AMI Program Manager

Job Overview

Oversee, plans, coordinates, monitors, reports, and facilitates administrative, system, and field issues associated with the Automated Metering Infrastructure (AMI) project. Provide weekly and monthly updates, activity scheduling, prioritizing, and developing consensus between Water Resources and the implementation team on project related requirements. Compares, estimates, and ensures the metering installations are completed according to the contract and the systems are correctly obtaining meter information. Reviews documentation and physical field work for compliance and reports timely on issues and ensures all found issues are corrected timely. Works collaboratively with other Water Resources Divisions ensuring materials are ordered timely and available to the work continues. Responsible for ensuring the contract is funded correctly and timely.

Salary 

$75,129 - $106,412

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking an experienced AMI Project Manager to lead the planning, implementation and integration of Advanced Metering Infrastructure systems for our water services.  This role is essential to advancing our smart meter initiatives, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing customer engagement through real-time usage data.  The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to manage large-scale technology or infrastructure projects within the water utility industry, with a strong understanding of smart metering, communication networks, and data management systems. The candidate will be responsible for developing and maintaining detailed project schedules and budgets, implementing risk management strategies, and ensuring effective communication across internal and external stakeholders.

This position will lead coordination among IT, customer service, field operations, finance, and external vendors to ensure successful project delivery. Responsibilities include overseeing vendor relationships and performance related to AMI, Meter Data Management System, and NaaS/SaaS communication network providers. The candidate will monitor key project performance metrics, prepare regular updates for senior leadership, and drive process improvements and best practices in AMI program management. Additional responsibilities include ensuring seamless integration of AMI data with billing, work order management, and customer engagement platforms; and promoting water conservation, leak detection, and customer transparency through AMI analytics. 

Highly Complex Skills/Competencies: Proven experience as a Project Manager or similar role leading large technology or infrastructure projects. Familiarity with water distribution systems, customer information/billing systems, and utility operational processes.  Demonstrated success working with cross-functional teams, including IT, field operations, and customer service. Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to senior leadership, field personnel, external partners, and customers.  Ability to perform under pressure and adapt to shifting priorities, operational constraints, or technical challenges. Proven track record managing multimillion-dollar projects on time and within budget.

Desirable Attributes: Strategic thinker capable of anticipating organizational needs and developing forward-looking AMI solutions. Strong organizational and problem-solving skills; able to manage concurrent projects.  In-depth understanding of smart water metering systems (e.g., Sensus, Itron, Badger, Neptune) and communication technologies (RF, cellular, LoRaWAN, etc.). Ability to translate high-level organizational goals such as conservation, efficiency, and customer transparency into detailed AMI roadmaps. Skilled in data-driven decision-making to address technical and operational challenges. Ability to guide teams and customers through the transition from manual meter reading to digital metering systems. Adaptability to evolving business needs and technologies. Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification preferred.

Education: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field; Master's degree or relevant professional certifications preferred.

Core Competencies

• Customer Commitment: Proactively seeks to understand the needs of the customers and provides the highest standards of service.
• Dedication to Professionalism and Integrity: Demonstrates and promotes fair, honest, professional, and ethical behaviors that establish trust throughout the organization and with the public we serve.
• Organizational Excellence: Takes ownership for excellence through one's personal effectiveness and dedication to the continuous improvement of our operations.
• Success through Teamwork: Collaborates and builds partnerships through trust and the open exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives to achieve organizational goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

Note: The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform one or more of the activities described below.

• Ensure compliance with developed plans for the AMI project.
• Timely weekly and monthly reporting on activities related to the AMI project.
• Ensures communication and updates between the field team, the external meter installation team, and Water Resources leadership ensuring full understanding of AMI project activities and changes.
• Knowledge of project management principles and procedures of effective diverse project management.
• Assesses project needs, identifies shortfalls, intervene and takes action to limit or eliminate errors.
• Communicates efficiently across multiple levels of the organization providing details of the project.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Nature of Work

• Light work: Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. If the use of arm and/or leg control requires exertion of forces greater than that of sedentary work and if the worker sits most of the time, the job is considered light work.

Working Conditions

• Position is typically in an office environment with visits to the field.

Physical Effort

• The manager must be able to sit at a computer workstation. The manager must be able to operate a vehicle. The manager must be able to walk, climb stairs, and lift up to 30lbs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree; AND
• Five years of complex project management, budgetary or related to position duties; OR
• An equivalent combination of education (not less than a possesion of a high school diploma/GED), training and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-related competencies noted below. (For education and experience only, does not include legally required Licenses or Certifications.)

Job-Specific Competencies

• Critical Thinking: Work is broad in scope covering one or more complicated areas. A high degree of analytic ability and inductive thinking is required to devise new, non-standard approaches to highly intricate, technically complex problems.
• Decision Making: position functions as a subject matter expert and is expected to have the technical and educational competence required to make and support highly complex decision and/or recommendations.
• Communication: Requires regular contacts with internal department staff, external partners, and staff throughout the organization. Must have the ability to concisely articulate very complex data into easy-to-understand information, reporting and issues to department leadership in order to address issues, mitigate risks and make  strategic decisions.
• Strategic Planning: Responsibilities include assisting with the development of plans and supporting information, reports and documentation that will used to make decisions that having significant organizational and customer impact.
• Managerial/Operational Skills: Responsible for managing multiple functions; authority to deliver efficient and effective results.  Must have the ability to plan, direct and control projects, and resources.
• Leadership: Highly developed leadership skills are a must to be successful. As a significant portion of this work is high level with broad organizational and customer impact –taking a leadership role in assembling information to manage projects through coordination, collaboration and evaluation is necessary to develop optimal solutions.
• Analytical Ability: The ability to recommend and make decisions for complex problems using a high level of judgment and interpersonal relationship skills.
• Managing Complexity: Manages complex changes that impact multiple stakeholders such as customers, the department, and conflicting priorities and needs.
• Knowledge of complex project management principles.
• Knowledge of system and data analysis.
• Ability to read, comprehend, and apply job related rules, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Suite and ability to create reports from the data obtained.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing in order to present information and prepare a variety of reports.
• Ability to establish and maintain constructive and cooperative interpersonal relationships with staff, peers, management, external business partners, and local stakeholder groups to accomplish the department's mission.

Emergency Management Responsibilities

In the event of an emergency or disaster, an employee may be required to respond promptly to duties and responsibilities as assigned by the employee's department, the County's Office of Emergency Management, or County Administration. Such assignments may be for before, during or after the emergency/disaster.