System Administrator, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

Oakville Hydro delivers reliable and safe electricity to more than 74,000 individuals, families and businesses in Oakville.  The company maintains an active commitment to conservation, safety, and is strongly invested in the social and economic well-being of the Oakville community.  Oakville Hydro is a two-time past recipient of the Local Distribution Company Performance Excellence Award from the Electricity Distributors Association and a Canada’s Safest Employers Silver Award recipient, recognizing the organization as an exceptional leader in the industry.

At Oakville Hydro, we believe that our continued success as an industry leader is due to our innovative, customer focused, team-oriented employees who continually strive to exceed customer expectations and take pride in all areas of our businesses.

Successful Oakville Hydro employees:

• Customer-centric – they understand and embrace the role of delivering exemplary service
• Lead – they lead by example through their actions and attitudes
• Innovate – they look for opportunities to improve, do things differently, and add value for our customers and business
• Commit to Excellence – in all that they do

We promote a culture that is diverse, inclusive, innovative, and performance driven in an environment that is fun and exciting. Individuals who choose to be a part of our organization are offered:

• Potential to lead innovative projects and initiatives
• Career path exploration and development opportunities
• Opportunities to get involved with teams and charitable events that support the community
• Comprehensive total reward package 

System Administrator, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)

About the Role

We are looking for a dynamic individual with exceptional customer service and technical skills. Working in a non-routine and very complex environment, the Systems Administrator, Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is responsible to ensure all AMI systems are performing efficiently to support Revenue Assurance and data integrity.

Duties include:

• Be a Brand ambassador - enable, engage, encourage and exemplify the behaviours and attitudes of the brand
• Innovate – engage colleagues and find new ways to work and win
• Stay a step ahead – make it a priority to be in-tune with changes in technology and industry news
• Communicate – stay informed of company events, industry news and advancement in technologies
• Performance monitoring and optimization of AMI and related systems, including FlexNet (Sensus), PrimeRead, Operational Data Store (ODS), mCare and other systems as required
• Maintenance of AMI network, identify system issues, troubleshoot and develop solutions
• Planning, design and project management for AMI enhancements
• Primary accountability for the ODS and integration of ODS to related business systems, such as the Outage Management System (OMS) and Geographic Information System (GIS)
• Support all end users who access various AMI systems and utilize AMI reporting
• Resolution of system performance issues, including defective meters, meter communication issues, meter alarms, AMI network issues, etc.
• Maintain quality assurance of all metering data collected through the AMI systems
• Support Key Account Program enhancements, empowering customers to leverage meter data
• Maintain utility Validation, Estimation, and Editing (VEE) processes to facilitate quality and accurate metering data
• Perform analysis of AMI data and report on work group KPIs
• Liaise with vendors and IT for upgrade to AMI hardware or meter reading equipment
• Test remote firmware updates to meters before they are pushed out to the meter population
• Coordinate building and maintenance of interfaces with AMI system to other corporate systems, as required
• Work closely with all internal teams and external vendors to leverage capabilities from AMI systems
• Recommend meter data collection granularity to meet business practices and needs
• Work in collaboration with vendors to plan and implement AMI network & infrastructure development and augmentation that is required to meet data collection needs
• Evaluation and recommendation of new AMI technologies, as required
• Maintain data communication networks for AMI systems and preform site visits to trouble shoot communication issues within our AMI infrastructure
• Maintain workforce management software systems to support Field Service Representatives
• Analysis of settlement & wholesale metering to ensure accurate power billing
• Design and implement daily reporting for Revenue Assurance and to monitor and flag any anomalies with our largest accounts
• Monitor vendor activities and manage the Service Level Agreements
• Liaise with AMI vendors to maintain good relationship with LDC 

Required Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• Completion of an Engineering, System Administration, Computer Studies, or related discipline at a recognized post-secondary institution with a degree/diploma
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working in a utility environment
• Minimum 5 years’ experience working with AMI systems
• Knowledge of Measurement Canada Regulations, OEB Regulations and IESO market rules
• Advanced knowledge of metering and associated technologies
• Experience with database design and logic, including technical knowledge of basic programming concepts, script writing and SQL
• Technical understanding of interval metering concepts, and their relation to the open utility industry
• Technical knowledge of billing and AMI systems, including FlexNet, ODS, PrimeRead, MV-90, ITRON/MVRS, Northstar and other related software
• Ability to document and train on complex technical issues
• Has strong planning, and problem-solving skills with a clear focus on the delivery of excellent customer service
• Displays keen attention to detail and has the ability to prioritize accordingly in a demanding and fast-paced environment
• Excellent organization skills
• Embraces a culture of innovation and continuous improvement
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Is a fast learner who is able to adapt to an ever-changing environment
• Is agile, responsive, and displays a sense of urgency
• Is self-motivated, with the ability to work independently or as part of team

Other Success Factors: 

• Brand ambassador - enable, engage, encourage and exemplify the behaviours and attitudes of the brand
• Is customer centric and displays an attitude of commitment and excellence with service delivery
• Stay a step ahead – make a priority to be in-tune with key industry disruptions, such as electrification of transportation, grid modernization and Smart Grid
• Have a futuristic and proactive mindset with the ability to win outside of the box, foresee problems and take action as required
• Be a self-starter who knows when to take the lead while using a collaborative approach to decision making
• Be a creative thinker with strong planning, organization and execution skills
• Demonstrates flexibility and projects a positive/professional demeanor
• Be Technically savvy and have the ability understands or learn business requirements quickly

Please send your resume with the position title in the subject line, to HR@oakvillehydro.com

Oakville Hydro is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 and the Ontario Human Rights Code, Oakville Hydro will provide accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process. If selected to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, please inform Human Resources staff of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require.      

January 20, 2021