Wildfire Meteorologist - Oahu

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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: 04/16/2025 at 11:59PM HST

BRIEF POSTING DESCRIPTION:

The P WO EPP AND WATCH OFFICE OPERATIONS Department of the P SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PLANNING & PREPAREDNESS Division at Hawaiian Electric Company has 1 Management vacancy available. (Role: Professional)

JOB FUNCTION:

Serves as a professional meteorologist in the organization for meteorological issues affecting the organization and its ability to operate and protect its infrastructure. Plays a critical role in providing meteorological expertise, advice, research, and analysis to internal teams and clients, including when the Company’s Incident Management Team is activated for gray and black sky conditions, such as Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) activations. This includes analyzing historical and forecast weather data to understand patterns affecting wildfire behavior and risk and provide accurate risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Oversees the development of tools and models to aid in forecasting accuracy and fidelity. Responsible for daily, weekly, monthly, and annual operational hazard forecasting.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provides meteorological expertise to internal teams and clients, leveraging historical and forecast datasets and integrating real-time weather information to enhance wildfire risk assessments and mitigation strategies. Develops procedures, monitors, analyzes, and produces short, medium, and long-range weather forecasts and reports for situational awareness on any weather-related forecasts/items of concern during day-to-day operations and leading up to and during times of Incident Management Team Activations. Makes sound recommendations to the Incident Management Team during an incident, based on historical and real-time weather information and risk assessment.
• Critically evaluates weather conditions to identify increased fire weather risk and communicate with management about the risk. Serves as the subject matter expert for all meteorological support and forecasts and provide accurate risk assessments to internal clients and stakeholders. This includes supporting and advising the Watch Office during times of inclement weather that may have direct impacts to the reliability of grid and employee safety. Works with other Watch Office personnel to develop reports, presentations, and technical documentation for leadership teams, including alerting of extreme weather to grid operations and other affected organizations across the company.
• Develops and delivers training programs to field employees and key stakeholders across the company to better understand weather products, equipment, asset, and business functions across the territory.
• Develops and refines tools aiming at improving operational support and enhancing wildfire forecast models.
• Routinely interacts with T&D Operations, field operations and Fire Management personnel to gain and maintain knowledge of grid systems and develop relationships with field personnel and external stakeholders.
• Performs analytical tasks for complex projects in the development of strategies and products related to situational awareness tools, fire prevention and monitoring (PSPS), hazard modeling climate adaptation, etc. Ensures timely development of products needed to support the Watch Office and Operations.
• Builds and maintains strategic partnerships with meteorology, scientific and technology communities to align and continuously improve in-house weather forecasting skills, statistical weather forecasting models and information and tools need to support operations.
• Participates in Company emergency response activities as assigned, including any activities required to prepare for such emergency response.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge Requirements

• Broad understanding of how extreme weather events may affect an electric utility.
• Broad knowledge and experience with regulatory policies, methods, and practices necessary to perform complex assignments.
• Demonstrated experience performing statistical analysis and modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to interface effectively and collaborate with peers, clients, management, and other organizations.
• Clear and precise communication skills via various methods and to different audiences. Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, adjust to changing priorities, and pay attention to details.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and accountability for the accuracy of information and for achieving results.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others.
• Ability to plan, prioritize and coordinate.
• Ability to handle emergency response situations and to work in a stressful environment.
• Ability to remain flexible in a demanding work environment and adapt to rapidly changing priorities and strategic direction. Ability to operate as a self-starter and meet deadlines.  Ability to conceptualize new ideas quickly.
• Ability to work independently with little day to day guidance.
• Ability to handle difficult and/or sensitive issues while using tact, courtesy, and discretion.
• Ability to manage and develop/maintain strong positive relationships people at all levels within the company.
• Ability to motivate/influence others in cross-functional teams over which this role has no direct authority.
• Working knowledge of general electrical utility procedures and operations.
• Working knowledge of GIS.
• Working knowledge of personal computers and related software applications such as MS Project, Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.

Skills Requirements

• Broad understanding of power markets and the related regulatory requirements that govern the Company’s participation in them by assisting strategy development to increase the value of company resources and lower customer costs.
• Demonstrated fire weather forecasting experience.
• Demonstrated experience integrating various weather outlooks and briefing users on uncertainties and impacts.
• Demonstrated experience forecasting one to seven-day ahead surface temperature and forecasting weather utilizing a wide variety of observational and model data, both at surface and upper air.
• Demonstrated experience analyzing renewable power production (wind, solar, hydro) and how weather impacts those resources.
• Extensive knowledge of NWS system and demonstrated experience using National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) products.
• Ability and experience with configuring and running various weather models.
• Demonstrated experience using SAS, R, or other tools for statistical analysis and forecasting.
• Demonstrated weather forecasting experience for Hawaii.
• Demonstrated experience forecasting for conditions pertaining to or around wildfires.
• Demonstrated experience with long-term (month ahead or more) weather forecasting.
• Demonstrated experience preparing findings and presenting complex technical information to technical and non-technical audiences.

Experience Requirements

• Must have an undergraduate or graduate degree in meteorology, atmospheric sciences, or a related technical discipline.
• Graduate degree in meteorology, atmospheric sciences or a related technical discipline is preferred.
• Extensive (5+) years of experience in weather forecasting, statistical analysis, and weather modeling.
• A graduate degree may be substituted for 2 years of work experience.

Role: Professional

Number of Vacancies: 1 

Location: Honolulu – Oahu 

Hiring Range: The hiring range for the Wildfire Meteorologist [Req ID 9643] 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 employment opportunity/affirmative action employer. We actively seek diversity among our employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, sex/gender (including gender identity/expression), ancestry/national origin, disability, marital status, arrest and court record, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, or other protected categories in accordance with state and federal laws. We further encourage individuals with disabilities, minorities, veterans and women to apply.

Hawaiian Electric Companies complies with 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.