and business practices.
• Any of the following certifications: International Society of Arboriculture Arborist Certification, Utility Specialist Certification and Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. Incident Command System (ICS 100/200/300), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, PMI certifications, or Prosci Change Management certifications.
• Experience and proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Teams, Sharepoint, Excel, OneDrive, etc.).

Additional Information

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice .

The full salary range for this position is $ 82.22 to $ 88.87 per hour .

Application Process

Please submit the following with your online application:

• A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement
• A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.

Who May Apply : This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle's Fair Chance Employment Ordinance , SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3 . A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020 . Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans .

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers .