Vice President Operations - OH Operations - Akron Fairlawn
FirstEnergy Corp

Job Info

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JOB DESCRIPTION

FirstEnergy at a Glance

We are a forward-thinking electric utility powered by a diverse team of employees committed to making customers' lives brighter, the environment better and our communities stronger.

FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy includes one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and a regulated generating fleet with a total capacity of more than 3,500 megawatts.

About the Opportunity

This is an open position with FirstEnergy Service Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.

This is a hybrid position (3 or more days on-site). While it is preferred the selected candidate reside and work in Akron, the position may be located in Brecksville.

Summary:

The Vice President, Distribution Operations serves as an executive for the State's 24/7 electric utility operations. The position is responsible and accountable for the safe production, delivery, and reliability of electricity in the most cost-effective manner, in compliance with regulatory requirements and with a focus toward ensuring future sustainability of operations. Specific areas of responsibility include Distribution Operations, Construction & Maintenance, Trouble Response, Storm Restoration, Meter Operations, and Customer Experience.

Financial responsibilities include the management of the budgets, including capital and O&M and achievement of KPIs. This position is also charged with working closely with the State President in the development of strategic and long-term operational plans and working closely with the Senior Leadership Team to proactively engage with public officials, industry leaders, suppliers, regulators, environmental groups, and customers, as necessary, to ensure FirstEnergy continues to meet and/or exceed its strategic objectives.

This position will provide ongoing direction and leadership for electric operations and will be charged with achieving performance excellence with a constant focus on continuous improvement by optimizing processes and technologies to improve upon system efficiencies. It provides direction and leadership from the following perspectives:

• Foster a leading with safety culture where employees own, promote and reinforce safe behaviors and feel empowered to speak up
• Demonstrate FE's core values of safety, integrity, diversity equity & inclusion, performance excellence and stewardship
• Establish and develop substantive working relationships with peers, staff and union leadership, and creates an environment of trust while implementing changes, where needed, to enhance FirstEnergy's culture of safety, compliance, inclusion, accountability, and innovation
• Initiate and monitor implementation of appropriate safety and environmental safeguards in accordance with applicable regulations and professional practice to ensure that employee, community and environmental hazards and impacts of operational activities are eliminated or reduced to acceptable risk levels
• Engage in strategic working relationships with community partners, governmental officials, and regional agencies where needed
• Continuously identifies opportunities to improve the customer experience with a focus on both system reliability and affordability
• Plan, organize, develop, and monitor the performance of assigned directors, managers, supervisors and staff, establishing plans for performance excellence and personal developmental targets
• Plan, organize, control, integrate and evaluate the work of the operational group
• Develop, implement, and monitor work plans to achieve organizational mission, goals and strategic objectives
• With the State President, direct and prepare annual operational and multi-year capital investment program budgets, establish budgetary control measures, allocate resources and personnel and monitor diverse work programs for compliance with budget targets
• Ensure execution of strategic objectives and deliver safe and reliable service, providing long-term value to stakeholders
• Operate electric systems in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, to include environmental and State reliability standards
• Operate, control and maintain distribution systems to include facilities, lines, and metering
• Construction of new and rehabilitation of existing electrical infrastructure
• Assume role of Incident Commander during major events in alignment with US FEMA Command Structure along with the execution of yearly preparedness exercises

Qualifications:

• Accomplished and approachable leader, with a demonstrated track record of safe operations excellence and people leadership
• Strong technical acumen, astute business and commercial skills, combined with the ability to inspire and lead a large team through industry shifts in operational requirements
• Fifteen (15) years relevant work experience, with increasing levels of responsibility in leadership roles. Relevant work experience includes utility operations (distribution and substation), distribution engineering, construction and project management, transmission, and distribution support
• An undergraduate degree is preferred. PE or MBA is also preferred, but not required
• Strategic vision and continuous improvement mindset

Specific knowledge and experience preferences include:

• Advanced leadership principles and methods, including strategic goal setting, organizational analysis, program development and implementation
• Experience leading safety improvement efforts and / or knowledge of industry related safety practices
• Experience leading a large geographically dispersed union workforce
• Organizational structure, functions, and interrelationships with other organizations and agencies
• Federal, state and local laws, regulations affecting the utility industry such as environmental compliance and reliability
• Operational and capital expense budgeting
• Electric utility design, engineering, system planning and operations and maintenance practices
• Engineering and construction best practices
• Reliability performance monitoring
• Contracting management practices, performance standards and contract modification
• General understanding of rate making and tariffs
• Negotiating and implementing collective bargaining agreements and working collaboratively with union leadership teams

Ability to:

• Lead by example, facilitate and lead teams through change, and promote the values of trust and integrity
• Analyze difficult and complex issues and strategies, reach sound and logical fact-based conclusions and recommendations
• Understand, interpret, explain, and apply local, state, and federal policy, law, regulation, and court decisions as they relate to operations
• Lead, facilitate and/or participate in the strategic planning, organization design, implementation and monitoring of comprehensive programs
• Evaluate departmental practices and make sound recommendations for improvements; develop and implement appropriate procedures and controls
• Exercise sound expert independent judgment and political acumen within general policy guidelines
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of employees, elected officials, business and community leaders, media representatives and the public
• Read and interpret technically complex documents, drawings and engineering specifications
• Communicate and respond to inquiries or complaints from employees, customers, regulatory agencies or members of the community

Benefits, Compensation & Workforce Diversity

At FirstEnergy, employees are key to our success. We depend on their talents to meet the challenges of our changing business environment. We are committed to rewarding individual and team efforts through our total rewards philosophy which includes competitive pay plus incentive compensation, a company-sponsored pension plan, 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution, a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs, as well as skills development training with tuition reimbursement. Please visit our website at www.firstenergycorp.com to learn more about all of our employee rewards programs. FirstEnergy proudly supports workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract. Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.

Safety

Safety is a core value for FirstEnergy and is essential to all of our business activities. We ensure employees have the tools, information, and processes to perform their duties in a manner that assures safety for themselves, their co-workers, our customers and the public. Our goals are to provide a safe work environment, to maintain an accident-free, injury-free workplace, and to promote and maintain public safety. To meet these goals, we dedicate ourselves to achieving world-class safety standards.

Position Classification

Exempt

FirstEnergy Human Resources Team

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