Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Utility Crew Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Utility Crew Coordinator is a frontline operations role responsible for coordinating and supporting utility field crews to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant completion of maintenance, construction, and outage restoration work. This role manages daily crew schedules and dispatches, coordinates materials and equipment, enforces safety and regulatory requirements (OSHA, DOT, local permitting), communicates with customers and stakeholders during service interruptions, and supports emergency response activities. Ideal candidates combine hands-on utility experience with strong organizational skills, excellent communication, and proficiency in work-order systems and basic mapping/GIS tools.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Utility Lineworker
Dispatch Coordinator / Scheduler
Maintenance Technician

Advancement To:

Field Operations Supervisor
Utility Operations Manager
Emergency Response Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Work Order/CMMS Administrator
Safety & Compliance Specialist
Fleet & Equipment Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Plan, create and maintain daily and weekly crew schedules and dispatch assignments for multiple utility crews (electric, gas, water, sewer), considering crew certifications, skill sets, vehicle/equipment availability, and priority of work orders.
Act as the central dispatch point during planned outages and emergency restoration events; coordinate resources, assign crew leads, track restoration status, and provide timely updates to operations management and stakeholders.
Monitor real-time crew locations and job progress using GPS, fleet telematics, and GIS tools; reassign crews dynamically to respond to high-priority incidents and minimize customer outage time.
Coordinate and prepare required permits, traffic control plans, and utility locate requests (CALL BEFORE YOU DIG) prior to field activities to ensure regulatory compliance and safe work zones.
Review incoming work orders from the CMMS/work management system, prioritize tasks based on safety, regulatory windows, and customer impact, and convert requests into actionable field assignments.
Conduct daily pre-shift briefings and toolbox talks with crew leads to review scope of work, hazard assessments, PPE requirements, lockout/tagout procedures, and emergency protocols.
Enforce safety policies and ensure crews complete required safety documentation, incident reports, near-miss reports, and regulatory notifications in a timely manner.
Maintain documentation and logs for crew hours, overtime, travel time, equipment usage, and material consumption; reconcile timecards and support payroll/timekeeping processes.
Coordinate and schedule routine preventive maintenance and equipment inspections (inspection checklists), ensuring crews are assigned and follow-up work is tracked to closure.
Manage inventory of common materials and small tools for crews; initiate replenishment requests, track usage in inventory or CMMS, and coordinate procurement with warehouse or supply chain teams.
Act as primary liaison between field crews and internal stakeholders (engineering, customer service, permitting agencies, contractors) to clarify work scopes, escalate issues, and coordinate handoffs.
Supervise contractor interface: review contractor work plans, ensure contractor compliance with utility safety and quality standards, and monitor contractor progress and billing support.
Support crew training and competency tracking by scheduling skills refreshers, arranging certifications (CPR, confined space, traffic control), and ensuring crew qualifications are recorded and current.
Validate field job completion by reviewing crew reports, photos, and GIS/digital forms; ensure accurate as-built notes and update spatial data or asset records in GIS/asset management systems.
Prepare daily and incident after-action reports including restoration timelines, resource utilization, safety observations, and lessons learned; present summaries to operations leadership.
Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) such as mean time to restore (MTTR), on-time completion, first-time fix rate, safety incident frequency, and crew productivity metrics.
Coordinate logistics for heavy equipment and specialty crews (crane, pole-setting, vacuum excavation), including staging areas, transportation, permits, and site safety briefings.
Manage customer and public communications during service disruptions: coordinate outage notices, provide estimated restoration times, and escalate high-impact or sensitive incidents to communications teams.
Assist in budget tracking for field operations by recording material consumption, labor hours, and contractor costs; alert management to variances and help prepare cost estimates for planned projects.
Support regulatory and compliance reporting by collecting required documentation, participating in inspections, and ensuring records are maintained for audits (DOT, state utility commissions).
Facilitate continuous improvement initiatives by collecting crew feedback, identifying process bottlenecks in dispatch and field workflows, and participating in root-cause analysis and workflow redesigns.
Ensure vehicles and assigned equipment are maintained, inspected, and documented; coordinate scheduled servicing, repairs, and replacements with fleet maintenance.
Provide backup coverage for the operations control room or serve on the emergency on-call rotation as required during major storm events or outages.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and improve standard operating procedures (SOPs) and dispatch checklists for field activities and emergency response.
Support larger project coordination by assisting project managers with short-interval scheduling and field crew resource planning.
Participate in cross-functional planning meetings to align field capacity with upcoming construction or maintenance campaigns.
Help develop and maintain training materials and safety briefing templates used by crew leads.
Provide ad-hoc reporting and data extracts from CMMS and GIS to support planning, regulatory, or customer service teams.
Assist with pilot programs for new field technology (mobile forms, tablet rollouts, remote monitoring) and help coordinate field testing with crews.
Support contractor onboarding paperwork and insurance verification processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Crew scheduling and field dispatch experience using CMMS / Work Order Management Systems (e.g., Maximo, Cityworks, Oracle Utilities, Workday).
Strong familiarity with utility operations (electric distribution, gas mains, water distribution, sewer systems) and common field practices.
Proficient with GIS basics and spatial data updates (ArcGIS, QGIS, or mobile GIS apps) for asset location and as-built documentation.
Knowledge of OSHA regulations, DOT work zone rules, and industry traffic control practices (MUTCD).
Experience preparing permit packages and coordinating with permitting authorities and right-of-way stakeholders.
Competent in Microsoft Office suite (Excel for tracking and reporting, Outlook for communications) and mobile/tablet field apps.
Ability to interpret construction drawings, basic schematics, and site diagrams.
Familiarity with fleet and equipment scheduling, basic preventive maintenance planning, and service logs.
Radio dispatch and radio etiquette experience; comfortable with two-way radio systems and emergency communications protocols.
Incident command and emergency response coordination experience; knowledge of ICS principles desirable.
Basic budgeting and cost-tracking skills for field operations and material control.
Experience with timecard reconciliation, labor coding, and crew productivity reporting.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication; able to de-escalate customer issues and clearly brief crews and stakeholders.
Leadership and situational decision-making under pressure during outages and emergency events.
Excellent organization, prioritization, and multitasking skills in a dynamic field operations environment.
Problem solving and root-cause thinking to resolve scheduling conflicts, equipment shortages, and operational delays.
Teamwork and collaboration with technicians, supervisors, engineering, and customer service groups.
Customer-service orientation and professional demeanor when interfacing with the public or critical accounts.
Attention to detail for compliance documentation, permit accuracy, and as-built records.
Adaptability and flexibility for shift changes, on-call duties, and variable weather or emergency conditions.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills when coordinating contractor resources or competing priorities.
Continuous improvement mindset with an ability to collect field feedback and support process enhancements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or certificate in Construction Management, Utility Technology, Electrical Technology, or related technical field.
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering Technology, Business Operations, or similar is a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Construction Management / Construction Technology
Civil Engineering Technology
Utility Distribution Technology (Electric, Gas, Water)
Occupational Safety and Health
Business Operations / Logistics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3–7 years in utility field operations, dispatch, or crew coordination with at least 1–2 years supervising or coordinating crews.

Preferred:

5+ years of combined field and dispatch/coordination experience in municipal utilities, investor-owned utilities, or utility contractors.
Certifications such as OSHA 10/30, Traffic Control/Flagger certifications, First Aid/CPR, Confined Space, or a valid CDL where required.
Demonstrated experience using CMMS/GIS systems and emergency dispatch procedures.