General Manager

New Smyrna Beach

New Smyrna Beach (NSB) is a charming beach town south of Daytona Beach on the East Coast of Central Florida. It’s a surf hub known for its 17 miles of white sandy beaches, including nearby Canaveral National Seashore. The coastal Smyrna Dunes Park has views of Ponce Inlet and its lighthouse. Also located here is North America's most diverse estuary – the Indian River Lagoon, home to more than 4,000 species of birds, dolphins, manatees, turtles, and more. NSB Downtown’s palm-lined Canal Street Historic District and the iconic Flagler Avenue boast excellent cuisine, a nationally recognized arts scene, beloved hotels, and historical ruins.

New Smyrna Beach Utilities

For over 50 years, New Smyrna Beach Utilities (NSBU) has proudly provided the greater New Smyrna Beach area with quality utility services. Today, NSBU offers electric, water, wastewater, and reclaimed water services to approximately 31,000 residential and commercial customers. 

Most municipalities in Florida provide their own water and wastewater service, but our community is special because NSBU is just one of the 34 municipal electric utilities in the state - exclusively committed to serving our customers, not investors. NSBU is funded solely through utility revenues and is not a taxing authority. Municipal utilities are consumer-owned and not-for-profit, so providing affordable, safe, and reliable power is our first priority.

Together, NSBU and the other community-owned utilities serve 3 million Floridians and are collectively the third largest source of power in the state. Because we are community-owned and locally managed, we focus on serving local needs, through low rates, good paying jobs, and contributions to the city budget. Revenue is not distributed to stockholders; instead, it is reinvested back into the community to fulfill our Vision: "To be a community partner with safety as the priority while providing reliable essential utility services dedicated to sustainable resources and community stewardship."

Modernization

While New Smyrna Beach may look like a quaint little beach town, NSBU is embarking on long-term, coordinated grid and water modernization program providing the opportunity for major utility infrastructure improvements. NSBU has developed a Grid Modernization Plan to improve the reliability, resiliency, and efficiency of our electric and water systems, through prioritizing key infrastructure and system investments which support our Vision, Mission, and Values to be a trusted advisor and steward for our community, operating reliable and sustainable water and electric systems. This is an exciting time of growth and enhancement for our community and will provide great opportunities to implement a number of new and upgraded utility systems

We are undertaking an electric reliability improvement program and have already begun implementing some of its initiatives, including a new vegetation management program to increase resiliency and improve electric reliability. We are also installing automated equipment and technology to reduce the number of outages, so our system is more resilient to the impacts of storms and hurricanes. On the water side of our business, we are investing in our plants and distribution and collection systems to preserve the health and sustainability of our precious natural resources.

We remain solidly on track to achieve our Vision and Mission to become a Utility of the Future by better serving our customers and the community; improving reliability and sustainability of our electric and water systems, achieving operational efficiency through application of technology; and enhancing customer experience through implementing the portfolio of Modernization Roadmap Projects; assuring a high‐level of cyber security for our critical IT assets and utility systems; pragmatically improving safety culture and performance; and maintaining a positive human resources environment to attract and retain talent.

The Position

The NSBU General Manager GM/CEO is the organization’s highest-ranking professional who reports to the NSBU Commission and is responsible for interpreting and carrying out the Commission’s objectives. This role serves as both an advisor and policy administrator who provides leadership, management, and administration of the utility and its services. This position is a significant driver of innovation and operational performance improvement. The GM/CEO is also responsible for strategic planning and execution and regulatory compliance. This position assures employee and public safety as well as represents and advocates for the interests of the organization with external stakeholders.

The GM/CEO has authority over all matters pertaining to the proper economical and efficient operations of NSBU and is subject only to the policies of the Commission and applicable laws. He/she directs staff and has authority in making hiring, promotion, disciplinary actions, and terminations. This position is also responsible for ensuring the preparation and presentation to the Commission of budgets, annual goals, strategic plans, rules, regulations, financing and capital improvements, purchases, and contracts over $75,000, and other related items such as governance, policy, and financial items requiring Commission action.

The GM/CEO has sole authority for all the above and may delegate authority to Department Heads at his/her discretion and as prescribed by the Purchasing Manual for purchasing and spending.

Responsibilities include:

·        Directs NSBU leadership, management, operations, planning, coordination, and execution of activities of the combined electric and water utility systems.

·        Responsible for short and long-term strategic planning of NSBU, and coordination of strategic planning with the NSBU Commission for approval.

·        Directs the development of projects and business plans in support of delivering upon Commission-approved strategies, and the implementation of NSBU’s goals, objectives, policies, and procedures, rules, and regulations.

·        Directs financial planning, budgeting, rates and financing, facilities planning, utility system capacity planning and asset management programs and the periodic presentation of such information to the Commission.

·        Assures the timely preparation and submission of periodic and special operating and financial reports, budgets, and the Consolidated Financial Annual Report (a.k.a. CFAR, or audit) as required by the Commission and federal, state, and related agencies.

·        Directs the establishment of appropriate staffing levels, employee development and succession planning, and allocates resources accordingly.

·        Directs the assessment of workload and resources, administrative and support systems, and internal reporting relationships, identifies opportunities for improvement, and directs execution of supporting implementation plans.

·        Responsible for reviewing and executing legal contracts and agreements authorized by the Commission.

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

The GM/CEO must be intently focused on the following to be successful: product quality, customer satisfaction, employee and leadership development, operational optimization, financial viability, infrastructure stability, operational reliability and resiliency, community sustainability, water and electric resource adequacy, and stakeholder understanding and support. 

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

The Ideal Candidate

NSBU is seeking an experienced professional who has advanced knowledge and understanding of power utilities and water resources best management practices and theories used in practice and who remains current on relevant laws, legal rulings, and regulations. The selected candidate must possess the ability to prioritize work duties for maximum efficiency, develop and utilize best practices and seek process improvement through numerous resources.

A successful history of strategy execution and realizing the benefits of utility modernization investment (electric and water) will be weighed importantly in candidates. 

The future decisions involving additional NSBU site construction and associated buildings and costs will be important financial decisions for NSBU Commission and business. Beyond budget management, the successful candidate must be able to navigate the negotiations and Commission decisions and implement a solid plan with an understanding of finance and rates implications.

Qualifications:

·        A Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Management, Information Technology, or other related field is required (Master’s degree preferred).

·        Minimum of ten years of experience in the utility industry with progressively increasing management responsibility; or a combination of experience, education, certifications, licenses, certifications, and core competencies.

·        Professional or industry licenses, such as Professional Engineer (P.E.) or Information Technology certifications are viewed as positive, but not required.

·        Florida Drivers’ License Class E required. Ability to work flexible hours, as required.

Application Method & Tentative Selection Process

To be considered for the GM/CEO position, interested individuals should submit their resume with professional references included and cover letter to Jon@Energists.com and Elizabeth@Energists.com.

***Please note: Under the Florida Public Records Act, all resumes are subject to disclosure, if they are requested.

This job advertisement will close on September 27, 2024.