Director, Emergency Preparedness & Resilience Strategy

US Diversity Job Search; Reading (Berks County); On-site; USD 197,000 - 284,000; Full time

Job summary

FirstEnergy is seeking a Director of Emergency Preparedness to lead the company’s emergency planning, response, and resilience programs. This role integrates weather intelligence, data science, and operational excellence to protect employees, customers, and critical infrastructure.

The candidate will coordinate with operations, regulators, and partners to ensure a cohesive approach to major restoration events, leading training, analytics, and technology strategy across the enterprise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in emergency management, Engineering, Meteorology, Data Science, or a related field.
• Master's degree or advanced certification (CEM, PMP, Lean/Six Sigma, or similar) preferred.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressive experience in emergency preparedness, electric utility operations, or incident management.
• Demonstrated leadership experience managing major storm events and large-scale electric system restoration activities.
• Experience with utility mutual assistance networks and large event logistics.
• Strong working knowledge of electric utility operations, ICS/NIMS, and regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to leverage weather data, analytics, and technology in operational decision-making.
• Strategic leadership during high-impact, time-sensitive events.
• Advanced situational awareness and analytical decision-making capability.
• Strong collaboration across operating companies and enterprise functions.
• Effective executive communication and stakeholder engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, execution, and continuous improvement of Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs).
• Direct preparedness and response activities for major system emergencies, including severe storms, wildfires, heat events, winter weather, and infrastructure failures.
• Oversee incident command activation and ensure ICS/NIMS compliance.
• Lead after-action reviews and track corrective actions.
• Drive organizational change to embed preparedness and resilience into electric operations culture.
• Oversee use of weather data to anticipate restoration challenges and guide decisions.

Skills

Emergency management

Operations leadership

Weather data

ICS/NIMS knowledge

Regulatory knowledge

Data analytics

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Tools

OMS

Weather platforms

Job description

FirstEnergy is seeking a Director of Emergency Preparedness to lead the company’s emergency planning, response, and resilience programs. This role integrates weather intelligence, data science, and operational excellence to protect employees, customers, and critical infrastructure.

The candidate will coordinate with operations, regulators, and partners to ensure a cohesive approach to major restoration events, leading training, analytics, and technology strategy across the enterprise.