Substation Design Engineering Supervisor

Job Title: Supervisor, Substation Engineering Design

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 Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. The Supervisor, Substation Engineering Design, will be a self-directed individual with a strong ability to perform detailed engineering, and manage multiple projects being worked on by their design group. This position requires an in-depth understanding of all facets of substation design standards, construction practices and safe work practices / methods. The selected candidate will manage the work of an internal engineering staff engaged in a wide variety of engineering projects, including physical construction, relaying, telecommunications, supervisory control, detail wiring and environmental control. The selected candidate will report on the progress of various projects and advise of any issues that could impair the successful completion of the project on a proactive basis.

Responsibilities include:

• Providing technical direction to internal design team. Making sure that the design team has been provided, or have developed, a detailed conceptual layout, scope, and estimate for each project that they are working on, and making sure that this project scope is not changed without documented project sponsor approval.
• Supervising the development of bills of materials for substation projects and requisition materials and equipment in a timely manner.
• Reviewing engineering drawings, related documentation and designs provided by the internal staff for technical accuracy, feasibility, and compliance with FirstEnergy Standards. This entails the detailed review of conceptual layouts, one-lines, schematic drawings, and material lists/documentation and spot-checking of detailed wiring and other drawings.
• Ascertaining whether all necessary drawings and related documentation have been provided for the project.
• Reviewing design work for compliance with least cost and optimum design criteria.
• Monitoring follow-up drawings and documentation provided to correct records where necessary in accordance with the "as-built" documentation requirements for the project.
• Evaluating all costs associated with assigned projects for correctness, compliance with project scope and to assess whether the project will complete within the budget established for the project. Providing monthly forecast updates to document delivery and cash flow changes throughout the course of the project.
• Assisting the project manager in coordinating with construction, on-site supervision, suppliers, purchasing and supervision as necessary to assure that contracted projects go forward without any avoidable delay and to assure project completion by the established in-service date.
• Monitoring and controlling assigned projects to ensure the design team safely achieves the project deliverables within the approved scope and schedule.
• Supporting and sustaining FirstEnergy as a high performing organization by contributing to excellent organizational performance and values of FirstEnergy through responsible effective work performance.
• Convening internal project schedule compliance review meetings with the design team to assure completion of the assigned project on time and within the project budget.

Qualifications include:

• A Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from an ABET accredited institution, plus a minimum of 8 years of experience is required. An Electrical Engineering degree is preferred, but other degrees will be given consideration. In lieu of a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, 15 years of multi-disciplined technical experience is required.
• Professional Engineering (PE) License preferred.
• Comprehensive knowledge of all facets of substation design sufficient to assure compliance with FE engineering practices, engineering standards, budget practices and field practices.
• Working knowledge of substation construction methods sufficient to assure that the project can be constructed as proposed. This includes assessing issues regarding electrical clearances, outage coordination requirements, material procurement, equipment availability and establishing a working relationship with personnel in those areas of the Company that will need to coordinate to implement the project.
• Ability to evaluate the design for compliance with FE safety practices and Safety by Design and to assure that the design will not compromise reliability of the FE system.
• Working knowledge of budget documentation requirements.
• Working knowledge of applicable computer software necessary to fulfill job duties.
• Must be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously and be able to work effectively under the pressure of deadlines, unexpected developments, changes in project scope, budget constraints, unforeseen field problems and demands on time for work assignments outside of the normal duties.
• Must develop and maintain personal relationships that further facilitate the cooperation needed to complete assigned tasks and that will inspire others to achieve, or exceed, goals.
• Ability to establish practical priorities in the face of conflicting demands.
• Ability to make practical decisions without undue delay and based on the best information available at the time that the decision must be made.
• Must have strong problem-solving skills, be self-directed, and can work independently.
• Must be able to communicate effectively both written and verbally, providing comprehensive project status reports, clear and concise correspondence, clear direction to field personnel, and accurate information to purchasing personnel.
• Must be able to resolve obstructions to assure that projects go forward as intended.
• Must possess strong organizational and computer skills.

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. 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.

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.