Principal Quality Operations Specialist - Location Flexible

About the role

The Electric Compliance Controls Validation Team is responsible for developing quality management plans for process improvements to assure compliance quality control measures are implemented and effective. This role will have a high level of visibility with PG&E leadership and support one or many aspects of the team's scope. The work strengthens PG&E's safety culture and compliance posture and reinforces the commitment that Everyone and Everything is Always Safe, advancing enterprise learning, transparency, and continuous improvement across investigations.

Responsibilities

• Develop/refine the process to identify external regulatory requirements, benchmark internally and externally, validate process controls, and summarize findings.
• Develop controls or metrics to assist in monitoring and evaluating the success of compliance controls.
• Investigate process controls of medium to high risk to PG&E, may include working with PG&E's Legal team.
• Prepare and present summary of findings and risk to PG&E to senior and executive leaders.
• Develop strategy and action plans, working with Directors and Officers. Coach stakeholders to develop appropriate corrective action plans that contain effective solutions to prevent recurrence.
• Review failure data and make recommendations to improve process performance, applying broad company and industry knowledge.
• Coach and provide direction to less experienced team members. Work effectively in a matrixed organization, working with directors and managers across organizations to provide expert opinion and influence decisions.
• Effectively maneuver through complex organizational situations without disruption, routinely resolving escalations to Director-level, Vice President-level and above.
• May develop/refine process to determine and prioritize processes to evaluate regulatory controls.

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)

Pay

Minimum Base Salary (Bay Area) $132,000.00 — Maximum Base Salary (Bay Area) $226,000.00. Minimum Base Salary (California) $125,000.00 — Maximum Base Salary (California) $215,000.00.

Schedule

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office (within PG&E's service territory) and assigned office based on business needs. Location is flexible within PG&E service territory and will require occasional travel to other areas around the territory (10%-30% of the time).