Remote Program Manager Jobs in Vancouver, WA (NOW HIRING)

Job Function Summary:

Manages projects or programs related to energy storage, data science, analytics, fire science, wildfire, new or emerging technologies or other specialty areas requiring a technical education or background, such as engineering or construction.Leads the strategy, evaluation, investment, deployment, and operational integration of wildfire situational awareness technologies that support wildfire risk mitigation, emergency response, and electric system resilience. Serves as the primary interface between wildfire operations, emergency management, technology vendors, data and analytics teams, and utility stakeholders to ensure emerging technologies deliver actionable intelligence and measurable operational value. Oversees the lifecycle of wildfire intelligence capabilities, including detection, monitoring, forecasting, remote sensing, AI-enabled analytics, camera networks, weather intelligence systems, satellite technologies, and decision-support platforms from pilot through operational implementation.

Key Job Information:

Senior Technical Program Manager 7096

Grade 8

Career Level: P4

Specialist: Requires specialized depth and/or breadth ofexpertise

Interprets internal or external business issues and recommends best practices.Solves complex problems; takes a broad perspective toidentifyinnovative solutions.Works independently, with guidance in only the most complex situations. May lead functional teams or projects.

Key Responsibilities:

Project Consultation and PlanningResponsible for leading a single major project or multiple moderate projects. Types include, but are not limited to, business systems or process improvement, department reorganizations and strategy implementation, training, feasibilitystudiesand pilots.

Serves as a company expert on related initiatives; develops company best practices; consults with business unit leaders to ensure strategic alignment of program(s), understanding of dependencies and constraints, cost effectiveness and mitigation of negative operational and/or customer impacts of business initiatives and projects; works with project sponsor to develop objectives and scope; assists in or develops business case/justification.

Develops or oversees development of project plan(s), including work breakdown structure, schedule and cost baselines, overall budget management, dependencies and project roles and resource requirements; identifies project risks and mitigation strategies; partners and strategizes with Supply Chain, Legal, IT, Fleet and project sponsor on vendor contract negotiations.

Owns the wildfire situational awareness technology portfolio, including identification, evaluation, prioritization, and execution of strategic technology investments.

Leads technology assessments, proof-of-concept initiatives, pilot programs, and operational demonstrations for emerging wildfire detection, monitoring, forecasting, intelligence, and response capabilities.

Defines operational use cases, success criteria, performance metrics, and transition plans to ensure successful adoption of technology solutions into wildfire operations and emergency management functions.

Developsbusiness cases and investment strategies to support wildfire technology modernization and operational readinessobjectives.

Strategy and Team LeadershipAssists leadership in developing program strategy; leads multiple major projects/initiatives in completing strategic projects.Develops andmaintainsa multi-year wildfire situational awareness technology roadmap aligned with wildfire mitigation, emergency management, regulatory, and operationalobjectives.

Provides leadership in translating emerging technologies into operational capabilities that improve wildfire intelligence, detection speed, risk awareness, and decision quality.

Provides staff leadership to team members;facilitatesteam meetings; cultivates and reinforces group values,normsand behaviors; provides guidance and motivation to team on performance and productivity issues; ensures compliance with established project management methodologies and standards; takes corrective action as needed.

Project ControlsEstablishes and maintains formal controls to manage andmonitorproject budget, scope, quality,scheduleand risks across the portfolio of projects and overall program completion that is on time and within budget.Establishes and monitors technology performance measures, operational valuerealizationmetrics, adoption targets, and benefit tracking associated with wildfire situational awareness investments.Negotiates necessary project changes with project managers and project sponsors. Maintains,adjustsand updates overall project and program plans as needed.

Stakeholder EngagementDevelops communication plans and strategies; coordinates with project managers, business unit managers and change managers to providetimely,accuratecommunication of project and program plans and status to internal and external stakeholders.Partners closely withstakeholdersto ensure technology solutions align with operational needs and strategicobjectives.

Facilitates alignment between technology development teams and field users to ensure successful operationalization and sustainedutilizationof situational awareness capabilities.

Develops and promotes adherence to communication and reporting standards to reduce inefficiencies and potential inaccuracies resulting from developing customized communications,reportsor materials for different audiences on demand.

Process ImprovementLeads and/or facilitates business process improvement activities; assists managers and subject matter experts to identify, understand and improve or revise processes, practices and policies.Leads integration of wildfire intelligence and situational awarenesstechnologies into operational workflows, emergency response processes, and decision-support environments.

Identifiesopportunities to improve wildfire detection, incident awareness, operational coordination, and risk-informed decision-making through technology-enabled process enhancements.Assistsmanagers inestablishingprocess controlsin order tomeasure baseline and post-improvement performance tomonitorsuccess of improvement initiatives. Acts as a change agent, systematically driving continuous improvement.

Project Reporting and DocumentationAssists in developing program-level governance to ensure standards, methodologies and policies are adheredtoand proper documentation ismaintained. Ensures all project documents are catalogued and archived in a secure and efficient manner; documents and files all "lessons learned" along with all project artifacts.

Documents technology evaluations, pilot outcomes, lessons learned, operational readiness assessments, performance results, and post-implementation reviews to support continuous improvement and future investment decisions.

Internal CollaborationDevelops andmaintainskey relationships across the business, including with senior executives; provides subject matterexpertisefor project management and/or process improvement.

Serves as the utility's subject matter expert for wildfire situational awareness technologies, technology implementation strategies, and operational adoption frameworks.

Provides guidance to wildfire and emergency management leadershipregardingindustry trends, emerging capabilities, and investment opportunities.

Collaborates with, mentors and/orassistsin training other PMs or leads to continually improve project standards andmethodology.

External RelationshipsPartners andparticipateswith customers and/or other utilities to strengthen and create opportunities to share best practices.

Representsthe company in industry forums, technology consortiums, research partnerships, utility working groups, and collaborations with government agencies, universities, and technology providers focused on wildfire intelligence and situational awareness advancement.

Develops andmaintainsstrategic relationships with technology vendors and external subject matter experts to evaluate emerging solutions and accelerate deployment of innovative wildfire capabilities.

Wildfire Technology Strategy and Operational IntegrationLeads the evaluation,selection, deployment, and operationalization of wildfire situational awareness technologies across the enterprise.

Coordinates the transition of technologies from concept, pilot, and testing phases into sustainable operational programs.

Ensurestechnology investments deliver actionable intelligence supporting wildfire preparedness, response, mitigation, and post-incident analysis.

Drives continuous improvement of wildfire intelligence capabilities through performance monitoring, stakeholder feedback, technology assessment, and operational lessons learned.

Measures and communicates business and operational value associated with wildfire technology investments and situational awareness programs.

Education/Experience/Certifications:

EducationRequires a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, business, communications or fire science from an ABET-accredited engineering program or program accredited by an equivalent agency in a related field or other related field or equivalent experience. Master's degree preferred.

ExperienceTypicallyeight or more years in related field.

Certifications, Licenses and TrainingSpecialized licenses, certification and training may be preferred. PE and/or PMP certification preferred.

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities:

Functional Competencies

Advanced knowledge of project management science,methodologiesand standards.

Advanced knowledge of and ability to integrate project management knowledge areas, including project scope, quality, time, cost, communication, procurement, humanresourcesand risk management.

Advanced knowledge of and skill in using software applications such as MS Project, PowerPoint, Word, Excel spreadsheets and graphing, Access, Visio,Maximoand Power Plant.

Advanced knowledge of Project Profile system and PGE email system.

Advanced knowledge of business process reengineering and continuous improvement methods and concepts.

Advanced knowledge of systems thinking concepts and principles.

Advanced knowledge of group problem-solving methods and techniques, including problem analysis, nominal group and brainstorming techniques and consensus building.

Advanced listening skills, including the ability to draw information out and to see things from another's perspective.

Advanced skills inwritingtechnical and business requirements.

Advanced communication skills, both written and oral, including negotiation,persuasionand presentation skills.

General Competencies

Advanced consulting skills

Advanced decision-making skills

Intermediate enterprise/business awareness skills

Advanced negotiation skills

Advanced organization and prioritization skills

Advanced presentation/facilitation skills

Advanced team-building skills

Advanced written and oral communication skills

Physical and Cognitive Demands:

Cognitive Level

Substantial: Consistent use of logic or scientific thinking to define problems, collect information,establishfactsand draw valid conclusions (for example, engineer, HR director, plant manager, etc.).

Cognitive

Ability to adhere to set response times,deadlinesand time-sensitive tasks

Ability to followaccuracystandards

Ability to follow through on decision-making tasks

Ability to interact effectively and collaboratively within a team environment

Ability to communicate andproblem solvewhen under stress

Ability to respond and adapt to frequent change

Ability to accept anddemonstrateself-awareness when provided constructive feedback

Ability to discern feedback and acknowledge ownership of areas of improvement

Ability to avoid future mistakes by applying reasonable skills to new but similar work situations or tasks

Ability to successfully collaborate with peers, managers and others within the organization Demonstrates sound memory

Ability to processnew informationto be applied consistently to work tasks

Schedule/Attendance:

Ability to adhere to pre-established schedule, including start/stop time and break/lunch schedule

Ability to work long hours

Ability to work a variable schedule

Ability to report to work and perform work during periods of severe inclement weather

Ability to consistently meet attendance standards for regular, reliable, predictable, full-time attendance

Ability to work shift schedule

Ability to work on-call...