Raihan Khondker

About Raihan Khondker

I work at the intersection of energy infrastructure, engineering, technology, and public safety. Most of my career has been spent in environments where reliability is operational, not theoretical.Over the past 18+ years, I have worked across electrical and nuclear engineering, advanced R&D, outage and control room operations, grid reliability, regulatory programs, and large‑scale infrastructure readiness—often in roles where engineering decisions have immediate consequences for system stability and public safety.At ERCOT, I lead the statewide weatherization and inspection program covering more than 1,460 power generation facilities and 6,700 transmission substations, including nuclear. I built the program end‑to‑end across operations, analytics, governance, and field execution. Since implementation, it has contributed to roughly a 78% reduction in winter‑related outages and stronger performance during record peak demand conditions. My work extends beyond inspections into how generation owners operate, how transmission entities prepare infrastructure, and how operational data informs system‑wide decisions.Earlier in my career, I led advanced nuclear research and life‑extension programs focused on safety‑critical equipment reliability in nuclear power plants. Partnering with U.S. national laboratories, EPRI, and Kinectrics, this work advanced engineering approaches for managing aging electrical infrastructure in nuclear facilities.I have also participated in international collaboration through organizations such as the IAEA, and EPRI, contributing to standards, industry guidance, and cross‑institutional research on energy infrastructure reliability with teams across North America, Europe, and Asia.More recently, I have focused on modernizing critical infrastructure programs using platforms such as Databricks and ServiceNow, applying advanced analytics to field inspection programs to improve decision quality, reduce rework, and strengthen operational performance.I have led teams across outage operations, engineering programs, regulatory coordination, and field inspection organizations. My leadership approach is practical and disciplined, grounded in engineering fundamentals, operational clarity, and accountability.I also serve on advisory boards and technical committees supporting organizations focused on infrastructure reliability, engineering standards, and long‑term energy system resilience. As a speaker and panelist, I advocate for modernization that strengthens—not compromises—grid reliability.

Experience

1. Manager, Generation and Transmission Weatherization and Inspection

   ERCOT

   May 2022 — Present · Austin, TX, US

   Led ERCOT’s Generation & Transmission Weatherization and Inspection Program, accountable for statewide grid readiness across 1,450+ generation resources and ~6,700 substations serving ~30 million customers, following Winter Storm Uri.

Education

• Brown University

  Master of Science in Engineering, Technology Leadership

• West Texas A&M University

  Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Strategic Leadership

  2016 — 2017

• University of Ottawa

  BASc in Electrical Engineering, Systems & Controls

  2003 — 2008