Modernization Project Manager Jobs in Ocala, FL (NOW HIRING)

Description
Energize your Career at SECO Energy!
General Purpose of Job
Oversees SECO's operational technology portfolio and ensures alignment with the technology roadmap. Manages deployment and optimization of OT platforms, including GIS, DERMS, OMS, and AMI. Builds and maintains vendor relationships, negotiates contracts, and ensures that OT systems support modernization, distributed energy integration, and reliable, real-time utility operations.
Minimum Required Qualifications and Competencies
The following includes the minimum job requirements and essential duties for this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Some job requirements may exclude individuals that cannot be reasonably accommodated or who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.
Requirements
Education
• Minimum: Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer Science, or related field
• Preferred: Master's degree in computer science, Information Technology, Project Management, Business Administration or related field.
• Preferred: PMP® or equivalent project management certification.
• Preferred: Utility-specific certifications (e.g., ESRI GIS, Siemens/Oracle OMS, DERMS platforms).
• Preferred: ITIL or cybersecurity-related certification a plus.
• Job-related experience may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis.
Experience
• Minimum: Three + (3) years of experience in operational technology, IT/OT integration, or utility system management.
• Minimum: One + (1) years of supervisory experience leading high-performing technical teams, with a leadership style that builds trust and collaboration
• Minimum: Hands-on experience with GIS, OMS, AMI, and DERMS systems.
• Minimum: Strong vendor management and contract negotiation experience.
• Minimum: Previous experience managing large-scale, multifaceted enterprise-wide Operational Technologies projects in an electric or gas utility environment
• Minimum: Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to listen actively, ask insightful questions, and collaborate with senior team members to influence decisions and drive meaningful outcomes and effective solutions
• Preferred: Seven + (7) years of experience in operational technology, IT/OT integration, or utility system management
• Preferred: Three + (3) years of supervisory experience leading high-performing technical teams, with a leadership style that builds trust and collaboration
Other Requirements
• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment, including a personal computer, printers, copy machines and telephone.
• Ability to work irregular hours for assignment completion and flexibility to change scheduling and report to work on short notice during emergency situations.
• Normal work hours will be eight (8) hours Monday through Friday, between 7:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• Some business travel for training and development.
• Successful completion of pre-employment background check, physical and drug screen.
Personal Protective Equipment - No
Living Requirement - No
Driving Requirements - No
Core Competencies
• Safety: Follows safety procedures diligently, identifies potential hazards, and takes appropriate action to maintain a safe working environment.
• Member Commitment: Provides exceptional service to members, actively listening to their needs and ensuring their satisfaction.
• Honesty & Integrity: Acts with honesty and integrity in all tasks, maintaining transparency and ethical standards.
• Work Ethic: Demonstrates a strong work ethic by consistently meeting deadlines and achieving high performance in all tasks.
• Inclusive Culture: Contributes to an inclusive culture by respecting and valuing diverse perspectives and collaborating effectively with all team members.
• Accountability: Takes responsibility for their actions and decisions, ensuring they meet commitments and deliver high-quality work.
• Teamwork: Works collaboratively with team members, sharing information and supporting collective goals.
Job Specific Competencies:
• Independent and Team Work Execution: Demonstrates the ability to work independently and collaboratively within team environments, consistently completing assignments and meeting project deadlines.
• Judgment and Decision-Making: Applies sound judgment, discretion, and reasoning skills to make independent decisions that align with assigned responsibilities and organizational objectives.
• Planning and Organizational Skills: Exhibits strong planning, prioritization, and organizational competencies to manage competing tasks and project timelines effectively.
• System Documentation and lifecycle Support: Demonstrates the ability to create and manage comprehensive technical documentation by applying knowledge of system development processes, ensuring information is accurate, well-structured, and accessible to support all phases of the system lifecycle.
• Confidentiality and Information Security: Exhibits a high level of integrity and professionalism by consistently applying confidentiality standards and discretion in handling sensitive information in compliance with organizational policies and regulations.
• Multitasking and Stress Management: Demonstrates the ability to adapt to changing priorities and manage competing demands effectively, maintaining composure and productivity in high-pressure or fast-paced environments.
• Data Analysis and Visualization: Applies analytical and technical skills to effectively utilize business intelligence tools for generating accurate reports, visualizations, and dashboards that support data-informed decision-making.
• Communication & Information Interpretation: Demonstrates effective written and verbal communication skills and applies technical information from manuals and business resources to support project goals.
• Customer Service and Interpersonal Competency: Exhibits strong customer service orientation and interpersonal skills, facilitating effective collaboration and clearly conveying technical information to diverse audiences in a user-friendly manner.
• Technical Proficiency and Software Utilization: Demonstrates proficiency in the use of personal computers and relevant software applications, including Microsoft Office products and other productivity tools used in a project coordination environment.
Verification
The above qualifications and competencies for this position may be verified through a combination of education, experience, interview questions and technical skills exercise(s).
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
This description is intended to indicate the kinds of tasks and levels of work difficulty required of the position given this title and shall not be construed as declaring what the specific duties and responsibilities of any position shall be. It is not intended to limit or in any way modify the right of management to assign, direct and control the work of employees under supervision. The listing of essential duties and responsibilities shall not be held to exclude other duties that may be assigned based on the needs of the cooperative.
Operational Technology Leadership & Modernization
• Manage and execute SECO's operational technology roadmap across GIS, DERMS, OMS, and AMI.
• Oversee vendor relationships, contracts, and performance across multiple technology platforms.
• Coordinate system upgrades, integrations, and replacements to align with modernization goals.
• Ensure interoperability of OT platforms to support ADMS and DER integration.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, and IT teams to deliver reliable, secure, and scalable OT solutions.
• Promotes common technical approaches and solutions for OT infrastructure while coordinating with various internal (particularly IT) and external stakeholders.
Technology Roadmap Execution & Project Management
• Lead planning and execution of SECO's multi-year Operational Technology roadmap.
• Oversee charters, schedules, budgets, and risk registers for Operational technology initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-departmental teams to deliver projects on time and within scope.
• Apply PMP/Agile methods to manage large capital projects and smaller pilots.
• Track milestones and report performance to leadership and stakeholders.
Budgeting & Financial Stewardship
• Develop and manage annual budgets for GIS, DERMS, OMS, AMI, and related systems.
• Monitor and control project expenditures to reduce variance from forecasts.
• Conduct ROI and cost-benefit analyses for technology investments.
• Support long-range capital and O&M planning tied to grid modernization goals.
• Deliver regular budget updates and justifications to senior leadership.
Vendor & Contract Management
• Build and maintain relationships with vendors and technology partners.
• Negotiate contracts and oversee licensing and service agreements.
• Monitor vendor performance against SLAs and escalate issues as needed.
• Evaluate vendor proposals and recommend best-fit solutions for SECO.
• Ensure vendor compliance with cybersecurity, interoperability, and regulatory standards.
System Integration, Reliability, Security & Data Management
• Oversee integration of OT platforms (GIS, DERMS, OMS, AMI) with enterprise systems.
• Ensure interoperability to support ADMS and DERMS deployment.
• Establish standards for reliability, system uptime, and data governance.
• Improve accuracy, quality, and accessibility of operational data for analytics.
• Leverage analytics to drive outage reduction, DER optimization, and operational intelligence.
Innovation & Continuous Improvement
• Identify emerging OT technologies with potential value to SECO.
• Pilot and evaluate solutions that enhance grid reliability and renewable integration.
• Promote process improvements that streamline operations.
• Benchmark SECO's OT capabilities against industry peers and best practices.
• Encourage a culture of continuous learning and innovation across teams.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by or those an employee encounters to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Some requirements may exclude individuals that cannot be reasonably accommodated or who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to walk; stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus. This position has general sedentary office environment with some business travel for training and development. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.