Senior Trader, Day Ahead Power Trader and Scheduler

Department Summary  

We are looking for a Senior level Trader and Scheduler to join our Day Ahead Power Trading team.  This opening may be filled as a mid or senior level role and salary will be commensurate with skills and experience. 

Day-Ahead Trading conducts purchase and sales transactions to increase margin. Responsible for interacting with the market participants to develop, negotiate and execute opportunistic business opportunities that create value for the company. Analyzes and reacts to current market and competitive conditions. Responsible for analyzing and evaluating complex energy transactions to ensure that all relevant aspects, including energy price, transmission, counterparty and contractual terms, are favorable to and consistent with company guidelines for risk management. 

Minimum Qualifications 

Mid-Level: Bachelor's degree economics, engineering, math, science, marketing or other related field or equivalent experience. Typically, five or more years in the energy trading, derivatives, marketing or bulk electronic and gas system management or related field. 

Senior Level: Bachelor's degree in economics, engineering, math, science, marketing or other related field or equivalent experience. Typically, eight or more years in energy trading, derivatives, marketing or bulk electronic and gas system management or related field. 

Key Responsibilities  

Preschedule Planning

Leads a team or personally determines optimal preschedule position to hand off to real time traders; identifies and evaluates more complex price/risk tradeoffs of various power system operating strategies, including transmission/wheeling alternatives, reservoir levels, wind forecasts and fuels supply to optimize use of generation resources and arrange generation operations to meet load and reserve requirements for each hour on a preschedule basis; utilizes outage information to ensure efficient commodity market dispatch of PGE generating facilities; determines price/risk trade-offs of various power system operating strategies; implements term and day-ahead contracts based on negotiated terms; develops day-ahead schedules for controllable resources; provides training and guidance on developing preschedule plan to less experienced traders.  

Preschedule Transactions

Orchestrates implementing term and preschedule contracts based on negotiated terms and communicating plans to counterparties; leads a team or personally evaluates unused generating and transmission capacity and monetizes in the market excess levels not necessary for compliant, reliable system operations; ensures that term and preschedule interutility exchanges of power and power products are scheduled; ensures creation and monitoring of electronic NERC tags of electricity transactions and that transmission is redirected and/or purchased to meet PGE's needs for preschedule and real-time power operations activities; ensures that PGE purchased transmission that is surplus is resold to the greatest extent possible; provides training and guidance on managing preschedule transactions to less experienced traders.

Power and Gas Portfolio Management

Analyzes PGE's commodity positions and makes recommendations on optimizing the value of PGE's assets.

Executes short-term (next-day) and balance of month power trades in commodity markets with approved counterparties.

Works with Credit and Contracts Department to establish new trading partnerships and opportunities.  

Evaluates and coordinates the timing of scheduled plant outages with the resource coordinator to ensure that plant availability is maximized when plant profitability is highest, while performing necessary plant maintenance. 

Strategy

Assists in managing PGE's forward probabilistic power and gas positions consistent with approved hedging strategies and exposure limits. 

Research commodity electricity and natural gas markets to understand market fundamentals and develop trading strategies.  

Internal Guidance and Coordination:  

Assists in training Operations staff in power and gas trading and delivery.

Coordinates with Real- Time managers to align program goals concerning trading and position strategy; interfaces with traders to provide real-time decision support.

Cooperates with Term, Prescheduling and Risk Management to ensure compliance with policies and practices.

Partners with IT Power Digital and third party vendors to develop, strengthen, and maintain the software tools required for effective trading, scheduling and Day Ahead operations.

Partners with cross-departmental teams in analyzing and evaluating complex transactions to ensure contractual terms impacting Day Ahead and Real Time are fully considered and operable.

Provides operational guidance concerning state and federal regulatory impacts to Power Operations and helps coordinate compliance with applicable Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) and other applicable reliability standards and transmission tariffs and business practices.

Assists in the development of power and gas policies and procedures.

Monitors industry and market trends and developments and updates management on relevant changes. 

Assists in development of testimony and response to data requests to support rate case requirements and outside stakeholder data requests.  

Accounting and Reporting: 

Accounts for all details of term and prescheduled transactions; ensures real-time and back-office personnel are provided with daily preschedule documentation.

Represents PGE in industry-related regional and national organizations and forums, including technical committees and workgroups.  

Desired Qualifications

• Experience in Western United States energy or gas trading is highly desired. 

• Experience in generation dispatching or real-time operation of power plants. 

• Ability to analyze data, find solutions and make decisions quickly. 

• Strong communication skills; verbal and written. 

• Ability to learn and understand changing technologies. 

Competencies (Knowledge, Skills, Abilities)

• Advanced knowledge of electrical and natural gas grid's supply and demand components. 

• Advanced ability to function with an entrepreneurial and competitive perspective to assist PGE in actively trading in commodities and executing power transactions.  

• Advanced skills in analyzing energy market conditions or trends.  

• Advanced knowledge of California Independent System Operator (CAISO) bidding and strategy as it pertains to Day-Ahead.  

• Advanced knowledge of the operational capabilities of hydroelectric, coal and natural gas plants. 

• Advanced knowledge of WECC trading and scheduling practices.  

• Advanced knowledge of physical/financial gas trading fundamentals and dynamics.  

• Advanced knowledge of PGE organization, business objectives and marketing capabilities. Advanced knowledge of electric utility operations, PGE accounting and economics.  

• Advanced ability to develop and present proposals and information to a diverse group of customers and clients. 

• Advanced spreadsheet and database computer skills.  

• Working knowledge of WSPP, International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA), Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB) and North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) agreements.  

• Advanced analytical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills.  

• Advanced interpersonal skills.  

• Advanced written and oral communication skills. 

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