Duties:

One of BC Hydro’s key business priorities is to take steps to ensure compliance with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Mandatory Reliability Standards (MRS).
MRS have been adopted by the BC Utilities Commission to achieve, sustain and demonstrate compliance with its obligations to support the reliability of the bulk electric system. The approximately 120 adopted Standards cover topics such as real-time operations, long term transmission system planning, protection system maintenance programs and critical infrastructure protection.
Reporting to the Manager, Operations & Planning Assurance, the Mandatory Reliability Standards (MRS) Project Compliance Advisor is an ambassador for the MRS project compliance process across the company; conducting assurance assessments throughout the project life cycle to validate compliance with the process and MRS requirements. The scope includes projects that impact the Bulk Electric System delivered through various engineering, construction and
technology projects, and these projects vary from less than $1M to $10B.

Specific responsibilities in this role include:

• Advise, guide and provide support to BC Hydro project and program managers to identify potential applicable MRS associated with a project and to understand their compliance responsibilities with the identified MRS during the project lifecycle.
• Advise, guide and provide support to internal stakeholders for the successful
implementation of compliance with MRS including assisting with Standard project
compliance expectations (timelines, evidence, etc.), engaging the stakeholders to
understand competing priorities and developing recommendations.
• Plan, manage and implement project MRS assurance engagements (project reviews) based on factors such as risk, number of projects, compliance history, etc. and ensure successful execution of the strategy by defining and obtaining assurance resources; scheduling assurance engagements to fit the project timeline; completing the assurance reviews, monitoring progress and reporting results.
• Develop and utilize technical and MRS knowledge to conduct MRS assurance activities for the project which may include auditing the project deliverables and evidence of completion for compliance with MRS and working with the stakeholders to resolve any compliance gaps.
• Working with project and program managers and internal stakeholders, identify process improvement areas and collaborate on the implementation of efficiency improvements.
• Test the strength and quality of the project MRS controls including project MRS processes and RACIs, project MRS Applicability Tool, MRS project training and compliance engagements with the project teams and business units. Identify opportunities for improvement and, collaborate on the implementation of those improvements.
• Collaborate on the development, sustainment, continuous improvement of policies, practices and tools to integrate MRS requirements consistently in project life cycles.
• Prepare, present and discuss project MRS assurance program activities and engagement results with stakeholders, managers, directors and executives.
• Maintain currency with emerging MRS assurance engagement approaches and
methodologies; participate in related conferences and seminars, maintain membership with relevant industry professional associations and organizations.
• Develop and maintain expertise and knowledge with MRS broadly and specific to
operations and planning and cyber security standards by staying up to date with the NERC compliance guidance and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) MRS direction and emerging industry risks.
• Build and maintain strong relations with regulatory oversight bodies (e.g., Western
Electricity Coordinating Council - WECC), other utilities, and other interest groups.
• Provide subject matter expertise input on project regulatory filings for MRS compliance, for
example Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, project gates and Board
briefings as applicable.
• Identify potential MRS non-compliance during the MRS project assurance activities, participate in investigations and function as the interface with external entities (e.g. WECC).

Qualifications:

• Bachelors degree in Engineering, Accounting, Business, Auditing, or other relevant field, or equivalent combination of education, skills and experience related to project/controls/audit and assurance activities;
• Demonstrated experience (5+ years) in regulatory compliance, corporate risk and controls, capital project management, or other relevant areas as this role requires a broad depth of MRS impact across operational areas;
• Basic understanding of standard project management principles and PPM certification will be beneficial.
• Experience working in or with infrastructure projects of difference sizes (e.g. projects and programs) will be beneficial.
• Experience with NERC/MRS Programs in Canada and/or the US will be beneficial;
• Excellent relationship management, collaboration and interpersonal skills, including strong negotiation and conflict management skills with a demonstrated ability to work with diverse stakeholders and champion stakeholder acceptance;
• Strong ability to communicate effectively, including verbal and business writing in the English language;
• Effective presentation skills, including confidence in public speaking and the ability to convey complex technical issues in a way that diverse audiences can understand the concepts;
• Self-Motivated with strong organizational skills and the ability to work effectively in a team environment as well as individually;
• Demonstrated ability to work under tight timelines; and
• Demonstrated strong analytical skills to set up structures for gathering relevant information, developing reporting frameworks and to identify and deal effectively with issues that may have significant impact on stakeholders.