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Chouteau, Oklahoma, United States
Onsite
This job posting will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on the date listed below.
December 13, 2026
We deliver affordable, reliable ELECTRICITY, with a focus on EFFICIENCY and a commitment to ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. We are dedicated to ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, providing resources and supporting economic growth. Our EMPLOYEES are our greatest asset in meeting our mission to be an Oklahoma Agency of Excellence.
Position Overview
The Vice President, Thermal Generation provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and management for GRDA’s thermal generation operations. The position is responsible for the safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective operation and maintenance of three generating units comprising approximately 1,370 MW and a workforce of approximately 150 employees. The Vice President directs facility operations, maintenance, workforce development, capital execution, asset management, and risk management in support of GRDA’s public-power mission. The position establishes priorities, allocates resources, advises senior leadership on generation operations and investment needs, and fosters a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, operational discipline, and continuous improvement. This is an unclassified, exempt position.
Essential job functions include, but are not limited to:
Leadership
• Provide executive leadership and strategic direction for GRDA’s thermal generation operations,
maintenance, engineering, asset management, administrative, project, and contract functions.
• Establish organizational priorities, performance expectations, and accountability across
multidisciplinary teams.
• Serve as a senior advisor regarding thermal generation operations, plant performance, long-term
service agreements, major maintenance, and facility investment priorities.
• Foster collaboration across GRDA business units, including Hydro Operations, Engineering,
Transmission, Environmental, Safety, Finance, Legal, and Human Resources.
Operational Performance and Asset Management
• Direct the safe, reliable, compliant, and cost-effective operation and maintenance of generation
facilities in alignment with GRDA’s strategic objectives.
• Drive continuous improvement in plant availability, reliability, efficiency, and operational readiness
through disciplined asset management, maintenance strategies, performance monitoring, and corrective action programs.
• Lead operational performance, emergency response, and business continuity activities, and
provide timely reporting to senior leadership.
• Ensure thermal generation assets are effectively and efficiently utilized to support reliability,
financial stewardship, and long-term asset value.
Safety, Compliance, and Risk Management
• Champion a culture of safety, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, procedural
excellence, and ethical conduct through effective policies, training, and management systems.
• Lead the identification, assessment, mitigation, and monitoring of operational, safety,
environmental, financial, contractual, workforce, and asset-related risks.
• Maintain accountability for compliance with applicable laws, regulations, permits, policies,
procedures, and operating standards.
Financial and Project Oversight
• Establish and manage annual operations and maintenance budgets, capital budgets, asset
investment plans, forecasts, and resource allocation.
• Provide leadership and oversight for major outages, capital improvements, and other projects, with
accountability for safety, schedule, budget, quality, compliance, and performance outcomes.
• Oversee major contracts, long-term service agreements, procurement activities, contractors,
consultants, and external partnerships supporting operations and capital projects.
Workforce Development
• Develop and maintain a highly qualified, engaged, and accountable workforce through strategic
staffing, training, succession planning, qualification programs, hiring, promotion, performance
management, and employee development.
• Provide leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback to department managers,
supervisors, experienced professionals, and other assigned leaders.
• Promote workforce readiness and ensure resources are aligned with operational needs and long-
term organizational priorities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
Skills, Knowledge, Qualities:
• Demonstrated senior leadership capability, including setting strategy, establishing accountability,
making sound decisions, and leading through complex operational conditions.
• Comprehensive knowledge of utility-scale power generation operations, maintenance, plant
systems, reliability, performance, and asset management practices.
• Strong commitment to safety, environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, procedural
discipline, and ethical conduct.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, manage, and communicate operations and maintenance budgets,
capital budgets, forecasts, business cases, risk assessments, and investment priorities.
• Strong organizational, project management, problem-solving, and risk-management skills.
• Ability to evaluate complex technical, operational, commercial, and organizational issues and
implement practical, risk-informed solutions.
• Excellent interpersonal, collaboration, negotiation, presentation, and written communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively across divisions and with executive leadership, governing bodies,
regulators, customers, contractors, and other external stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of plant control, maintenance management, learning management, data
historian, and Microsoft productivity systems is preferred.
• Ability to remain composed, decisive, and accountable during emergencies, outages, and other
high-consequence operating events.
• Ability to work independently and develop and achieve defined goals and objectives.
Education, Training, Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, operations or energy management, or a related field
from an accredited college or university is required. An equivalent combination of education,
technical training, and progressively responsible power generation experience may be considered.
• Progressive leadership experience in utility-scale thermal generation operations, maintenance,
engineering, asset management, or project execution is preferred.
• Executive or senior management experience with responsibility for plant safety, reliability,
workforce performance, environmental compliance, operations and maintenance budgets, capital
programs, and risk management is strongly preferred.
• Experience with natural gas combined-cycle and/or coal-fired generation facilities is preferred.
• Experience managing major outages, long-term service agreements, contractors, capital projects,
and multidisciplinary technical organizations is preferred.
Certificates, Registrations, Licenses:
• Valid Oklahoma driver's license, or the ability to convert an out-of-state license within 30 days if an
Oklahoma resident.
Physical/Mental Requirements & Working Conditions:
• Ability to walk, climb stairs, crawl, and work from ladders and elevated platforms.
• Must not have a fear of heights, confined spaces, or working around high-voltage equipment.
• Must possess the mental, visual, and auditory acuity necessary to maintain attention to visual and
auditory detail.
• Work is performed in office, indoor plant, and outdoor environments, including high-noise and high-
temperature conditions and possible work in confined spaces.
• Odd shifts and after-hours work may be required during system emergencies, outages, or other
operational events.
Other information:
• This is an exempt position.
• The position reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer.
• The position provides leadership to assigned operations, maintenance, engineering, asset
management, administrative, project, and contract personnel. Direct reports may include
department managers, supervisors, experienced professionals, and other assigned leaders.
• This position will primarily be located at the Grand River Energy Center in Chouteau, Oklahoma.
• Requires up to 15% travel, including domestic and occasional international travel, for vendor
meetings, product demonstrations, and training. Travel may include overnight stays and weekend
trips.
• Compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• Highly competitive benefits package.
If you’re passionate about growth, teamwork, and making an impact, you’ll love building your career with us.
