Job description

Job Title: Utility Industry Consultant (Domain SME)
Location: Hybrid
Employment Type: Contract
Experience Level: Senior (7+ years in Utilities)

Role Overview
We are seeking a specialized Utility Industry Consultant to act as the bridge between business stakeholders (Operations, Finance, Asset Management) and the technical development team. The primary mission is to identify, define, and operationalize high-value Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) specific to the utility sector.
Unlike a standard data analyst, this candidate must understand why certain metrics matter (regulatory, safety, reliability) and translate that logic into precise business rules for developers.

Key Responsibilities

Identify high-value utility KPIs (reliability, operational, financial, customer, grid modernization) through stakeholder workshops.
Define business rules for each KPI: numerators/denominators, filters (e.g., exclude major events), temporal logic, and aggregation hierarchies.
Translate rules into technical specs (pseudo-code, decision tables, mapping docs) for data engineers and BI developers.
Validate KPI logic by reviewing testing outputs, and leading UAT with utility subject matter experts.
Document KPI dictionary and support change management / internal training.

Required Qualifications
Domain Expertise

7+ years working in or consulting for Electric, Gas, or Water utilities.
Deep understanding of utility data sources: SCADA, ADMS/OMS, GIS, CIS, EAM (Maximo/SAP), Smart Meters (AMI) .
Fluency in utility regulatory frameworks (NERC CIP, FERC, RTO/ISO market rules, or local PUC standards).

KPI & Analytical Skills

Proven track record of defining operational KPIs for:
- Reliability (SAIDI, SAIFI, CAIDI, MAIFI)
- Operational Excellence (Crew ETA accuracy, First-time fix rate)
- Customer (Average speed to answer, Call abandonment rate)
- Financial (Bad debt %, Rate case metrics)
- Grid Modernization (DER hosting capacity utilization, Volt/VAR optimization success).
Ability to differentiate between a "lagging" and "leading" indicator for utilities.
Experience writing detailed Business Rules Documents (BRDs) or User Stories (e.g., "Given, When, Then" formats).

Soft Skills

Exceptional facilitation skills to mediate between a lineman (field) and a data architect (IT).
Conflict resolution: "Why doesn't the KPI match my spreadsheet?" scenarios are common.

Nice to Have (Differentiators)

Experience with Utility-specific BI tools (e.g., OSIsoft PI Vision, GE Digital APM, Oracle Utilities Opower).
Knowledge of ISO 55000 (Asset Management) or WEF (Water) standards.
Previous role as a Utility Data Steward or Business Analyst in a large IOU (Investor-Owned Utility) or Co-op.

Utility Industry Consultant

Similar roles

Job description

Utility Engineer

Utility Engineer

Utility & Boiler Operator