Information technology knowledge, effective communication skills, understanding of the many business processes and the variability of such process in the electric utility industry, understanding the protocol and standards as well as the practical application of such standards, the Public Utility regulations assciated with electric service and metering in each state, quality control and assurance, integration of new systems with old systems, integration with other utilities, integration with customer systems, integration of telecommunications with utilitity private systems and public common carriers, system analysis, distribution management system application expertise, system protection, system analysis, phyiscal and cyber security, situational awareness with automated event detection, system failure analysis, advance energy storage technology familarity, economic analysis, project management, effective supervision of ad hoc teams, logistic of material and human resources.

At this relatively early stage experience doing these jobs or a strong understanding of how to do these jobs it vital to successfully performing these jobs. That is why these employees are sought out.

Perhaps seeking to fill the empty positions at the utilites might be an effective strategy to gather the vital experience. All you need to do is understand power system, distribution system, utilty work practice, system protection, electrical safety, power production technology, metering technology, substations, and utility business practices and there is a lot of training associated with those matters.