Dir Engineering

Consumers Energy•Jackson, MI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of System Protection is responsible for electrical protective relaying schemes across the Consumers Energy electric system, including generation, High Voltage Distribution (HVD), Low Voltage Distribution (LVD), fault analysis, HVD communications infrastructure, and SCADA configuration. The role oversees generation protection for generating-station equipment and systems; HVD protection for the company-owned 138kV and 46kV systems; LVD protection for the distribution system below 25kV; fault-analysis work that monitors protection performance, locates faults, supports outage restoration, and troubleshoots protection issues; and Technology Solutions work supporting communications to HVD assets and RTU configuration. The role also includes responsibility for distributed energy resource interconnection protection. The Director leads a specialized team providing protection and SCADA engineering support to electrical projects, including relay recommendations and settings. The position oversees protection-system operations and performance, applicable NERC PRC compliance, budgets for relay replacement and maintenance, and team responses to outages, system reconfigurations, and fault analysis. It represents Consumers Energy's system-protection interests with customers, industry organizations, contractors, regulators, and company leadership, and guides evaluation of technology, protection schemes, SCADA systems, specifications, and standards. This is a hybrid position with required onsite days Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at the Parnall Office in Jackson, Michigan. Other service centers supporting Electric Distribution may be considered. The selected candidate must be within commuting distance or willing to relocate; the posting states that a relocation package is available for those who qualify. The position is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship, including H-1B or TN sponsorship, or employment under CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering from an ABET-accredited program and ten or more years of project-management experience in a regulatory environment; alternatively, a bachelor's degree in Engineering from a non-ABET-accredited program, a Professional Engineering license, and ten or more years of project-management experience in a regulatory environment.
Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to manage one's own time and the time of others.
Ability to plan, implement, and evaluate programs.
Ability to effectively manage projects.
Strong understanding of quality-assurance processes and best practices.
Working knowledge of agile development methodology.
Expertise working across multiple engineering disciplines.
Detailed knowledge of electric utility protection systems and operations.
Ability to read, understand, and navigate engineering drawings, including one-line diagrams and detailed AC and DC schematic control diagrams.
Ability to provide technical direction on major electric-system components, including symmetrical components, electrical short-circuit modeling, and protective-relay performance and characteristics.
Ability to use and promote new technology and innovation, specialized computer software, macros, and program development to manage protection-system databases and document recommendations, settings, and maintenance.

Responsibilities

Establish and monitor systems and procedures for measuring progress and solving problems.
Coordinate preparation of reports required by senior leadership or regulatory agencies.
Develop budgets, schedules, and performance standards for engineering programs.
Evaluate and select vendors for engineering supplies and equipment, and negotiate research contracts and agreements with outside contractors.
Review project proposals and plans to determine timelines, funding limits, procedures, staffing, and resource allocations; oversee engineering projects from conception through completion to ensure budget, schedule, and quality requirements are met.
Direct department project activities to keep projects on schedule and within budget.
Confer with project personnel to establish work plans and assign duties, responsibilities, and scope of authority.
Investigate complaints about engineering products or services and take corrective action.
Monitor project progress and make adjustments as needed to ensure timely completion.
Direct a specialized team providing protection and SCADA engineering support to electrical projects through relay recommendations and relay settings.
Support the operation and performance of HVD, LVD, and generation protection systems through fault analysis, problem solving, and statistical analysis.
Oversee the group's compliance with applicable NERC PRC (Protection and Control) standards.
Manage scheduling and the capital budget for obsolete relay replacements and communications and RTU replacements.
Manage the O&M budget for routine HVD relay maintenance, demand failures, and project relay-setting changes.
Coordinate team responses to emergent outages, system reconfigurations, and fault analysis to support prompt customer outage restoration, including monitoring System Control pages.
Represent Consumers Energy system-protection interests in meetings with customers, METC/ITC, contractors, EFL, MPSC, NERC, and upper management.
Guide evaluation of new technology and applications for protective schemes and SCADA systems, and develop specifications and functional designs for protection-scheme standards.
Perform other duties as assigned or necessary.