Control Room Operations Manager

Description

We are ERock!

ERock (NYSE: EROC) is enabling energy for a new era. ERock delivers onsite utility-grade power that gets customers up and running quickly, while supporting long-term grid development. ERock’s proprietary natural gas generators help critical facilities address grid constraints, interconnection delays, and outage risks while accelerating speed-to-power for new and expanding operations. Trusted by data centers, utilities, manufacturers, healthcare systems and government organizations, ERock engineers for rapid deployment, long-duration reliability, low local emissions, and scalable performance to meet the evolving energy demands of today and tomorrow. 

Position Overview

The Control Room Operations Manager leads ERock's 24/7/365 Network Operations Center (NOC) and is accountable for the safe, reliable, and disciplined real-time operation of the company's distributed generation fleet. This leader brings utility-grade control-room practices to a rapidly growing portfolio of generation and microgrid assets, including clear operating authority, rigorous shift turnover, procedure use and adherence, alarm management, incident command, outage coordination, and emergency response. The Manager ensures operators meet customer reliability commitments, execute market and grid-support obligations, coordinate field activity, and protect personnel and equipment during normal, abnormal, and emergency conditions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the daily operation and performance of ERock's 24/7/365 control center, maintaining continuous qualified coverage, clear decision rights, and accountable leadership on every shift.
• Direct real-time monitoring, control, and dispatch of distributed generation and microgrid assets, including start/stop activity, load management, alarm response, troubleshooting, and operational escalation.
• Establish and enforce utility-grade operating discipline, including operating authority, system permissions, three-part communication, operator logs, shift turnover, event documentation, and procedure use and adherence.
• Govern remote switching and operating instructions within ERock's scope, including switching boundaries, clearances, lockout/tagout interfaces, field verification, and release-to-service requirements.
• Coordinate customer reliability events, utility outages, market dispatches, demand-response programs, grid-support services, tests, planned outages, and return-to-service activities while respecting equipment limits and site constraints.
• Lead response to abnormal and emergency conditions; establish incident command, mobilize field and technical support, coordinate with customers and utilities, communicate system status, and restore assets to a safe and stable condition.
• Maintain real-time situational awareness of unavailable, degraded, or constrained assets and ensure issues are prioritized, escalated, documented, and handed off to the correct operational owner.
• Develop and govern operating procedures, switching and dispatch playbooks, checklists, escalation matrices, communication protocols, contingency plans, and severe-weather readiness plans.
• Build staffing plans and shift schedules that support growth, planned absences, training, fatigue management, surge events, and emergency coverage without compromising control-room readiness.
• Manage NOC recruiting, headcount planning, departmental budget, vendor support, and operating-tool expenditures.
• Recruit, coach, and develop supervisors, leads, and operators through formal qualification programs, scenario-based drills, performance feedback, and succession planning.
• Own control-center operational readiness for SCADA/HMI, communications, alarm systems, historian data, dashboards, and operator tools in partnership with System Integration, IT, cybersecurity, engineering, and vendors.
• Lead event reviews, human-performance learning, and corrective actions that strengthen alarm quality, response time, procedural compliance, fleet availability, and operational resilience.
• Provide concise, timely operating updates to executive leadership, customers, utilities, market counterparties, field teams, and business partners during significant events.

Organizational Scope

Direct Responsibility

• NOC supervisors, team leads, operators, and dispatch personnel
• Shift staffing, scheduling, qualification, fatigue management, and performance management
• Operating authority, control-room procedures, switching discipline, event response, and shift readiness
• NOC reporting, metrics, communication practices, and continuous improvement

Key Partnerships

• O&M East, O&M West, and Power Generation
• CSI, System Integration, Engineering, Construction, and Project Management
• Safety, Training, Commercial and Market Operations, IT, and cybersecurity
• Customers, utilities, ISOs/RTOs, market counterparties, and third-party service providers

Success Measures

• Safe and compliant control-room operation
• Continuous qualified coverage and operator readiness
• Dispatch accuracy, alarm response, and escalation performance
• Fleet availability, customer reliability, and recovery from operating events
• Accuracy and timeliness of logs, event records, and stakeholder communications
• Procedure adherence, qualification completion, and workforce development
• Reduction in repeat events through effective review and corrective action
• Customer, field-operations, and internal stakeholder confidence in the NOC

Requirements

Basic (Required) Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Technology, Operations, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent technical training and relevant operational experience will be considered.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible experience in utility control-center operations, power-system operations, generation dispatch, transmission or distribution operations, balancing authority operations, an ISO/RTO environment, or a comparable 24/7 critical operations center.
• 3+ years of experience leading control-room operators, shift supervisors, dispatchers, or an equivalent real-time operations team.
• Direct experience with operating authority, switching and dispatch instructions, clearances and tagging boundaries, shift turnover, operator logkeeping, outage coordination, emergency response, and service restoration activities.
• Working knowledge of generation systems, electrical distribution, switchgear, transfer systems, protection and controls, and the operational risks associated with remote switching and dispatch.
• Demonstrated ability to lead incident response efforts, establish priorities, make time-sensitive operational decisions, and communicate effectively during abnormal or emergency conditions.
• Experience developing and managing shift schedules, operator qualification programs, operating procedures, training drills, performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives within a 24/7 operations environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical operating conditions into concise updates for executives, customers, field personnel, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to support after-hours events, emergency response activities, storm restoration efforts, and planned operational activities as business needs require.

Preferred Qualifications

• NERC System Operator Certification, utility operator qualification, or comparable generation/control-room credential.
• Experience with SCADA/HMI and alarm management systems; familiarity with EMS, DMS/ADMS, OMS, data historians, communications networks, and incident management platforms.
• Working knowledge of applicable OSHA and NFPA standards, along with relevant utility, ISO/RTO, NERC, and energy market operating practices; ERCOT, CAISO, or other regional market experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading utility, generation, transmission, distribution, or other critical infrastructure control-room operations in a 24/7 environment.
• Proven ability to apply utility operating discipline within a fast-paced and evolving operational environment, make sound decisions with incomplete information, maintain situational awareness, and communicate effectively under pressure.
• Ability to balance customer reliability, market obligations, equipment protection, regulatory compliance, and personnel safety while maintaining operational excellence and attention to detail.
• Experience building, coaching, and developing high-performing operations teams focused on accountability, safety, reliability, and continuous improvement.

You'll sweep us off our feet if:

You are an experienced utility or generation control-room leader who brings calm, accountable leadership to real-time operations. You can translate proven utility operating discipline to a distributed-energy environment, separate signal from noise, make sound decisions with incomplete information, communicate clearly under pressure, and build a team that executes consistently at 2:00 a.m. just as it does at 2:00 p.m. You balance customer reliability, market obligations, equipment protection, and personnel safety without losing sight of the operating details.

Your Rewards!

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Prescription Drug Insurance
• Company-Paid Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Wellness Programs and Incentives
• 401(k) Retirement Plan and Company Match
• Paid Time Off - Sick and Vacation Time 
• Paid Holidays
• Flexible Work Schedule, as role requirements permit

Do you have what it takes to join the ERock team? Send us your cover letter and resume today. 

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

ERock is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.