Chief Executive Officer / General Manager

Company: Bluestem Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Job Title: CEO/General Manager
Job Classification: Exempt, Full-Time
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm
Reporting Relationship: Board of Trustees
Location: Wamego, KS
Primary Accountabilities:
The General Manager is the Bluestem Electric Cooperative, Inc. (Bluestem) Chief Executive Officer and is expected to achieve its purposes and goals through effective discharge of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling functions. The General Manager is employed by the Board of Trustees and is responsible to the Board for the cooperative and employed personnel's functioning to achieve cooperative purposes and carry out approved plans.
The leadership position is expected to ensure that the cooperative maintains participation, understanding, and support of its purposes, goals, and plans among Bluestem’s membership, Board of Trustees, employed personnel, and the public.
Major Duties:

• Manages structuring and staffing of the cooperative's organization, and for ensuring that its employed personnel function to achieve its purposes and goals, and carry out approved plans.
• Ensures that the cooperative achieves its goals and purposes through proper execution of the planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling functions inherent to management responsibilities.
• Ensures that cooperative purposes and goals are achieved by operations in the Key Functions of: Energy Supply, Electric Distribution Service, Marketing and Energy Usage, Communications, Financial Condition, Human Resources, Legal Requirements, and Managerial Performance.
• Advises and assists the Board of Trustees by providing accurate, timely reports and information; by interpretations and perceptions of results achieved; and, conditions that are likely to affect the cooperative's ability to achieve its purposes and goals, and, by proposing revisions in cooperative purposes, goals and overall plans, thereby enabling the Board to properly discharge its responsibilities as the cooperative's governing body.
• Participates in committees, task groups, director/trustee positions, and other responsible positions (or, ensuring that appropriate personnel participate) in organizations that offer the strengths of joint action as the best means for serving the interests and needs of the cooperative's membership.
• Studies and analyzes the cooperative’s rates and service rules and regulations periodically to ensure they meet current operating requirements, as well as to make appropriate recommendations to the Board.
• Develops a strategic marketing plan which improves the load factor, utilizes excess capacity, enables the members to efficiently utilize electric energy and allows other such products and/or services to be marketed to members and non-members as approved by the Board of Trustees.
• Reviews the activities of the cooperative periodically to determine the organization structure best suited to carry out the overall objectives of the cooperative within the limitations of the budget.
• Develops and implements a legislative program which furthers the cooperative’s objectives and policies, as well as participates with allied groups in order to obtain their increased understanding and support of the cooperative’s legislative objectives and program.
• Plans, prepares, and attends cooperative board meetings.
• Participates in the annual meeting, as required.
• Performs additional duties as required or assigned by the Board.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree: in Engineering, Economics, Business Administration, or related subject, required. Advanced study (or degree) at the graduate level is preferred but not required.
• Minimum of five (5) years experience, on the staff or in top management position, in rural electric cooperatives, utility industry, or organizations closely allied to them.
• Experience in budget preparation and fiscal management and the ability to develop and maintain recordkeeping systems and procedures.
• Proven ability to make critical decisions to drive positive operational and financial performance.
• Understanding, acceptance, and practice of basic concepts, philosophies, and principles of cooperative enterprise, and a demonstrated record of conveying these among members, employed personnel, and the public.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel if necessary.
• A demonstrated record of continuing personal and professional growth through study and application of current management, financial, and/or operational concepts, and techniques.
• Experience and commitment in application of management-by-objectives principles, with demonstrated record of managerial style that invites and permits personnel to participate in functions of management (planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling), and to evaluate, and be evaluated on, performance compared to results achieved.
• The ability to make decisions in a responsible, well-considered manner, to take immediate action when conditions require it, and to encourage/involve subordinates in making operational decisions in their spheres of responsibility and authority.
• Skilled in communications—especially public speaking and writing clearly. Demonstrated record of leadership that generates confidence and respect among members, employed personnel, and the public.
• Is persuasive, perceptive, and analytical, possessing the ability to accurately assess situations from scattered and sometimes few and seemingly disassociated facts, data and information, and the ability to attack or defend (as the case may require) issues and conditions from a foundation of sound reasoning and judgment.
• Demonstrated ability to be creative and innovative in managerial functioning, development of services, member communications, planning, and marketing. Demonstrated experience and interest in managing a multi-faceted cooperative system, which may involve subsidiary and/or associated organizations.
• Must possess basic computer skills, including experience in Microsoft Office products and enterprise information systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of information.
• Ability to exercise discretion and use sound judgement in dealing with people and confidential information.

Physical Demands:

• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time.
• Ability to stand, lift, carry, push, pull, balance, stoop, reach, handle, talk, hear, see, grasp, move head and neck.
• Ability to lift up to thirty (30) pounds with frequent lifting and/or carrying of objects weighing up to twenty-five (25) pounds.
• Finger dexterity, manual dexterity, alertness, precision, motor coordination, auditory discrimination and tactile discrimination.

Work Environment:

• Inside/Indoor environment which provides protection from weather conditions, but not necessarily temperature changes.
• Performance of duties will occasionally require exposure to outside weather: including extreme cold; extreme heat and risk of electrical shock.
• There will be occasional exposure to moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles.
• Work is performed in the Wamego Headquarters with travel throughout Bluestem territory. Travel as needed for events and state meetings.
• Schedule includes irregular hours—weekend and evening meetings—and off-system travel is required.

Additional Duties:
Additional duties and responsibilities may be added to this job description at any time. The job description does not state or imply that these are the only activities to be performed by the employee(s) holding this position. Employees are required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related responsibilities as requested by their supervisor.