Production
Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Also called: Control Area Operator, Control Operator, Dispatcher, Distribution System Dispatcher (DSD)
US median pay
$106,730
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+1.2%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
700
8,600 employed
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
Preparation 3/5 · Medium preparation
What this job is
Coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
What they do day to day
- 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.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Operations Monitoring3.2/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.2/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.2/5
- Operation and Control3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Coordination3.0/5
- Systems Analysis2.9/5
- Systems Evaluation2.8/5
Knowledge
- English Language3.9/5
- Public Safety and Security3.7/5
- Mathematics3.5/5
- Computers and Electronics3.5/5
- Telecommunications3.5/5
- Engineering and Technology3.5/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 3 of 5 — Medium preparation. Usually vocational training, an associate's degree or an apprenticeship.
Typical entry education (BLS): High school diploma or equivalent.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Post-secondary certificate40%
- Associate's degree24%
- High school diploma22%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Enterprising
Leading, persuading and starting things
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.