Director of Capital Planning

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Director of Capital Planning is responsible for developing, managing, and optimizing the company’s capital improvement program (CIP) to support safe, reliable, and compliant utility operations. This role leads the planning, prioritization, and financial alignment of capital investments, ensuring projects are driven by field needs, regulatory requirements, asset condition, and rate recovery considerations. This role will report to the Chief Operating Officer of the company.

The position serves as a critical link between operations, engineering, finance, and regulatory functions, translating operational needs into defensible capital plans that support long-term infrastructure sustainability and successful cost recovery through regulatory processes.

Key Responsibilities

Capital Planning & Prioritization

• Develop and manage a multi-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) based on:
  • Field-identified operational and maintenance needs
  • Asset condition, performance, and lifecycle requirements
• Prioritize capital projects using a structured framework that includes:
  • System reliability and risk of failure
  • Regulatory and compliance requirements
  • Customer impact (service continuity, water quality, safety)
  • Rate recovery considerations , including eligibility, timing, and alignment with rate cycles
• Balance operational urgency with financial recoverability to optimize outcomes

Regulatory & Compliance Alignment

• Ensure capital plans support compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements
• Incorporate obligations from permits, consent decrees, and enforcement actions into planning
• Partner with regulatory and compliance teams to anticipate and plan for future requirements
• Maintain documentation supporting prudency and necessity of capital investments

Asset Management Integration

• Align capital planning with asset management strategies and risk frameworks
• Utilize asset data (condition, criticality, failure history) to inform investment decisions
• Support development of long-term asset lifecycle and replacement strategies

Field & Operations Coordination

• Serve as the primary liaison between field operations and capital planning/finance
• Gather, validate, and standardize project requests from operations and regional teams
• Ensure projects are accurately scoped, cost-estimated, and aligned with operational needs

Capital Budgeting & Rate Case Support

• Develop and manage the annual and long-range capital budgets (CapEx)
• Support rate cases and regulatory filings by preparing:
  • Project justifications
  • Supporting financial and operational documentation
• Ensure capital investments meet regulatory prudency standards for cost recovery
• Coordinate with finance and regulatory teams on rate base and recovery timing impacts

Governance & Project Prioritization

• Establish and maintain a formal capital prioritization and governance process
• Facilitate cross-functional review and approval of capital projects
• Ensure consistency, transparency, and defensibility in investment decisions

Financial Planning & Tracking

• Develop long-term capital forecasts aligned with regulatory and business planning cycles
• Monitor actual vs. planned capital expenditures and adjust forecasts as needed
• Partner with finance on:
  • Funding strategies (debt, equity, etc.)
  • Cash flow and revenue requirement impacts
• Identify and communicate financial risks and variances

Reporting & Transparency

• Prepare reports for leadership and regulators on:
  • Capital spending performance
  • Project status and delivery metrics
  • Key drivers of investment
• Maintain audit-ready documentation for all capital decisions
• Support regulatory data requests and proceedings

Process Improvement & Systems

• Drive continuous improvement of capital planning processes and tools
• Standardize project scoping, estimating, and prioritization methodologies
• Support implementation and optimization of systems such as:
  • Asset management platforms
  • GIS and CMMS systems

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Lead coordination across operations, engineering, finance, and regulatory teams
• Align infrastructure planning with organizational strategy and regulatory constraints
• Contribute to long-term planning and infrastructure investment strategy

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Business, or a related field
• Master’s degree (MBA or related) preferred

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in capital planning, utility operations, engineering, or finance
• Experience in a regulated utility environment (water, wastewater, electric, or gas) strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience with:
  • Capital budgeting and forecasting
  • Asset management or infrastructure planning
  • Regulatory processes and rate case support

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong understanding of regulated utility business models and rate recovery mechanisms
• Ability to balance operational needs, regulatory requirements, and financial constraints
• Experience developing and managing multi-year capital plans (CIP)
• Proficiency in financial analysis, forecasting, and capital modeling
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent communication skills, including ability to present to executive leadership and regulators
• Familiarity with asset management systems, GIS, and/or CMMS platforms

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based with periodic field visits
• Occasional travel to operational sites as needed

Why This Role Matters

This role ensures that critical infrastructure investments are timely, compliant, and financially sustainable , directly supporting the company’s ability to deliver safe, reliable service while achieving regulatory approval for cost recovery.