How To Become A Power System Dispatcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a power system dispatcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a power system dispatcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $22.6 an hour? That's $47,004 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -15% and produce -6,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScorePower System DispatcherUS Average

Salary

3.7

Avg. Salary $47,004

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.3

Growth rate -15%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 2.40%

Asian 1.48%

Black or African American 5.74%

Hispanic or Latino 7.85%

Unknown 5.47%

White 77.05%

Gender

female 24.80%

male 75.20%

Age - 46

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 46

Stress level

9.3

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.4

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.9

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a power system dispatcher

Explore power system dispatcher education requirements

Most common power system dispatcher degrees

Bachelor's

51.4 %

Associate

27.1 %

Master's

7.1 %

Start to develop specific power system dispatcher skills

Skills	Percentages
SCADA	23.51%
EMS	21.93%
NERC	18.98%
KV	14.64%
Electric Systems	4.27%

Complete relevant power system dispatcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 4-10 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New power system dispatchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a power system dispatcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real power system dispatcher resumes.

Research power system dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Achieve 2nd place in team competition for highest power seen by the battery at 20.6 Watts.
Manage inadvertent energy accounts to ensure they are keep in balance according to NERC reliability standards and WECC criteria.
Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Maintain balanced load and generation in accordance with principles of economic dispatch, NERC and WECC reliability standards.

Prepare your power system dispatcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your power system dispatcher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a power system dispatcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable power system dispatcher resume templates

Build a professional power system dispatcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your power system dispatcher resume.

Apply for power system dispatcher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a power system dispatcher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do power system dispatchers rate their job?

5/5

Based on 1 ratings

5 stars

4 stars

3 stars

2 stars

1 star

Power system dispatcher reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2022

Cons

Pay is not a liveable wage.

5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2019

Pros

Recieving the opportunity to train and educate myself with certified training. To be able to communicate and contribute a well documented dispatch call with accurate detailed information to complete the job.