Senior Vegetation Management Inspector

Requisition ID # 162128 

Job Category: Maintenance / Construction / Operations 

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit: Operations - Other

Work Type: Onsite

Job Location: Chico

Department Overview

Vegetation Management and System Inspections is committed to improving the electric system for the safety of customers and communities by inspecting electric equipment and managing vegetation located near powerlines that could cause a wildfire or power outage. Vegetation Management inspects approximately 100,000 miles of overhead powerlines and prune or manage more than 1 million trees annually. System Inspections examines distribution, transmission and substation equipment to find and identify potential risks to the safety and reliability of the system. The team's commitment is to make sure PG&E's electric equipment is working properly and delivering reliable electricity for our hometowns. Vegetation Management and System Inspections is comprised of approximately 10,000 coworkers and contractors.

Position Summary

This is an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1245 represented classification, which has over 100 years of experience representing employees at PG&E.  This job is subject to collective bargaining. 

Performs direct oversight of vegetation management work conducted on Electric Distribution or Transmission systems. Responsibilities include overseeing VMI personal, work quality, customer relations, public safety, permit compliance, and contractor performance. Job duties are outlined below. 

The Senior vegetation management inspector-GC is a General Construction position and individuals must be able to travel and transfer to a new headquarters upon request at any time; throughout the entire PG&E service territory with no guarantees as to how long you will be away from home. 

To better represent the communities we serve, applicants who live within 50 miles of the headquarter locations will be given preference.

PG&E is providing the hourly rate that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This position is subject to collectively bargained hourly wage rates and increases. The starting wage rate for this position is $46.21 per hour.  This wage rate is specific to the locality of the job. The wage rate is based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, collective bargaining agreements, and internal equity.  

Job Responsibilities

•Supports oversight of vegetation projects, including field operations such as tree assessment, tree trimming, and other work as required.

•In field inspections expected to be up to 95% of the time.

•Supports the compliance with vegetation management program scope, contract adherence, and PG&E standards and specifications over the entire PG&E service territory.

•Participates in safety and tailboard meetings to ensure Company and regulatory standards and work procedures are being followed.  All PG&E employees have ability to stop work when necessary. 

•Acts as a customer relations representative on behalf of PG&E.

•On site supports the coordination between Contractors, Communities, Agencies, First Responders, and all other PG&E workgroups & stakeholders that may be involved in the successful completion of the vegetation project.

•Liaison to the Contractors to resolve obstacles to the completion of the work in a safe, cost effective, efficient, timely, and productive manner, such as managing time and expenses (T&E) in the field, in order to minimize rework and drive quality.

•Maintains personnel stay focused on the assigned job and the appropriate equipment is used. May approve scheduling and scope changes in the field with PG&E management and Contractors as required.

•Encourages public, contractor, and employee safety on site at all times by promoting positive leadership, positive safety culture, good catches, exhibiting an absolute commitment to safety for self and others, and by ensuring all applicable safety rules, regulations and standards are followed. Performs and documents Safety Observations and Good Catches.

• Notifying property owners/agencies when tree work will occur and obtaining any necessary authorizations from the property owners/agencies to perform the tree work.

• May do work verification inspections of locations for tree work completion

• Tree-Related Outages: May perform investigation and documentation of tree-related outages and attending outage meetings as requested.

• Tag Work: When assigned perform tracking, field checking, prescribing of work, and notifying of customers associated with non-routine locations. These locations may come from Electric Corrective (EC/LC) notifications, Gas OCW notifications, Customer Care & Billing (CC&B) Cases, or as assigned. Close out CC&B cases in the field after fielding the case.

• Emergency Response: May support emergency response such as directed by OEC, or level one operations. Such as dispatching tree crews, field checking sites, first responder stand-by agreements.

•Ensures compliance with all applicable regulations which may include, but are not limited to: Annual permits, Encroachment permits, Traffic Control Plans, railroad permits, Caltrans permits, and environmental protection measures as documented on Environmental Release to Construction.

•Proficient in electronic devices and documentation proficiency. As assigned, completes electronic and paper-based documentation and reporting.

•Required to maintain a Class C driver’s license.

•Required to participate in the Employer Pull Notice Program (EPN) with DMV.

•May audit work performed by VM Inspectors to ensure compliance with applicable standards.

•May assist with the training and onboarding of VM Inspectors.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• High School diploma or GED
• Required to maintain a Class C driver’s license

• Must meet one of the experience requirements below:

• Five (5) years of experience as a tree crew climber/tree crew foreman with at least two (2) years of line clearance certification OR
• Five (5) years of experience as a Vegetation Management Inspector and Certified Arborist OR
• Five (5) years of experience as a Registered Professional Forester OR
• Five (5) years of experience as a Utility Inspector or higher classification with at least one (1) year of vegetation management experience OR
• Four (4) years of Military Service with honorable discharge and at least one (1)year additional year of vegetation management inspection experience

Desired:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• To better represent the communities we serve, applicants who live within 50 miles of the headquarter locations will be given preference
• Line Clearance certification
• Register Professional Forester certification
• OSHA 30-hour construction safety certification
• Certified Tree Safety Professional certification
• ISA-International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist Utility Specialist certification
• PMI-Project Management Institute PMP-Project Management Professional certification
• Knowledge of forestry and/or utility vegetation management concepts, methods and techniques.
• Adaptability to work within a heavily regulated environment.
• Influence and negotiation skills, tact and diplomacy and political acumen to navigate sensitive customer/public issues.
• Good independent organizational, time management, prioritization and planning skills.

Pre-Employment Testing

PG&E Employees: You must have qualified on all prerequisite tests prior to submitting an application, and all secondary tests prior to interviewing. For more information on prerequisite and secondary exams, including study guides, please visit the Pre-employment testing program website.

• Post-Offer Physical Assessment (POPA).

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