SDG&E is an innovative San Diego-based energy company that provides clean, safe and reliable energy to better the lives of the people it serves in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The company is committed to creating a sustainable future by providing its electricity from renewable sources; modernizing natural gas pipelines; accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles; supporting numerous non-profit partners; and, investing in innovative technologies to ensure the reliable operation of the region’s infrastructure for generations to come. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE).

Our highly trained and responsive employees with their diverse skills, talents and ideas are the reason we can deliver on our commitment and are building America’s best energy company. They are also the reason why we have been recognized with the industry’s most coveted awards. Our employees undertake challenging work, and receive highly competitive compensation and benefits. As one of the region’s largest employers, we’re always searching for talented and bright people to join our team. After all, it takes the best to build the best. Learn more about benefits HERE.

Diversity and inclusion are core values of SDG&E. Empowering our employees to be their whole selves at work is our competitive advantage. This is where new ideas come from and meaningful collaboration gets an authentic start. By bringing together people with different perspectives, diverse backgrounds and real commitment to their own individuality, we have built a stronger business. Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion HERE.

For more information, visit SDGEnews.com or connect with SDG&E on Twitter (@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.

Primary Purpose

The Strategy and Operations Manager ensures investments are aligned to the highest value initiatives, and drives optimization of IT delivery and operations across products and capabilities. Performs a facilitation role across the value stream or enabler (i.e., a group of teams aligned to a particular IT function or set of IT solutions typically represented by a Director’s organization), with responsibilities for investment planning, Lean Portfolio Management, delivery value measurement (for example, customer satisfaction, quality, speed to market, or operating maturity), and driving IT strategic transformation initiatives.

Leads efforts to enable the organization with critical future-oriented technology capabilities, practices, and modern engineering ways of working. Responsible for continuous improvement and guiding the organization towards maturity in modern technical practices including a focus on delivering measurable value for business clients. Drives strategic cross-coordination across organizations, collaboratively working to ensure enterprise success in delivering value to stakeholders. Provides financial management expertise to group-level leaders and acts as the primary point of contact for the finance organization. As a key resource manager within the organization, leads teams and individuals to drive measurable results for strategic initiatives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Orchestrates the overall strategic planning process for IT organization, leading the Lean Portfolio Management process for investment planning and prioritization of discretionary spend. Ensures that balance of discretionary and non discretionary spending is in line with IT organization goals. Develops and manages joint planning and operational models for programs spanning multiple functions. Leads changes in investment planning processes to enable agile ways of working. Collaborates with IT finance partners to drive coordination on financial activities. Facilitates collaboration between Finance and IT teams and organizations to ensure participation in Lean Portfolio Management and quarterly planning activities as needed. Guides product and/or capability group leaders in developing resourcing strategies for product and capability groups. Manages allocation of budget, staff, tools and specialized support. Leads value stream or enabler’s resource and vendor management activities including yearly hiring budgets and forecasts, vendor relationships and Statement of Work (SOW) agreement facilitation (working with vendors, legal, and finance). Guides negotiation of large contracts in collaboration with vendor management services.
• Drives strategy and vision for technology transformation initiatives as assigned. Leads initiatives across IT organization. Collaborates with transformation sponsors and leaders to create play books (i.e., a set of resources, templates, and plans), related roadmaps, and defined timelines. Plans initiatives and strategies to enable change and engage managers, leaders, teams, and individuals in adopting new technologies and work practices to drive the future success of IT organization. Drives organizational alignment to technology transformation initiatives through consultation and coaching with key leaders and teams to increase enrollment and adoption.
• Establishes best practices and standardization to shape the strategic direction of IT organization. Supports engineering leadership by maintaining work execution and removing any obstacles that may impede a team’s delivery. Defines and leads cross-functional initiatives. Assesses current processes and identifies opportunities to streamline or automate systems and workflows to increase organizational effectiveness. Acts as primary point of contact for new requests from stakeholders outside of IT. Performs intake function and assigns request to appropriate product owner or group product manager. Ensures interoperability (i.e., the ability of computer systems or software to exchange and make use of information), and drives strong relationships between IT and the business.
• Provides direction to program operations staff and other assigned direct reports as their primary supervisor (including Delivery Specialists, Delivery Leads, or Program Delivery Managers). Fosters a collaborative and supportive team environment. Owns all aspects of employee management for direct reports, including responsibility for all aspects of performance management, training, and development.
• Collects and analyzes strategic and key transformation metrics for leadership. Establishes a measurement framework, authoring and delivering executive-level reporting. Advises leadership on measures of financial and non-financial success and value tracking. Defines measurable goals and standards for technology transformation programs in collaboration with IT leadership. Defines appropriate metrics to measure the progress of technology transformation within area of responsibility, for example, adoption rates, number of teams activated, customer satisfaction, delivery efficiencies, maturity mechanisms, etc. Communicates progress towards specific milestones to executive leadership.
• Performs other duties as assigned (no more than 5% of duties).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, related field or equivalent training and/or experience.
• 8 years – Experience in IT project management, IT solution delivery, software engineering, or related field.
• 3 years – Related supervisory and/or lead experience.
• 4 years – Of progressive resource management, vendor management, IT financial, program operations and/or project management experience, including experience in two or more of the following areas: procurement, contract development, negotiations, project budget management, matrix management, managing a project or initiative with a budget greater than $500K.
• Financial Acumen – Strong financial acumen, including the ability to accurately report spending in the IT function and an understanding of both CapEx and OpEx budgets.
• Facilitation – Ability to lead impactful meetings, optimize group processes, foster collaboration, and assist a group or team in understanding and achieving their objectives.
• Cross-functional collaboration – Ability to participate in cooperative working relationships including knowledge sharing and partnership in achieving solutions within and across business or operational functions.
• Project Delivery – Proven ability executing high-profile projects and providing thought leadership to an organization.
• Stakeholder Management – Ability to create and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders in order to drive outcomes and create alignment around a vision or course of action.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years – Experience in agile methodologies, and financial management techniques for agile such as Lean Portfolio Management (LPM) highly desired.
• SAFe Lean Portfolio Manager Certification.
• Business Functional Knowledge – Knowledge and understanding of the business context, market and operational functions of the operating company, and the wider utilities industry.
• Organizational Metrics: Define an approach to assess organizational issues (e.g., organizational health, organizational agility, culture, organizational change) using rigorous analytics. Assess to provide insights into the organization’s ability to successfully achieve its desired outcomes, analyzing and interpreting results to identify key action planning.
• Strategic / Visionary Thinking – Excellent strategic thinking skills, and the ability to apply unique business insights and make sound decisions aligned to business goals in order to create competitive advantage for the organization.
• Influencing – Strong ability to persuade and engage others, enrolling them in a desired course of action or vision without direct authority. Adept at navigating organizational dynamics to procure desired outcomes.
• Agile Methodologies – Knowledge of concepts, including Agile Scrum and/or Kanban, and application of Agile methodology (e.g., Lean, SAFe, LeSS) for project management to be able to design, implement and manage projects.
• Coaching – Manage individual relationships with the purpose of enhancing professional learning, effectiveness and adoption of new technologies and methodologies. Strong ability to give feedback, persistently promote engagement in organizational initiatives, and provide guidance to teams and individuals as they navigate new technologies and work practices.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, disability or protected veteran status.