Potential Careers with AVEC
There are four major career areas in the electric utility industry: generation, trans-mission, distribution and administration. It would be impossible to produce and deliver safe, reliable electricity without the tremendous support, planning and supervision utility employees provide in these different areas.
Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) is a generation and distribution cooperative. Distribution cooperatives are responsible for distributing electric power to the end users or consumers. Distribution cooperatives establish electric service to homes and businesses as well as make sure their consumers are supplied with safe, reliable electricity.
Generation cooperatives design power plants that generate electric power and also design the installation of the various engines and wind turbines and their related components that help generate power.
All electric utilities, including cooperatives, have people employed in areas other than generation and distribution. Accountants, data entry clerks, secretaries, purchasing agents, draftspersons, warehouse workers and customer service representatives are just a few of the administrative jobs available at AVEC. Typical jobs that may be available are listed below.
Administrative and Clerical Jobs
A variety of different skills and abilities are required for the following office jobs.
Member service representatives deal with consumers (members) directly, whether by phone, letter or office visits. They handle orders for establishing new electric service, answer member questions about their accounts and help solve problems. They also bill the customers and collect and record members’ payments.
Secretaries/administrative assistants provide office support by typing letters and reports, preparing charts, filing paperwork and operating various types of office equipment.
Purchasing agents and warehouse personnel purchase and distribute everything AVEC needs to carry out both its in-house and field operations. These items range from pencils up to power generation modules.
Technical Jobs
These specialized, practical, scientific and mechanical skills are necessary for the installation, operation and maintenance of electrical equipment. AVEC has two different categories of field employees: generation and distribution.
For the most part, our field employees either construct or install new facility upgrades and/or maintain them after they are built. All of the field employee positions require extensive travel to remote locations.
AutoCAD technicians help prepare/revise the blueprints used by engineers and field employees.
Electricians follow prepared blueprints to install or repair electrical equipment, including circuits, control panels and engine-generator sets.
Linemen construct and maintain power poles and power lines that carry electricity from the power plant to the consumer.
Power plant operators handle the daily power plant operations.
Support personnel, including mechanics and welders, help keep equipment safe and in proper operating condition.
Scientific and Engineering Jobs
Specialized, complex responsibilities are handled by highly trained employees.
Mechanical, electrical and civil engineers are involved in the planning, design, construction and management of our generation and distribution facilities.
Computer programmers/technicians are responsible for keeping our computer operations running securely and efficiently.
Other Professional Jobs
Human resource personnel prepare payroll and handle many employee-related benefits.
Accountants keep financial records and analyze and advise on major business transactions. There are also work order clerks and accounting assistants.
Lawyers are required to handle legal matters involving the cooperative and individuals, corporations or governments.
Public/community relations personnel help manage community and employee relations programs.
Superintendents and corporate support are involved with those aspects of operating an electric cooperative that require a business background.
Upper-level managers require advanced degrees and/or years of on-the-job experience.
