Manager, Watch Office

We recognize our competitive advantage -- our people. We believe in our people, who share our vision of meeting the needs of our employees, customers, and communities and who carry out the continued success of the company.

Our employees are committed to the company's foundational values: integrity, excellence, teamwork, environmental stewardship, and community commitment. In turn, we invest in our employees, providing opportunities for challenge and advancement and offering a competitive compensation package.

Posting End Date: 08/11/2025 at 11:59PM HST

BRIEF POSTING DESCRIPTION:

The P DZ EP&R ADMIN Department of the EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & RESPONSE Division at Hawaiian Electric Company has 1 Management vacancy available.  (Role: MANAGER SUPERVISOR)

JOB FUNCTION:

Establishes the policies and procedures for the Watch Office and its coordination between System Operation and the Ignition Management Office. Oversees the management of the Watch Office operations responsible for monitoring, assessing, and reporting incidents, accidents, and significant events across the Company. Evaluates the scope and impact of incidents, keeps leadership teams informed, and recommends escalation, when necessary.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Watch Office Management
  • Plans, organizes, and directs the activities of the Watch Office staff, ensuring responsibilities comply with legal and regulatory requirements to meet organizational needs and objectives. Develops goals and objectives for the Watch Office that integrate the organization’s objectives.
  • Collaborates with other emergency managers to resolve technology needs and work with the technology community to discover next generation solutions. Organizes budget, inputs, and tracks expenses, and leads development of Watch Office budget inputs.
  • Develops strategies to identify critical information requirements for key stakeholders and develop business plans to ensure strategies are regularly updated to meet company needs.
• Hazard Risk Management
  • Ensures the identification and implementation of new technologies to support watch operations and situational awareness tools for crisis response.
  • Utilizes knowledge to develop tools aimed at improving operational support. Routinely interacts with T&D Operations, field operations, grid operators, and fire management personnel to gain and maintain knowledge of grid systems and develop relationships with field personnel, System Operation, and external stakeholders.
• Documentation and Reporting
  • Evaluates the scope and impact of incidents, keeps leadership teams informed, and recommends escalation, when necessary.
  • Develops and maintains standardized reporting structures and formats, ensuring appropriate analysis of information, and distribution to the appropriate audiences which spans from staff level to the most senior company executives.
  • Simplifies and streamlines reporting procedures to ensure timely and accurate communication with leadership and regulators. Provides 24/7 situational awareness and hazard monitoring.
• Department Management
  • Supervises, assigns, review and participates in the work of the Hazard Safety/Intelligence Analysts, responsible for the effective supervision administration to include staff development, performance management, employee relations and goal development to align with Company objectives, policies and procedures, prioritizing, and assigned work-related activities. Responsible for creating and managing team’s schedule to ensure the appropriate staffing for each shift. Able to work on a shift schedule to provide 24/7 coverage.
  • Trains, and develops staff by providing timely feedback, coaching, and support. Advises staff on difficult issues and makes decisions in exceptional situations to manage and implement appropriate services and assistance.
  • Contributes to the development of budgets, business plans, and projects.
• Promotes the Company’s safety culture to ensure a safe work environment.
• Participates in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge Requirements

• BA/BS in business, fire science, engineering, or other related field desired.
• Working knowledge relating to Hazard Monitoring and Detection including wildfire behavior, fuel types, fire weather forecasting, meteorological tools and forecasting, seismic, volcanic and hydrological hazard indicators, use of satellite imagery, remote sensing and GIS tools.
• Working knowledge relating to Emergency Management and Preparedness, including the National Incident Management System (“NIMS”) Incident Command System (“ICS”).
• Knowledge of technical information relating to Operations in areas such as Grid Operations, Transmission and Distribution, T&D, Information Technology, OT, Telecom, Generation, Power Procurement, or other technical areas.
• Basic knowledge of Geospatial Information System (“GIS”).
• Knowledge of personal computers and related software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Power BI, etc.
• Thorough knowledge of budgeting and forecasting systems and procedures.

Skills Requirements

• Ability to provide thoughtful, progressive, and strategic guidance.
• Ability to identify, influence, and collaborate with key stakeholders to achieve desired division and organization goals and objectives.
• Proficient in MS Office applications.
• Ability to remain flexible in a demanding work environment and adapt to rapidly changing priorities, handle emergency response situations and work in a stressful environment.
• Ability to effectively communicate with peers, subordinates, and management using verbal and written communication.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and conceptual skills to manage simultaneously a variety of projects, programs and assignments.
• Ability to establish long-range outcomes and specify strategies and actions necessary to achieve objectives; ability to analyze risks, benefits and opportunities of strategies.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills to handle confrontational, difficult and/or sensitive issues. Ability to handle difficult and/or sensitive issues while using tact, courtesy and discretion.
• Excellent written, oral and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated supervisory/leadership skills including effective written, oral and listening communication skills; conflict resolution skills; the ability to work and communicate with all levels of the organization, including bargaining unit, management, and regulatory; and the willingness and ability to train.

Experience Requirements

• Several (3-5) years of experience operating a real time information analysis center, operations center, or dispatch center; experience working in real-time operational or incident management functions at an electric utility is preferred.
• Several (3-5) years demonstrated supervisory experience including budgeting, workforce utilization planning, and statistical analysis.
• A few (1-2) years experience leading teams through stressful circumstances including during emergencies/crisis for extended durations (days to weeks).
• A few (1-2) years Incident Command experience desired.

Certifications

• Possess, or obtain within six (6) months of employment:

• • ICS 100 – Introduction to the Incident Command System
  • ICS 200 – Incident Command System for Initial Response
  • S-190 - Introduction to Wildland Fire Behavior
  • ICS 300 – Intermediate Incident Command System
  • IS 230 - Fundamentals of Emergency Management
  • S-290 - Intermediate Wildland Fire Behavior

Role: MANAGER SUPERVISOR 

Number of Vacancies: 1 

Location: Honolulu – Oahu

Hiring Range: The hiring range for the Manager, Watch Office [Req ID 9866] position is $107,700.00 to $139,800.00. The person selected will be placed according to his/her skills and qualifications. 

About Hawaiian Electric Companies
Hawaiian Electric Companies provide electricity and services to 95 percent of the state's 1.4 million residents. The company is also one of the state's leading employers and a major contributor and supporter of community and educational programs.

The demand for power that has fueled the growth of the Hawaiian Islands has been met by Hawaiian Electric Companies for well over a century. And as the next millennium unfolds, the company is committed to providing quality service and seeking clean local energy sources to power generations of Hawaii families and businesses to come. Visit us at http://hawaiianelectric.com.

Interested individuals should apply online. The application must clearly indicate the demonstrated experience/knowledge/skills/abilities the candidate possesses which specifically qualifies him/her for the position.

Applicant Certification
By submitting an application for the position, candidates:
1. Authorize the Hawaiian Electric Companies to confirm all statements contained in the application and/or any materials submitted and made a part of the application as they relate to the position and to the extent permitted by law;
2. Authorize and consent to, without reservation, the Hawaiian Electric Companies sharing any and all information regarding previous or present employment, educational training or personal information from their records and from any other source with the hiring department or subsidiary company;
3. Release, discharge, and hold harmless, Hawaiian Electric Companies, from any and all liability for any damage which may be claimed as a result of furnishing such information to the hiring department or subsidiary company;
4. Authorizes release and transfer of all personnel records to be maintained by the hiring company in the event of an inter-company transfer; and
5. Authorize, direct, and consent to Hawaiian Electric Companies and/or its authorized agents to conduct investigations into candidates' background. These investigations may include, but are not limited to searches for information about applicants; record of criminal convictions to the extent permitted by law, education records, professional certifications, personal character references, and employment history.

EEO Statement
Hawaiian Electric Companies is an equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veteran status. 

Hawaiian Electric Companies complies with all applicable laws, including Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Any request for reasonable accommodation needed during the application process should be communicated by the candidate to the HR Service Center at (808) 543-4848.

Affiliate Disclaimer
Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light (“Company”) are Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) regulated companies. The disclosure relating to Affiliate Transaction Requirements that follows is made pursuant to the PUC’s Decision and Order No. 35962, issued on December 19, 2018, and subsequently modified by Order No. 36112, issued on January 24, 2019 in Docket No. 2018-0065.

By submitting your application, you understand and acknowledge that, if you are hired by the Company and subsequently transferred, assigned or otherwise employed by an Affiliate, said Affiliate will be required to make a one-time payment to the Company in an amount up to twenty-five percent (25%) of your base annual compensation.  

In addition, if you are hired by the Company and subsequently transferred, assigned or otherwise employed by an Affiliate or an Affiliate-Related Entity, for a period of one year, you cannot appear in negotiations or otherwise interact directly with the Company or work on the same matter that you worked on while with the Company. 

Affiliate is defined as “any person or entity that possesses an ‘affiliate interest’ in a utility as defined by section 269-19.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes (“HRS”), including a utility’s parent holding company, except as otherwise provided by HRS section 269-19.5(h).”

Affiliate-Related Entity is defined as “a third party that provides electricity-related services in a regulated utility’s service territory that has a material financial, operational, or ownership interest with an unregulated affiliate of the utility and of whom the utility has reasonable knowledge.” 

For a current list of all Affiliates and Affiliate-Related Entities, please see:
https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/about-us/key-performance-metrics/financial/affiliate-transactions

This list may be amended, updated or revised from time to time without notice.