Job Description

Mississauga

Temporary Assignment: 6 months with option to extend up to 18 months.

The Government of Ontario introduced the Smart Metering Initiative to create a conservation culture and encourage demand management across the province.  It named the IESO the Smart Metering Entity (SME) in July 2007 through provincial regulation to support the Smart Metering Initiative.

The SME is responsible for managing all LDC system and smart meter integration with the Meter Data Management and Repository (MDM/R).  The MDM/R validates, estimates and edits hourly consumption data from smart meters and then sorts it into Time-of-Use buckets to be used by LDCs for invoicing

The MDM/R provides a common platform for storing, processing and managing smart meter data.  It is designed to serve the province’s 4.6 million residential and small general service customers and interact with 74 LDCs.  It is the world’s largest interval data-driven meter data management system used for billing. 

This is also the beginning, in that the smart meters and the MDM/R are a foundation for the smart grid:

• They support the implementation of time-of-use prices. By time-stamping your consumption data, local distribution companies will be able to determine how much electricity was used during off-peak times and how much was consumed during on-peak periods. This capability allows homeowners to find electricity savings by shifting their electricity use.
• They help LDCs to identify power theft and respond to meter failures and outages more quickly.
• They provide greater operational efficiencies in local distribution system management, which ultimately help to lower electricity distribution costs overall.

More information on the Smart Metering Initiative and the MDM/R may be found at www.smi-ieso.ca

Provide quality assurance / testing to help ensure that changes to the MDM/R are operating as designed; provide technical support in the assessment and implementation of changes to the MDM/R and in the operation of the MDM/R.

1. Provide systems design expertise to support the development of computer based information systems/tools to meet the needs of customers by establishing user requirements, developing system designs, integrating commercial products, code software and test systems.  Provide project management support to design projects/teams or information systems or tools.
2. Provide systems consulting support to operations, maintenance, software development staff and vendors.
3. Address the evolution of existing systems and tools by implementing enhancements to provide additional functionality, correct problems to improve reliability and maintainability and respond to advanced system problems or failures to restore system functionality.  The changes must be managed in a most effective manner including quality assurance.
4. Plan, develop and document test scenarios, test procedures, test data, and expected test results;
5. Develop test cycle execution schedule according to release requirements
6. Execute the test steps (i.e., test scenarios, test procedures, etc.) according to the test cycle execution schedule
7. Document the results of the test cycle execution
8. Execute the test steps (i.e., test scenarios, test procedures, etc.) according to the test cycle execution schedule and document the results of the test cycle execution.
9. Analyze actual test results (system output, reports, and system data extractions) against expected test results, conclude and report test outcome.
10. Automate, where appropriate, test procedures and test results analysis;
11. Support enhancement of test strategy and processes
12. Maintain evidence of testing to meet IESO’s system integration and user acceptance requirements, including sufficient evidence to demonstrate the operating effectiveness of functionality for the MDM/R S.5970 audit.
13. Provide support to LDCs in diagnosis and resolution of incidents and problems
14. Manage the evolution of existing systems and tools by implementing enhancements to provide additional functionality such as automating, where appropriate, test procedures and test results analysis.
15. Assess proposals and recommend solutions to correct system defects and data conditions in coordination with LDCs and the Operational Service Provider.
16. Support the defect management process, including identifying, documenting and communicating defects to vendors and LDCs.
17. Develop procedures required for the secure operation and management of information systems or tools. Perform ongoing audits to assess compliance or required improvements.
18. Act as a consultant or mentor to peers to advance their learning and facilitate their problem solving skills with their respective areas of expertise.
19. Research commercial products and tools which can be used in the design or support of information systems and tools and perform ongoing assessments of their ability to meet current and future requirements.  Other similar industries, such as ISO, Px, should be researched on their approach and strategy for supplying tools to meet the business requirements.
20. Perform system administration duties, prepare procedures or support personnel involved in system administration activities.
21. Perform other duties as required.

 

1. Extensive knowledge of MDM/R meter to bill functionality, and business processes;
2. Extensive knowledge of the MDM/R synchronization functionality;
3. Extensive knowledge of the MDM/R reports and how to interpret and use them;
4. Extensive experience in developing and executing test procedures;
5. Extensive experience in business analysis and/or systems development;
6. Extensive knowledge of LDC relevant business processes and systems, including Customer Information Systems (CIS) and meter to bill life-cycle;
7. Knowledge of the system development life cycle process;
8. Knowledge and working experience with defect management processes and procedures;
9. Knowledge and experience in using databases, spreadsheets, and scripts to support the developing of test data, execution of tests and analysis of results;
10. Experience in testing complex, real-time and batch transaction systems, including but not limited to, system to system interfaces, reports, exceptions, GUI, web and non-web interfaces, etc.;
11. Experience/exposure to S.5970 audit (would be beneficial);
12. Knowledge and experience with Oracle, Siebel, Unix, Windows;
13. Knowledge and experience with EnergyIP application and data structures; and,
14. Good communication skills.

This knowledge is considered to be normally acquired either through the successful completion of a four-year University education in the appropriate field/discipline or by having the equivalent education.

A period of eight years, up to and including ten years, is considered necessary to gain this experience.

• Good Analytical and communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to work with minimum supervision
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Deadline oriented individual
• Proven excellent customer service skills
• Demonstrates organizational skills
• Demonstrates leadership qualities
• A strong personal commitment to customer needs
• A strong commitment to corporate objectives
  
  

• Competitive market wages;
• Comprehensive benefit programs;
• Programs and policies to support a balanced lifestyle;
• A challenging fast paced team environment;
• Opportunity to work with some of the brightest people in the industry.

 

If you have the experience and qualifications for this position, please apply on-line through our careers website www.ieso.ca.

We thank all candidates for their interest in opportunities with the IESO. While we appreciate your submissions, we regret that we can only contact those candidates selected for interviews. The IESO is an equal opportunity employer.