A Project Manager at PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) plays a pivotal role in delivering safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy to millions of Californians. Operating within one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States, project managers here do not just manage timelines; they oversee critical infrastructure initiatives that directly impact public safety, grid resilience, and environmental sustainability. Whether you are leading wildfire mitigation efforts, gas transmission pipeline replacements, or software deployments for grid modernization, your work directly influences the safety and well-being of local communities.

This position requires navigating a complex, highly regulated utility environment. As a Project Manager, you will lead cross-functional teams consisting of engineers, field operations staff, environmental planners, and regulatory specialists. The scale and complexity of PG&E projects demand a unique blend of technical oversight, rigorous risk management, and exceptional stakeholder alignment. Managing these multi-million-dollar budgets and tight regulatory deadlines means your strategic decisions will have a visible, lasting impact on the physical and digital infrastructure of California.

To succeed in this role, you must possess a deep commitment to safety as an foundational value rather than just a compliance checkbox. PG&E is actively transforming its culture and operations, and project managers are at the front lines of this evolution. Candidates who thrive here are those who can lead with empathy, maintain composure under regulatory scrutiny, and drive operational excellence across complex, matrixed organizations.

To help you prepare effectively, we have analyzed real interview experiences to identify the most common question categories. The interview process at PG&E blends structured behavioral questions with situational scenarios designed to test how you operate under pressure.

Safety & Compliance

Because PG&E operates critical infrastructure, safety is the primary lens through which all candidates are evaluated. Expect questions that test your commitment to psychological safety, field safety, and compliance protocols.

• How do you ensure psychological safety at work and encourage team members to speak up about risks?
• Describe a time when you had to stop a project or delay a deadline due to a safety concern.

Preparing for an interview at PG&E requires a balanced approach that covers technical project management principles, data analysis, and behavioral alignment with utility operations.

Safety First Mindset – This is the most critical evaluation criterion at PG&E. You must demonstrate that safety is integrated into your daily decision-making process, both in terms of physical operations and psychological safety within your project teams. Be prepared to explain how you identify, log, and mitigate operational risks.

Stakeholder Navigation & Communication – PG&E projects involve complex webs of internal and external stakeholders. Interviewers will evaluate your ability to communicate clearly, resolve conflicts constructively, and build trust across different organizational levels, from field technicians to executive leadership.

Structured Problem Solving – You will be assessed on how you dissect complex, ambiguous problems. Whether you are analyzing a system diagram, resolving a resource bottleneck, or presenting a business case, the hiring team wants to see a logical, transparent, and methodical thought process.

Data & Analytical Competency – Many project management roles at PG&E require managing large datasets, tracking complex budgets, and reporting performance metrics. You should be comfortable demonstrating quantitative skills, such as analyzing project data in Excel or explaining variance in project budgets.

The interview process at PG&E is thorough and designed to ensure both technical capability and a strong alignment with the company’s safety-first culture. Depending on the specific department and seniority of the Project Manager role, the timeline can range from a few weeks to two months, sometimes involving up to seven distinct interview steps.

The process typically begins with an online application, followed by a recruiter phone screening to verify your background and expectations. From there, you will transition to a screening with the hiring manager, followed by a series of panel interviews. For more senior or specialized roles, you should expect a case study assessment where you are given a real-world scenario to analyze, followed by a presentation of your recommendations to senior stakeholders and teammates.

The interview process timeline above outlines the typical progression from your initial application to the final offer stage. Candidates should prepare for a thorough evaluation process that tests both high-level strategic thinking and hands-on execution skills. While the multi-stage process requires a sustained commitment, it ensures that you are fully aligned with the team's operational goals before your start date.

To excel in the PG&E hiring process, you must understand the specific competencies being evaluated at each stage. The interviewers will dig deep into your past experiences to see if your working style matches the demands of the utility sector.

Safety Leadership & Culture

Safety is not just a metric at PG&E; it is the foundation of every engineering and operational decision. Interviewers want to see that you do not compromise on safety standards for the sake of speed or budget. Strong performance in this area means showing that you proactively build safety margins into your schedules and foster an environment where team members feel safe to voice concerns.

Be ready to go over:

• Operational Risk Identification – How you systematically identify and document potential safety hazards in project plans.
• Psychological Safety – Techniques you use to ensure all team members feel comfortable flagging mistakes or halting work.
• Regulatory Compliance – Your familiarity with state and federal utility regulations and how you ensure project alignment.

Example scenarios:

• "Describe a time when you observed a peer or team member bypassing a safety protocol. How did you handle the situation?"
• "How do you balance aggressive project deadlines with strict safety and compliance requirements?"

Stakeholder Management & Conflict Resolution

As a Project Manager, you will sit at the intersection of various departments that often have conflicting goals. For example, engineering may prioritize technical perfection, while finance focuses on cost control, and operations demands minimal downtime. Your job is to facilitate alignment and drive consensus without alienating key contributors.

Be ready to go over:

• Managing Up – How you communicate project status, risks, and resource needs to directors and vice presidents.
• Handling Resistance – Strategies for winning over stakeholders who are resistant to project changes or new operational policies.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration – How you bridge communication gaps between office-based planners and field-based execution teams.

Example scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to implement a policy change that was highly unpopular with your project team."
• "How do you handle a situation where a critical stakeholder refuses to sign off on a key project deliverable?"

Analytical Execution & Data Management

PG&E relies heavily on data to optimize grid operations and manage capital expenditures. You must prove that you can handle large datasets, track complex project financials, and use data to drive your decision-making. Some interviews may include a practical test of your data manipulation capabilities.

Be ready to go over:

• Budget Tracking & Variance Analysis – How you manage multi-million-dollar budgets and explain cost variances to leadership.
• Project Metrics & KPIs – The specific quantitative metrics you use to measure project health and team productivity.
• Data-Driven Decision Making – How you extract actionable insights from raw data to solve project bottlenecks.

Advanced concepts (less common):

• Earned Value Management (EVM) principles.
• Agile and Scrum methodologies applied to infrastructure or software deployment projects.
• Grid system diagrams and power flow basics.

Example scenarios:

• "Describe a time when you used data to identify a bottleneck in your project and successfully resolved it."
• "How do you structure a status report when your project is experiencing significant budget and schedule variances?"