Head of High Voltage Operations – Maintenance

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California, +3 more states.

📋 Description

• Lead and cultivate a fleet-wide team of high-voltage technicians and specialists, ensuring robust technical proficiency, a strong safety culture, and adherence to Qualified Electrical Worker (QEW) standards.

• Oversee the execution of intricate HV maintenance tasks, including breaker timing, internal transformer inspections, SF6 gas management, and advanced diagnostic procedures.

• Coordinate workforce mobilization for scheduled outages, emergency recoveries, and significant repair operations across various operational sites.

• Establish and promote a zero-defect execution culture that emphasizes precision, safety, and optimal asset availability.

• Collaborate with the Reliability team to enhance HV maintenance strategies, resource allocation, and implementation standards.

• Act as the operational authority during engineering and design assessments to ensure that substations, relay systems, and interconnection facilities are tailored for long-term maintainability.

• Maintain and manage “Golden Records” for relay configurations, coordination studies, and documentation of protection systems.

• Lead technical inquiries and response initiatives related to relay operations, trips, and fault incidents, including the validation of changes to protection settings.

• Formulate and uphold the HV Emergency Response strategy for catastrophic failures and grid-related events.

• Supervise critical HV spare parts readiness, including transformers, bushings, breakers, and other long-lead infrastructure components.

• Manage and assess specialized third-party HV contractors to ensure compliance with Intersect’s technical and operational standards.

• Assist in rapid restoration and recovery efforts to minimize operational downtime and enhance fleet reliability.

• Review and validate arc flash studies in accordance with IEEE 1584 and NFPA 70E standards.

• Convert engineering analyses into actionable operational procedures, PPE requirements, and safe work boundaries for field execution.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to optimize relay settings and minimize incident energy exposure while ensuring system reliability.

• Oversee the fleet-wide arc flash labeling initiative to ensure labels remain accurate and compliant following system modifications.

• Serve as the technical authority for electrical safety training and mentoring for employees and contractors.

• Partner with NERC Compliance teams to maintain technical readiness for standards including PRC-005 and FAC-008.

• Provide precise maintenance records, testing documentation, and technical validation to support regulatory compliance efforts.

• Ensure maintenance methodologies, testing procedures, and documentation consistently align with operational and regulatory expectations.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering is required, preferably with a focus on Power Systems.

• A Professional Engineer (P.E.) license is highly preferred.

• Over 15 years of experience in high-voltage engineering and operations across systems ranging from 34.5kV to 500kV.

• Demonstrated experience in leading and scaling specialized field-based HV maintenance teams.

• In-depth knowledge of SEL (Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories) relay protection logic, coordination studies, and troubleshooting of protection systems.

• Extensive understanding of substation equipment maintenance, including transformers, breakers, GIS systems, and related infrastructure.

• Expertise in transformer oil chemistry analysis (DGA), power factor testing, SF6 management, and advanced HV diagnostic techniques.

• Strong familiarity with IEEE 1584, NFPA 70E, and best practices in electrical safety.

• Experience in supporting NERC-related technical maintenance and compliance readiness activities.

• Ability to influence cross-functional leaders across Engineering, Construction, Reliability, and Operations teams.

• Strategic leadership skills combined with strong instincts for field execution and operational decision-making.

• A collaborative and safety-oriented leadership style that fosters mentorship, accountability, and continuous improvement.

• Excellent communication skills with the capacity to convey complex technical concepts into actionable operational guidance.

🏝️ Benefits

• Equity: In addition to your salary, you will receive an Equity Grant, providing you with a significant stake in our parent company.

• Health & wellness: Full premium coverage for you and your dependents on medical, dental, and vision plans.

• Time to recharge: Unlimited PTO, along with two company-wide breaks (Fourth of July & end of year).

• Family support: Up to 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave, plus an additional 6 weeks for birth parents; access to family planning and care support through Carrot and Maven.

• Mental health: Complimentary access to Spring Health, including 5 free therapy and psychiatry sessions, plus a Headspace account for mindfulness and meditation through our health vendor, Wellhub+.

• Perks & extras: $150 monthly food stipend, $150 monthly reimbursement for cell phone and internet, pet insurance allowance, complete home office setup, free access to UrbanSitter with $625 in quarterly company-paid credits, ActiveHero, and One Medical.