Reliability & Resilience Engagement Program Manager - Oahu

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: This position will remain open until filled. Early applications are highly encouraged. 

BRIEF POSTING DESCRIPTION:

The P QP COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Department of the P COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Division at Hawaiian Electric Company has 1 Management vacancy available.  (Role: Professional)

JOB FUNCTION:

Develops, implements and coordinates community engagement programs, strategies, and metrics to advance critical reliability and resilience initiatives, specifically wildfire mitigation and power generation, with communities, customers, and the general public across Hawaiian Electric’s service territories. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Develops and implements strategic community outreach and engagement plans across service territories (O‘ahu, Maui County, and Hawai‘i Island) aimed at advancing the achievement of Company resilience and reliability goals and facilitating the acceptance of Company initiatives and programs as part of the Wildfire Safety Strategy, including Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) equipment upgrades, vegetation management, and strategic undergrounding. Plans should incorporate insight gained through building key relationships with residential customers, community leaders, neighborhood boards, and other civic, community, and charitable organizations.  Provide community relations leadership and consultation to Company personnel and oversees preparation for meetings, presentations, and materials necessary for public outreach.  Evening and/or weekend work will be necessary to ensure successful working relationships within the community.
• Functions as the Company’s community outreach and engagement lead across service territories for power generation capital projects designed, constructed, and operated by the Company, as part of the Company’s Development Team.  Provides community relations direction, consultation, and strategy development for these projects to project personnel and assists in preparation of presentations for project managers across service territories.  Conducts outreach and presentations before public groups and agencies in sometimes potentially hostile environments to explain the Company’s position and address sensitive community concerns.  Responds to escalated concerns from customers or community members impacted by projects.
• Leads and coordinates project teams, including engineers, contractors, and suppliers. Engages regularly with communities, internal teams, and external stakeholders to manage project communications and ensure alignment. Ensures compliance with safety standards, regulatory requirements, and Company policies. Maintains project daily records and prepares incident and other project reports to maximize overall performance of the work group.  Schedules and attends project meetings. Manages project costs, ensuring projects stay within budget and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
• Apprise, inform, and educate Company management and employees about customer and community concerns that may impact operations to assure that the Company is fully aware of the environment in which it is operating and doing business.  Solicit, monitor, and assess customer and community issues, community newsletters and other communications to track community sentiment and feeling.  Also provides community relations support and training to employees and contractors to ensure awareness and sensitivity to customer and community member needs.
• Participates in Company emergency response activities as assigned (on standby 24 hours a day, 7 days a week), with a focus on PSPS Incident Management, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.
• Collaborates with Government Relations on critical issues being discussed with public and elected officials, including state and local agencies.  Conducts research as needed to assist with responding to inquiries from federal, state, and county elected officials and government agencies.  Works closely with Corporate Communications and Government Relations on external communications.
• Participates in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge Requirements

• Expert knowledge of Company operations.
• Working knowledge of utility industry operations (specifically transmission and distribution, power supply, and system operation project management).
• Working familiarity with varying communities the Company serves, and the issues facing it and the industry.
• Working knowledge of key community organizations and business in general.
• Working knowledge of federal, state, economic, business, and political climates.
• Demonstrated knowledge of communications and information dissemination techniques.
• Working understanding of the ways people communicate, listen, learn, and react.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and related software applications such as spreadsheets, word-processing, etc.
• Working knowledge of budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Sound understanding of individual, group, and organizational behavior.

Skills Requirements

People Skills

• Leadership skills and ability to work with a variety of individuals dealing with sensitive, difficult or confrontational issues and hostile environments.  Ability to handle such issues with professionalism while using tact, courtesy, and discretion. Must genuinely like people.
• Strong interpersonal skills to influence and persuade various groups or individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain strong positive relationships with community and government personnel.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, remain flexible in a demanding work environment, handle multiple tasks concurrently, and adapt to rapidly changing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with people at all levels and from diverse departments in the company.  Ability to work collaboratively as a member of a team.
• After a decision is made, must have demonstrated ability to effectively represent company position in the community regardless of personal position.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully go into a community “cold” and gain long-term respect and credibility.
• Ability to handle difficult or sensitive challenges while using tact, courtesy, and discretion.

Business Skills

• Excellent understanding of the value of community relations to the success of an organization.
• Excellent written and verbal communications, presentation and facilitation skills, including the ability to think on one’s feet and respond to media and customer inquiries in clear, credible and concise terms.
• Analytical and conceptual skills to assess issues, to recommend proper actions and to coordinate/follow through on implementation of details.
• Ability to take financial, statistical, and other highly technical information and accurately simplify for broad consumption.
• Able to maintain a flexible schedule including evening and weekend work in the community across service territories to ensure success.
• Established reputation for personal credibility and possessing high ethical values and conduct.
• Working knowledge of SafeStart principles and best practices to achieve a safe workplace environment.

Experience Requirements

• Extensive years (7 or more years) experience in active community outreach and engagement, public affairs or problem-resolution experience.
• Several years (5 or more years) of Company service is desirable, specifically experience in projects involving overhead, underground, and/or substation electrical facilities.
• Experience in providing testimony and fielding questions at public hearings and community meetings.
• Has a positive background and work history reflecting success in the communities likely to be focused on within the scope of the job (desirable).
• Few (1-2) years of related work experience in a team lead capacity or equivalent preferred.

Role: Professional 

Number of Vacancies: 1 

Location: Honolulu – Oahu

Hiring Range: The hiring range for the Reliability & Resilience Engagement Program Manager [Req ID 10125] position is $97,900.00 to $125,000.00. 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.