Principal Operations Specialist

The Principal Operations Specialist is a senior-level role responsible for supporting the SVP of Operations and SPP management team in addressing both ongoing and strategic operational policy issues. This position requires extensive knowledge of SPP’s history, governing documents, stakeholder landscape, and national operational policy trends and how they apply within the SPP organization and culture.

This role serves as a key operational policy resource across SPP, providing guidance to internal teams, stakeholders, and external industry partners. The Principal Operations Specialist also acts as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on operational policy issues, ensuring alignment, coordination, and compliance across departments.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical advisor across all Operations Support functions
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and complex projects from start to finish
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to staff
• Identify risks, gaps, and improvement opportunities and drive solutions
• Support critical operational work across teams as needed
• Represent SPP in industry groups and external engagements
• Develop strategic analyses, technical guidance, and documentation
• Support major initiatives and new program integration across the organization

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Accounting, Economics or another relevant field of study.
• Fifteen (15) years’ experience in electric system operations, real-time operations support, operations training or other area of responsibility related to reliability operations and market operations
• Extensive knowledge of electric utility operational policies and practices, electric utility market operations, and markets including market monitoring, generally accepted ratemaking, cost allocation and pricing principles, resource planning, policies and procedures of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state regulatory commissions
• Operational knowledge and experience in the Western Interconnection
• Knowledge of computer business applications and database management systems
• Regular attendance
• Flexibility and the ability to function with constantly changing and multiple priorities
• Excellent organizational skills
• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures

Preferred

• Previous supervisory experience