Manufacturing51-8012.00Specialization

Power Distributors and Dispatchers

Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.

$104,750
Median Pay
6 months to 2 years
Training
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High Disruption Risk

This is a specialization of

Plant & System Operators

Career Overview Video

AI Impact Assessment

AI Resilience Score

Score 1/6: declining job demand, limited human advantage creates significant risk from AI disruption

πŸ”΄High Disruption Risk

How we calculated this:

AI Exposure
Medium+1

38% of tasks can be accelerated by AI

Job Growth
Declining+0

-3% projected (2024-2034)

Human Advantage
Weak+0

EPOCH score: 10/25

Total Score1/6
Methodology: v2.0 - GPTs are GPTs / BLS / EPOCH Additive ScoringUpdated: 2026-01-09

Key Responsibilities

  • Coordinate with engineers, planners, field personnel, or other utility workers to provide information such as clearances, switching orders, or distribution process changes.
  • Respond to emergencies, such as transformer or transmission line failures, and route current around affected areas.
  • Control, monitor, or operate equipment that regulates or distributes electricity or steam, using data obtained from instruments or computers.
  • Direct personnel engaged in controlling or operating distribution equipment or machinery, such as instructing control room operators to start boilers or generators.
  • Distribute or regulate the flow of power between entities, such as generating stations, substations, distribution lines, or users, keeping track of the status of circuits or connections.
  • Manipulate controls to adjust or activate power distribution equipment or machines.
  • Prepare switching orders that will isolate work areas without causing power outages, referring to drawings of power systems.
  • Monitor and record switchboard or control board readings to ensure that electrical or steam distribution equipment is operating properly.
  • Implement energy schedules, including real-time transmission reservations or schedules.
  • Calculate load estimates or equipment requirements to determine required control settings.

Education & Training

Typical Entry Education

Post-secondary certificate

Time to Job Ready

1-3 years

Based on Job Zone 3. For formal education duration only, see education_duration.

Technology Skills

SCADA systemsEnergy management systems (EMS)Distribution management systems (DMS)Microsoft ExcelOutage management systemsGIS software

Key Abilities

Problem SensitivityOral ComprehensionOral ExpressionInductive ReasoningWritten ComprehensionDeductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionNear VisionInformation OrderingPerceptual Speed

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Compensation Details

$68,360
10th Percentile
$104,750
Median
$138,950
90th Percentile

Based on 9,040 employed workers

Also Known As

Auxiliary OperatorBoard OperatorControl Area OperatorControl Board OperatorControl OperatorControl Room OperatorDispatcherDistribution A Class LinemanDistribution LinemanDistribution Operator

Data from O*NET 30.1 and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics

O*NET Code: 51-8012.00