Utility Engineer - University of Pennsylvania

University Overview


The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.




Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.




The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.








Posted Job Title

Utility Engineer





Job Profile Title

Engineer





Job Description Summary

The Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) provides the expertise, business process, policies, and standards required to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain, and renew the physical assets of the University, excluding the health system. In addition, the Division, comprised of approximately five Departments, is responsible for the strategic planning, management, and operation of non-academic University property and collaborating with the neighborhood to create a safe, diverse, and economically vibrant destination. With close to 12M square feet of space, FRES maintains 186 buildings on a campus of 276 acres, completes over 60,000 maintenance requests per year, and starts approximately 250 projects a year. FRES is comprised of the following Departments: Administration, Office of the University Architect, Design and Construction, Real Estate, Operations and Maintenance.


The University of Pennsylvania is implementing a campus transformation entitled Penn Connects (http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu). This comprehensive, award-winning effort is expanding the campus over the next 20 years, including the construction of new academic research and recreational facilities. In addition, the University has secured $300M in Century Bond funding and continues to upgrade existing facilities over the coming years. https://www.facilities.upenn.edu/ Information.





Job Description


Under the direction of the Energy Engineering Manager, the Utility Engineer is responsible for supporting the management and use of data and information systems such as the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and WebCTRL energy reporting interface related to utilities serving the University of Pennsylvania campus. The utilities include steam, chilled water, electricity, natural gas, water, and stormwater. The utility engineer manages the utility data from bills, campus-owned meters, utility-owned meters, and other sources in support of internal billing, budgeting, energy conservation efforts, and other activities. The utility engineer will assist with the management of contracts related to meter calibration and meter repair, as well as interact with the university trades to ensure that university-owned meters provide accurate readings. The utility engineer will also assist with contract management related to utility supply contracts and monitor/respond to PUC activities. The Utility Engineer will also assist with program management for Penn's Load Serving Entity (LSE) and Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) in the form of compliance filings, renewable energy purchases and accounting, energy data submissions, regulatory monitoring, and consultant management. The utility engineer will assist with the preparation and submission of applications for utility rebates (e.g., PA Act 129) .




Responsibilities/Duties




Manage the utility metering and billing process. Collect, review and record the monthly utility meter information (steam, electric, gas, chilled water, storm water, and domestic water) at the building level for environmental, energy and billing purposes. Ensure manual readings are collected and documented. Maintain existing database of utility related data. Provide utility data to accounting for billing purposes as well as to Hospital and other non-academic users connected to the University s utility systems. Provide energy data in support of campus sustainability initiatives, such as the Power Down Challenge and academic requests. In collaboration with staff of FRES Energy Planning, Engineering and O&M, collects, tracks and reports quarterly energy reduction metrics is support of the Climate and Sustainability Action Plans (CSAP) and computes actual quarterly and annual carbon reduction according to the CSAP




Provide engineering support of utility generation (CHW), utility distribution, or building systems as required. Assist with the preparation of RFP’s, procure services, and manage vendors including A/E, construction, etc. as needed. Assist with the preparation and submission rebate applications for energy conservation programs (e.g. ACT 129, PJM, etc.). Provide engineering assistance and field support to troubleshoot operational problems and develop solutions in support of Operations and Maintenance. Interact with Area Managers and/or Building Managers as necessary to help implement energy / carbon reduction efforts.




Perform analyses on utility bills and meter data to validate consumption, billing rates, pass through costs and total expenses. Provide forecasts of future energy use and energy costs for budgeting use by the University, FRES, schools and centers using spreadsheets and models. Maintain updated calculated forecasts for consumption and costs of steam, electricity and chilled water. Assist with the day-to-day operational oversight for Penn s Load Serving Entity (LSE) and PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) including reviewing electric and fuel market data in conjunction with the consultant preparing market forecasts and coordinating communications and presentations by Penn’s sub consultants for the LSE and PPA executive committee meetings. Assist with the compliance requirements for Penn s LSE including procuring RECs, managing the REC account, preparing compliance filings, and monitoring LSE and PPA related costs.




Perform troubleshooting on meters and associated computer networks. Manage maintenance and calibration contract for campus utility meters. Develop protocols for handling meter failures and downtime. Calculate or estimate utility use when meters are non-functional for both billing and energy analyses purposes. Maintain utility meter data collection and historian system. Troubleshoot communications and/or meter issues and facilitate repairs as necessary. Coordinate with Penn IT networking resources as needed to maintain reliable communications between systems.




Supporting the Energy Engineering Manager and in collaboration with other engineers, perform design reviews of capital projects to ensure adherence with Penn engineering standards. Prepare reports, spreadsheets, power point slides, and presentations of energy, carbon and associated information of both FRES and S/C administrators. Assist with the presentation and discussion of this data/information with university constituents in support of climate and sustainability action plans and goals. Support Energy Engineering Manager in planning to meet the long-range energy and utility infrastructure needs of the University. Efforts will include, but are not limited to, identification and analyses of potential energy and carbon conservation measures (ECM), calculation of costs and savings for ECMs, analysis of utility data, and meeting with the various university constituents to support conservation efforts. Utilize data systems such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) to support data collection and communication efforts.




Assist with monitoring utility regulatory agencies such as the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission, and their impacts on Penn's utility costs, operations, and the Load Serving Entity and Power Purchase Agreement . Provide technical data in support of regulatory filings including rate interventions or long -term contracts as needed. Participate in meetings as needed on behalf of the University in any utility-related user group/consortium.




Other Duties as assigned.




Qualifications




Bachelor's Degree in Engineering is required, and 3 to 5 years of engineering


experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.




Demonstrated proficiency in managing, manipulating, and analyzing large amounts of numerical data using spreadsheets and other computer-based


analytic software is required. Experience utilizing enterprise-wide software


systems, including Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Building Management Systems, and Financial Management Systems, is


required. Additionally, experience with computer networking technology and cloud-based data storage and management systems is highly desired. Familiarity with building controls and utility meters and understanding energy markets and utility billing procedures are desired.






Job Location - City, State

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania





Department / School

Facilities and Real Estate Services





Pay Range

$61,046.00 - $79,000.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, as well as internal and market factors and grade profile.




Affirmative Action Statement Penn adheres to a policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.




Special Requirements Background check required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.




University Benefits

+ Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts : Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

+ Tuition : Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits . You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

+ Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

+ Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

+ Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

+ Wellness and Work-life Resources : Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

+ Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

+ University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

+ Discounts and Special Services : From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

+ Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

+ Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

+ Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.




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To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay



The University of Pennsylvania's special character is reflected in the diversity of the Penn community. We seek talented faculty and staff who will constitute a vibrant community that draws on the strength that comes with a substantive institutional commitment to diversity along dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, veteran status, interests, perspectives, and socioeconomic status. Grounded in equal opportunity, nondiscrimination, and affirmative action, Penn's robust commitment to diversity is fundamental to the University's mission of advancing knowledge, educating leaders for all sectors of society, and public service. The University of Pennsylvania prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected class.