Power System Analyst

~ The 1980 Northwest Power Act authorized Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington to develop a regional power plan and fish and wildlife program to balance the Northwest's environment and energy needs. The heart of the Council's mission is to preserve the benefits of the Columbia River for future generations. ~

Position Overview 

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (Council) has an opening in its Power Planning Division for a Power System Analyst. This person will become part of the system analysis team in the Power Planning Division. The team is responsible for maintaining, running and developing power system models including a production cost model, AURORAxmp, a portfolio model and a power system adequacy model, GENESYS.

Data and analytical results from these models are used by the Council in the development and implementation of its Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Plan. These models are also used to analyze other related regional power issues. All data and analytical results are generally available for use by other interested parties.

The system analysis team is seeking an individual with a minimum level of skills and qualifications that meet the criteria set out below for Power System Analyst. A more senior individual with the skills and experience listed in the Senior Power Analyst section could also compliment the team.

Note: When applying, please identify which job level most closely matches your experience and expertise. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

Power System Analyst Responsibilities:  

• Assist in data management for models employed by the Council
• Be trained in and become capable of running the various power system models at the Council to support the Power Division's work
• Be trained in and eventually conduct scenario analyses using one or more of the power system models
• Assist in transitioning legacy modeling systems, including Excel workbooks with VBA programs, to a more user-friendly platform
• Work with Power Division staff to translate new concepts related to power planning into the Council's modeling framework
• Present results from modeling to both Council Members and other interested parties in a clear and concise manner
• Assist in communicating information about concepts related to power system and modelling of those systems to a broad public audience in various formats including blog posts on the Council's website 

Qualifications  

Essential Skills - Power System Analyst Minimum Requirements: 

• Demonstrated ability and desire to learn on the job
• Knowledge of programming at an intermediate level in at least one major programming language and at a novice level in at least one additional programming language
• Ability to communicate technical information to policy makers and other interested parties clearly and concisely in written and oral presentations
• Bachelor's degree or higher in mathematics, economics, engineering, computer science, and/or other physical sciences
• At least 2 years of experience in the power utility business or a related field
• Proficiency in all MS Office applications, primarily Excel, Word and PowerPoint, and familiarity with cloud-based tools (similar to BOX, Smartsheet or Sharepoint) 

Senior Power System Analyst (Advanced Skills): 

Additional Duties: 

• Primarily responsible for developing modeling approaches, including developing inputs and summarizing outputs and troubleshooting model functionality, of one or more of the power system models
• Develop scenario analyses including any required pre or post-processing using one or more of the power system models and present on results in a clear and concise manner
• Represent the Council and present results in public meetings and at conferences
• Develop communication strategies and coordinate public communications on power systems, models and results of model runs
• Understand and track current research on power system modeling techniques and efforts 

Additional Skills and Qualifications: 

• Knowledge of programming at an advanced level in multiple programming languages and the ability to quickly learn to read or write in new programming languages as needed
• Several years of experience frequently presenting to the public and to executives
• 5 or more years of experience in the power utility business or a related field
• Project management experience
• Graduate degree preferred 

To Apply 

Interested applicants should Please click below: "Apply Now Online!" to email a letter of interest, resume, brief writing sample and references by December 20, 2016. Or mail to:

Sharon Ossmann
Director of Administration
Northwest Power and Conservation Council
851 SW Sixth Avenue, Suite 1100
Portland, OR 97204 

Note: If using e-mail, please submit all documents in Microsoft Word or pdf format.