Principal Quality Operations Specialist - Location Flexible

Requisition ID # 174463 

Job Category: Compliance / Risk / Quality Assurance 

Job Level: Manager/Principal

Business Unit: Energy Delivery

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland; Auburn; Chico; Fresno; Sacramento

Department Overview

The Electric Compliance Assurance department is part of the Electric Risk & Compliance organization, where together we will embed compliance and risk in all that we do and achieve regulatory outcomes that support the business’ needs. The work of this department is critical in our efforts to find compliance challenges and identify areas of risk so that we can fix them. The main functions of this new department are identifying areas of compliance risk and opportunities to mitigate those risks, including through incident reporting and investigations, overseeing Electric Operations and Power Generation CAP, and validating the controls on the organization.

Position Summary

PG&E is seeking an experienced business professional to join the Electric Corrective Action Program and Cause Evaluation team. This role supports the development and execution of high-quality cause evaluations, corrective action strategies, and program improvements that strengthen compliance, reduce risk, and improve operational performance across Electric Operations and Power Generation.

The position requires strong technical, regulatory, and operational judgment, along with the ability to apply structured causal evaluation methods, analyze complex information, identify systemic issues, and communicate findings clearly to leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. The work supports effective problem solving, enterprise learning, transparency, and continuous improvement while reinforcing PG&E’s commitment that Everyone and Everything is Always Safe.

Location of this position is flexible within PG&E service territory and will require occasional travel to other areas around PG&E’s service territory. This position is hybrid, working from your remote office (within PG&E's service territory) and assigned office based on business needs.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.

• Minimum Base Salary (Bay Area)            $136,000.00
• Mid Base Salary (Bay Area)        $184,000.00
• Maximum Base Salary (Bay Area)           $232,000.00

• Minimum Base Salary (California)         $129,000.00
• Mid Base Salary (California)      $175,000.00
• Maximum Base Salary (California)        $220,000.00

Job Responsibilities

• Lead and support complex Cause Evaluations and Corrective Action Program activities to identify causes, evaluate risk, prevent recurrence, and address operational, compliance, and equipment performance issues.
• Conduct high-complexity investigations and apply formal causal evaluation methodologies, including TapRooT, root cause analysis, apparent cause evaluation, common cause analysis, barrier analysis, 5-Whys, and other structured problem-solving tools.
• Analyze engineering, operational, performance, and failure data to identify trends, systemic issues, risk drivers, and opportunities for corrective action or continuous improvement.
• Partner with engineering, operations, compliance, business leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders to develop effective corrective action plans that include sustainable solutions and prevent recurrence.
• Serve as a company-wide subject matter expert on the Corrective Action Program, root cause analysis, cause evaluation quality, and related governance expectations.
• Provide technical guidance, coaching, mentoring, and quality oversight to employees and stakeholders to support consistent application of cause evaluation and CAP requirements.
• Develop, monitor, and report quality metrics, controls, and performance indicators to measure CAP effectiveness, support risk assessment, and improve organizational performance.
• Prepare and present findings, risk assessments, trends, recommendations, and corrective action strategies to senior leadership and executive management.
• Provide oversight and direction to streamline processes, strengthen report quality, promote cross-functional standardization, and ensure adherence to applicable guidance documents.
• Leverage knowledge of electric utility systems, distribution, transmission, substation equipment, operations, maintenance, and engineering processes to support evaluations and recommendations.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives that strengthen quality, enhance operational excellence, improve reliability, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and delivery of training materials on an ad hoc basis or in partnership with PG&E Academy.

Background Qualifications

 Minimum

• BA/BS Degree or equivalent work experience
• 10 years of progressive experience in utility operations or in other highly regulated industry
• 4 years of experience with causal evaluation methods and investigations in the utility industry
• Travel throughout the service territory 10%-30% of the time 

Desired

• PhD or Master’s Degree or equivalent experience.
• Advanced experience (5-12+ years) in regulatory oversight, audit readiness, and leadership.
• Deep understanding of California and Federal regulatory programs related to Electric Operations.
• Knowledge of operations, maintenance, and engineering program processes and procedures.
• Proven ability to prepare materials for and effectively communicate/present highly complex findings to senior and executive leaders with clarity, gain consensus on path forward.
• Proven experience in process map/controls documentation and evaluation and/or structured process improvement or process reengineering.
• Ability to interview personnel at all levels to validate process and controls.
• Knowledge of work methods and procedures in order to accurately identify risks and areas for improvement.
• Ability to work independently and be effective in team settings.
• Leadership or facilitation training (e.g., crucial conversations and facilitative leadership).
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or equivalent
• Completion of professional auditor training
• Causal Evaluation Certification (e.g., Barrier Analysis, Fault Tree, 5-Whys, HFACS)
• Certification in Causal Evaluation (e.g., Conger/Elsie, Tonex, Cocrane (Firebird), Apollo, ASQ, TapRooT®, ISO9000, Sologic, Cause Mapping, or equivalent)
• Lean Six Sigma Certification
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
• Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP) Professional