Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Utility Director

🎯 Role Definition

The Utility Director is the senior executive responsible for leading and managing all aspects of a municipal or regional utility enterprise — including water, wastewater, electric, gas, and related infrastructure. This role provides strategic vision, operational oversight, financial stewardship, regulatory compliance, capital program delivery, and customer service excellence. The Utility Director ensures safe, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of utility services while driving long-term asset sustainability, resilience planning, and community outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Assistant or Deputy Utility Director (Water, Wastewater, Electric)
Utility Operations Manager / Plant Manager / Distribution Manager
Senior Engineer, Public Works, or Utilities Division Manager

Advancement To:

City Manager / County Administrator (for municipal contexts)
Chief Operating Officer or VP of Operations (for larger utilities or private companies)
Executive Director / CEO of multi-jurisdictional utility authority

Lateral Moves:

Director of Public Works
Director of Environmental Services
Director of Community Development (for utilities integrated with planning)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide visionary leadership and strategic direction for all utility operations and capital programs, developing a multi-year strategic plan that aligns with community goals, regulatory requirements, and financial constraints.
Oversee the development and execution of the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), prioritizing projects, managing budgets, coordinating consultants, and ensuring timely delivery of infrastructure improvements for water, wastewater, electric and related systems.
Prepare, present, and manage the annual utility operating and capital budgets, forecasting revenue and expenditures, analyzing rate impacts, proposing utility rates and fee schedules, and implementing cost-control measures to maintain fiscal health.
Ensure full compliance with federal, state, and local regulations (EPA, state environmental agencies, NPDES, Safe Drinking Water Act, OSHA, FERC where applicable), leading permit renewals, regulatory reporting, and corrective actions to avoid fines and protect public health.
Lead asset management and lifecycle planning programs to maximize asset performance, extend useful life, implement condition assessments, and budget for replacements and rehabilitations through data-driven prioritization.
Direct all utility operations and maintenance activities, including treatment plants, distribution and collection systems, transmission networks, and substations, ensuring reliable service delivery and continuity of operations.
Establish and maintain emergency management and disaster response plans, coordinate utility response with emergency management agencies, implement mutual aid agreements, and rapidly restore services following outages, natural disasters, or industrial incidents.
Manage hiring, development, performance management, succession planning, and labor relations for the utility workforce, including union contract negotiations, safety culture promotion, and workforce training programs.
Oversee procurement, contracting, and construction management practices, negotiating major vendor and contractor agreements, administering service contracts, and ensuring compliance with procurement laws and best practices.
Direct utility billing, metering, and customer service functions, ensuring accurate billing practices, effective collections, customer outreach, implementation of advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), and continuous improvement of customer satisfaction metrics.
Implement and maintain SCADA, GIS, CMMS, and other operational technology systems to monitor operations, improve decision-making, detect system anomalies, and support preventive maintenance strategies.
Lead long-range energy and water resource planning, including demand forecasting, conservation programs, renewable energy integration, water reuse, drought contingency planning, and environmental stewardship initiatives.
Drive performance measurement and reporting by developing key performance indicators (KPIs), benchmarking against peer utilities, preparing board and council reports, and using analytics to optimize operations and capital delivery.
Direct grant writing, loan applications, and alternative financing strategies (state revolving funds, USDA, FEMA, bonds, public-private partnerships), securing external funding to accelerate capital investments and resilience projects.
Coordinate intergovernmental and stakeholder relations with elected officials, regulatory agencies, neighboring utilities, community groups, and industrial customers to build partnerships and advance strategic initiatives.
Oversee risk management, insurance programs, cybersecurity and physical security initiatives, vulnerability assessments, and compliance programs to protect critical infrastructure and information systems.
Champion sustainability and resilience initiatives including greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency programs, stormwater best practices, green infrastructure, and climate-adaptive asset planning.
Manage utility rate studies and cost-of-service analyses, presenting recommendations to governing bodies, explaining rate structures, and implementing equitable and sustainable rate policies.
Lead regulatory and legislative advocacy efforts on behalf of the utility, tracking legislative changes, providing technical testimony, and coordinating with industry associations to influence policy outcomes.
Ensure safety, environmental compliance, and continuous improvement through implementation of safety management systems, environmental management practices, incident investigations, and corrective action tracking.
Direct capital project procurement and oversight including bid specification development, selection of engineering and construction firms, construction inspection, contract administration, and closeout to achieve scope, schedule and budget objectives.
Develop and implement technology modernization and digital transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, enable remote operations, and enhance data governance across utility functions.
Oversee financial reporting, audit coordination, asset capitalization, and adherence to governmental accounting standards (GASB) or regulatory accounting for investor-owned utilities.
Serve as the principal representative for the utility to the media and public during routine and emergency communications, providing accurate, timely information and maintaining community trust.

Secondary Functions

Support performance reporting and data analytics initiatives by collaborating with finance and IT to produce dashboards and executive summaries that inform board and council decisions.
Facilitate community outreach and public education campaigns on conservation, rate changes, capital projects, and emergency preparedness to improve public understanding and support.
Collaborate with adjacent departments (public works, planning, finance) to integrate utility planning with land-use, transportation, and economic development goals.
Provide subject-matter expertise and technical review for special projects, annexations, or developer agreements that impact utility capacity and service delivery.
Support internal continuous improvement projects, Kaizen events, and Lean initiatives to streamline processes, reduce costs, and increase operational reliability.
Mentor and develop mid-level managers and technical staff through structured training, cross-functional assignments, and leadership development programs.
Participate in professional organizations and conferences to stay current on industry best practices, regulatory trends, and emerging technologies.
Assist with long-term workforce planning and apprenticeship programs to build pipeline talent for critical operational roles.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Utility operations management (water, wastewater, electric, gas) — demonstrated experience overseeing treatment plants, distribution/collection systems, and substations.
Capital improvement program (CIP) planning and delivery — prioritization, scheduling, cost estimating, and construction oversight for multi-year capital portfolios.
Financial management and budgeting — preparation and management of multi-million-dollar operating and capital budgets, rate modeling, cost-of-service analyses, and financial forecasting.
Regulatory compliance and permitting — extensive knowledge of EPA, state environmental regulations, NPDES, Safe Drinking Water Act, drinking water regulations, environmental reporting and permit management.
Asset management & CMMS proficiency — lifecycle planning, condition assessment, asset registers, backlog reduction, and use of computerized maintenance management systems.
SCADA, control systems, and industrial automation — oversight of supervisory control and data acquisition systems, telemetry networks, PLCs, and cybersecurity practices for OT environments.
GIS and spatial analysis — mapping of utility assets, network modeling, outage analysis, and system planning using GIS tools.
Utility billing and customer information systems (CIS/AMI) — experience managing metering programs, billing platforms, revenue protection, and customer-facing portals.
Procurement, contract negotiation, and construction administration — RFP/RFQ development, vendor negotiation, compliance, and contract lifecycle management.
Grant writing and external funding — preparation of state/federal grant applications, loan packages (SRF, USDA), FEMA reimbursements, and bond financing support.
Emergency management and business continuity planning — incident command understanding, mutual aid coordination, emergency response exercises, and disaster recovery planning.
Data analytics and performance metrics — development of KPIs, benchmarking, dashboards, and use of analytics to inform operational and financial decisions.

Soft Skills

Strategic leadership and vision-setting with the ability to translate strategy into operational plans.
Strong verbal and written communication skills for presentations to elected officials, regulatory agencies, and the public.
Stakeholder engagement and political acumen — building consensus with boards, councils, customers, and regulators.
Change management and organizational development — guiding teams through transformation and technology adoption.
Problem solving and decision-making under pressure, particularly during service disruptions and emergencies.
Team building, coaching, and talent development to create high-performing, safety-focused workforces.
Negotiation and conflict resolution skills for labor relations, vendor disputes, and interagency coordination.
Ethical judgment and integrity in financial stewardship, compliance, and public service.
Customer service orientation with a focus on transparency, responsiveness, and community trust.
Analytical mindset with attention to detail and the ability to synthesize technical and financial information for non-technical audiences.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Civil, Environmental, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering, Public Administration, Business Administration, or a closely related discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA), Business Administration (MBA), Engineering Management, Environmental Engineering, or related graduate degree.
Professional licensure or certification such as PE (Professional Engineer), AICP (for integrated planning roles), or relevant utility management certifications.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Civil Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Public Administration
Business Administration
Mechanical/Electrical Engineering
Utility Management / Water Resources

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 8–15+ years of progressively responsible experience in utility operations, engineering, finance, or public works, including at least 5 years in senior management or director-level roles.

Preferred:

10+ years of progressive responsibility managing municipal or regional utilities with direct oversight of operations, capital programs, regulatory compliance, and budgets.
Demonstrated experience interacting with elected bodies, regulatory agencies, and the public; proven success delivering complex capital projects on schedule and budget.
Experience managing unionized workforces, large capital portfolios, and modern OT/IT convergence projects (SCADA/GIS/CIS integration).