Consider an Electric Cooperative Career

The search for a purposeful career can begin and end at your local electric cooperative because working toward a greater purpose is at the heart of the co-op business model. Electric co-ops are community-focused organizations that deliver safe, reliable and affordable energy to the consumer-members they serve.

Electric co-ops need a variety of skill sets to develop new technologies and infrastructure, keep the electric grid secure and power the lives and economy of our local communities.

Check out the job openings below. You may also post your résumé and search for employment with other Kansas electric cooperatives—and electric cooperatives in other states—by visiting our online nationwide Career Center.

KEC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. KEC does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

 

The communications intern will work on a variety of hands-on, portfolio-building projects that support the rural electric cooperatives in Kansas. Internships are offered in the summer, and fall and spring semesters. Your responsibilities could include assisting with the publication of a monthly magazine, designing print materials, writing articles for the magazine and an internal newsletter, providing event support for youth programs, photography assignments, and more. This internship offers flexible start/end dates and will take into account your class schedule. The position works from the Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. headquarters in Topeka. Hours are flexible, but will be scheduled during business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday). Applicants must be a junior or senior in college majoring in communications, journalism, marketing, public relations, or related field. For more information, email sread@kec.org.

  • Line Technician Apprentice I-IV - Garden City

  • Journey Line Technician - Garden City

  • Transmission Engineer I - Great Bend

  • Transmission Engineer II - Great Bend

  • Line Technician Apprentice I-IV - Great Bend

  • Journey Line Technician - Great Bend

  • Relay Supervisor (Substation Automation and Protection Supervisor) - Great Bend

  • External Affairs Intern - Hays

  • Senior Manager, Application Integration Management - Hays

  • Manager, Corporate Safety - Hays/Holcomb

  • Mechanic I-Sr - Holcomb

  • Mechanic I-IV - Cimarron River Station (Liberal)

  • Operator Technician Mechanic I-IV - Cimarron River Station (Liberal)

Apply for Sunflower Careers

  • Accountant (Topeka)
  • Accounts Payable Specialist (Topeka)

Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled. If you would like to apply for one of the positions listed above, please click here (link is external).

 

If you have questions regarding FreeState’s career opportunities, please contact Chelsea Renyer, HR Generalist, via email at chelsea.renyer@freestate.coop or by telephone at (785) 438-4816. 

Top 10 Reasons To Consider a Co-op Career

There are many ways to earn a paycheck, but some are more rewarding than others. Here are 10 reasons to consider joining the electric cooperative family.

10. Tech-focused

The electricity industry is at the leading edge of a global energy revolution. Rapid advances in renewable generation, energy storage and smart grid technologies will change the way we use electricity. If you work at an electric cooperative, you can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime industry transformation.

9. Business on a human scale

Cooperatives hold themselves to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity while still maintaining a close-knit, family-friendly working environment. Decisions are made locally by managers who know employees by name, not halfway across the country in some corporate headquarters. Their smaller size and local control also gives co-ops more flexibility to innovate and try new ideas to improve the service they provide.

8. Support a clean environment

Electricity is one of our cleanest energy sources, and as technology improves, electric cars, next-generation heating and cooling systems, home automation and other forms of environmentally beneficial electrification will reduce our reliance on less efficient forms of energy.

7. Retirement security

It might seem a long way off today, but we all need to plan for retirement. Co-op employees deliver a valuable service to their communities, and they’re rewarded for that dedication with outstanding retirement benefits.

6. National reach

America’s 900-plus electric cooperatives serve 47 states and 56 percent of our nation’s landmass. So whether you want to stay in your hometown or explore another part of the country, odds are good that there will be an electric cooperative nearby.

5. Stability

There are no guarantees in life, but some bets are safer than others. Electronics play a critical and growing role in our daily lives, and as our reliance on technology increases, so too will our demand for electricity. As long as we need electricity, we’ll need workers to ensure it is safe, reliable and affordable.

4. Principles, not profit

When you work for an electric cooperative, you’re not helping some out-of-towner get richer. You’re working to serve your friends, family and neighbors who collectively own the cooperative.

3. Join a global movement

As a member of the co-op family, you’re part of something much larger than yourself. The cooperative movement represents a human-centered, ethically driven way of doing business. More than 250 million people around the world earn their living working in cooperatives, and the cooperative economy generates approximately $2.5 trillion in global economic activity each year.

2. Competitive pay

You won’t get rich working for your local electric co-op, but you’ll enjoy excellent pay and benefits that can help you and the people you love achieve the American dream.

1. Build a stronger community

Safe, reliable and affordable energy is critical to the health and prosperity of a community. Electric cooperatives power our homes, schools, farms and businesses, and keep rural America connected to the global economy.