Program Manager, Wildfire Mitigation

Program Manager - Wildfire

J o b D e s c r i p t i o n

JOB POSTING

Program Manager - Wildfire

Overview
The Program Manager - Wildfire will oversee and coordinate Chelan PUD's wildfire program, focusing on fire safety operations and key initiatives like Fire Safety Outage Management (FSOM) and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) activities. This public-facing role is essential to advancing wildfire mitigation efforts, ensuring compliance with the state-mandated wildfire mitigation plan, and enhancing system reliability and public safety.

The Program Manager will lead internal and external communications, stakeholder engagement, and outreach to communities in higher-risk areas. This position will collaborate across multiple business units—including, but not limited to, public information, utility outreach, enterprise risk management, system operations, transmission, distribution, and legal—to ensure alignment of wildfire mitigation strategies and initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Program Coordination & Management: Manage and coordinate the Wildfire Mitigation Program, overseeing planning, strategy development, and implementation to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and alignment with the District’s operational goals. Provide strategic guidance on wildfire risk reduction, support FSOM/PSPS initiatives, and develop mitigation strategies to minimize risks. Ensure the state-mandated wildfire mitigation plan(s) adhere to regulatory requirements from NERC, FERC, and state agencies. Assess and mitigate customer and reputational risks, analyze data to inform decision-making, and monitor the effectiveness of risk reduction efforts.

• Key Stakeholder Engagement: Lead stakeholder engagement efforts for wildfire initiatives, such as conducting public meetings, community outreach, and cross-organizational collaboration to align mitigation efforts. Administer outreach in accordance with the District's standards, fostering communication with communities and key stakeholders. Build and maintain relationships with government agencies, utilities, firefighting organizations, and industry experts while staying informed on best practices and emerging trends through participation in forums, working groups, and conferences.

• General Communication Planning & Execution: Serve as the primary contact for wildfire communication efforts, developing and executing outreach plans in coordination with corporate communications to ensure accurate and timely messaging. Educate the public on wildfire prevention and utility safety, identify and address communication and reputational risks, and collaborate with stakeholders for clear and consistent messaging. Serve on the Incident Command System (ICS) team during wildfire or FSOM/PSPS events, coordinating with internal teams and external agencies. Develop wildfire preparedness training and simulations for District staff to enhance response readiness.

• Program Evaluation & Reporting: Monitor and evaluate wildfire program initiatives, communications, and stakeholder outreach, preparing and presenting reports on activities, outcomes, and areas for improvement to ensure effectiveness and regulatory compliance. Use data and feedback to drive continuous program enhancements.

Reports To
Director - Strategy & Corporate Affairs

Overtime exemption
Exempt

Qualifications

Education
Equivalent experience (year for year) may substitute for required education.

• Bachelor's Degree (B.S., B.A.) in Environmental Science, Emergency Management, Communications, Public Affairs or a closely related field is required.

• Equivalent experience (year for year) may substitute for required education.

Experience

• 5 years experience in wildfire communications program management or a closely related field is required.

• Demonstrated experience in wildfire mitigation strategies, regulatory compliance at the state and/or federal level, stakeholder engagement, community relations, and public affairs is preferred.

• Experience in the electric utility industry, performing risk modeling, and GIS mapping is preferred.

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified Wildfire Mitigation Specialist (CWMS) obtained through the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) is preferred.

• Project Management Professional (PMP) ® certification is preferred.

Skills and Abilities
A fully skilled incumbent will have the following knowledge skills & abilities:

• Business Acumen – Understands corporate and operational functions to assess the impact of decisions across business units and drive organizational success.

• Strategic Thinking – Evaluates priorities beyond self-interest, aligning goals with district-wide objectives while considering the needs of customers, employees, and stakeholders.

• Team Alignment & Accountability – Breaks down silos, fosters open discussions, addresses challenges, and ensures clear direction and accountability to achieve established priorities.

• Results-Driven Leadership – Demonstrates ownership of outcomes, assesses work scope and priorities, eliminates vulnerabilities, and ensures team capability aligns with business needs.

• Collaboration & Relationship Building – Builds trust, listens with empathy, navigates conflict effectively, and fosters partnerships to achieve shared goals.

• Change Leadership & Agility – Models a mindset of continual learning, embraces change, mitigates risks, and implements improvements to enhance organizational performance.

• Customer Focus – Promotes a customer-centric culture, demonstrating a strong commitment to internal and external stakeholders while inspiring enthusiasm and engagement.

• Talent Development & Empowerment – Effectively delegates, develops talent pipelines, manages performance, and prepares employees for future leadership roles.

• Resilient & Adaptable Leadership – Leads with fairness and credibility, sets clear goals, anticipates reactions, adapts to challenges, and ensures consistent communication at all levels.

• Decisive & Accountable Decision-Making – Balances analysis with action, makes timely and tough decisions, and ensures decisions align with responsibilities and business priorities.
• Must be proficient in reading, writing and speaking English.

Physical Demands

• Sitting Frequent 34-66%

• Standing Frequent 34-66%

• Walking Frequent 34-66%

• Lifting 1-10 lbs Floor-Waist Occasional 11-33%

• Lifting 1-10 lbs Waist-Shoulders Occasional 11-33%

• Lifting 1-10 lbs Above Shoulders Occasional 11-33%

• Lifting 11-25 lbs Floor-Waist Seldom 0-10%

• Lifting 11-25 lbs Waist-Shoulders Seldom 0-10%

• Lifting 25 - 50 lbs Floor-Waist (copier paper) Seldom 0-10%

• Climb Stairs Occasional 11-33%

• Twisting at Waist Occasional 11-33%

• Stooping/Bending Occasional 11-33%

• Reach Floor to Waist Occasional 11-33%

• Reach Waist to Shoulder Occasional 11-33%

• Reach Above Shoulder Occasional 11-33%

• Wrist/hand/fingers manipulation (keyboarding, mousing, etc.) Frequent 34-66%

• Hand Controls (joy stick, controls on equipment, etc.) Occasional 11-33%

• Repetitive Motions Frequent 34-66%

• Talking Frequent 34-66%

• Hearing Regularly 67-100%

• Visual - Near Acuity Regularly 67-100%

• Visual - Far Acuity Regularly 67-100%

• Visual - Depth Perception Regularly 67-100%

• Visual - Color Discrimination Regularly 67-100%

Working Conditions

• Noise Intensity Level: - Moderate

District Values

• Safety - Protect public and employee health and safety

• Stewardship - Acting on behalf of customer-owners, protecting public resources entrusted to us

• Trustworthy - Competence, integrity, respect

• Operational Excellence - High-quality innovative work execution

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $114,400.00 - $143,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday
• Weekends as needed

Work Location: In person

Salary : $114,400 - $143,000