Staff Compliance Specialist

FirstEnergy Corp; Akron (OH); On-site; USD 107,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension plan

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance

Dental and vision coverage

Job summary

FirstEnergy Corp in Akron, OH seeks a Staff Compliance Specialist to lead policy development and monitoring for NERC CIP compliance. You will coordinate with Transmission, IT, and operations to revise cyber asset practices, prepare audit evidence, and ensure timely compliance deliverables.

The role requires strong data reporting, costing and analysis capabilities, plus deep knowledge of NERC reliability standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, Engineering, Business Administration, or related discipline with 10+ years' experience preferred.
• Advanced degree or professional certification preferred.
• In lieu of a degree, 13 years of direct, related industry experience will be considered.
• Experience with data reporting, analysis, costing and recommendations, and in-depth subject matter knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Assist with development and monitoring of Energy Delivery asset policies and procedures to comply with FirstEnergy and NERC policies.
• Revise and develop cyber asset work practices in coordination with multiple departments.
• Improve processes for transmission work initiation to ensure NERC CIP v5 compliance.
• Maintain compliance program infrastructure and related policies and procedures.
• Developing and conducting training on Asset Policy & Reporting procedures.
• Lead CIP Change Control meetings to record cyber asset changes for audits.
• Prepare evidence for NERC periodic audits and maintain evidence for compliance.
• Investigate events to verify compliance and respond to RFIs from NERC and regulators.
• Identify risks and propose solutions to improve reliability and compliance information.

Skills

Data reporting

Analysis

Costing

Regulatory compliance

Policy interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/Engineering/Business or related

Advanced degree or professional certification preferred

13 years of direct related industry experience in lieu of degree

Tools

CASCADE

PowerBI

SAP

FileNet (Content Navigator)

SQL/ODBC reporting

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.

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the CIP Asset Policy & Reporting Manager, the responsibilities of this position include assisting with the development and ongoing monitoring and training of Energy Delivery staff the required asset policies and procedures to comply with FirstEnergy and North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) policies and procedures.
• The Analyst will be responsible for:
  • Revising existing and developing new Energy Delivery cyber asset work practices and procedures in coordination with Transmission Protection & Planning, Transmission Engineering, Project Management, Energy Delivery Operations, and Information Technology departments.
  • Improving FirstEnergy processes associated with the initiation of transmission work, both maintenance expense and capital, to ensure compliance to NERC Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP V5) guidelines.
  • Maintaining and revising as needed FirstEnergy (FE) compliance program infrastructure including the administration and maintenance of compliance policies, programs, and procedures related to the North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) CIP Reliability Standards.
  • Have a working knowledge of work management processes and SQL/ODBC report building of related systems in CASCADE, PowerBase, EDOA, PowerBI, FileNet (Content Navigator), and SAP.
  • Develops and conducts initial and ongoing training on Asset Policy & Reporting procedures.
  • Work with Transmission stakeholders and employees to address questions and provide consistent policy and procedure interpretations.
  • Recommend improvements to processes associated with cyber asset installation, removal, and modifications.
  • Lead and participate in weekly CIP Medium Impact and Low Impact Change Control meetings to ensure all cyber assets changes are recorded as audit evidence.
  • Participate & prepare evidence for periodic audits performed by NERC which assess FirstEnergy's (FE) compliance with the NERC Reliability Standards (gather evidence, draft responses, prepare witnesses, etc.)
  • Maintain systems to track/ monitor compliance with the NERC reliability standards.
  • Investigate system events to determine if compliance was maintained during the events.
  • Respond to requests for information (RFIs) from NERC Regional Entities and other regulators.
  • Proactively identify areas of risk in FirstEnergy's (FE) compliance with the NERC Reliability Standards and develop solutions to mitigate those risks.
  • Collaborate with other FirstEnergy (FE) business units to compile and validate evidence.
  • Must be comfortable ensuring timely completion of all compliance deliverables as required by the NERC reliability standards.
  • Ability to perform in-depth reviews of business unit processes, procedures, and related controls to determine the effectiveness of reliability standards adherence and compliance practices.
  • Develop performance measures and monitoring tools to assure compliance with compliance policies and procedures for planned and unplanned work activity.
  • Lead discussions to help ensures compliance to policy and procedure and consistency in application among Operating Companies by coordinating monitoring efforts and compiling results from Operating Company staff.
  • Identify performance gaps and propose solutions, communications, and training based on compliance results.
  • Make recommendations to influence future policy, procedure, process, and technology changes to improve the overall accuracy and reliability of compliance information.
  • Supporting the Emergency Plan through participating in the assigned storm duties including hazard response and hazard dispatch activities.
  • Working independently and in unison with others including region and plant personnel as well as other departments and outside contractors.
  • An employee hired at the Staff Compliance Specialist level will be expected to perform all the above responsibilities with high proficiency, and in an independent manner.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Business Administration, or related discipline with a minimum 10+ years' professional work experience is preferred.
• An advanced degree or professional certification is preferred.
• In lieu of a degree, 13 years of direct, related industry experience will be considered.
• The experience must be at a professional (exempt) level which also includes data reporting, analysis, costing and recommendations, along with an in-depth understanding of the subject matter.

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.
• FirstEnergy takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. In addition, your actual base salary will depend on various factors such as your skills, qualifications, and experience. The estimated pay range for this role is $107,100-$151,200. The pay range for certain locations, including the state of New Jersey, include a 20% differential to account for an increased cost of living, making the pay range $128,520-$181,440. FirstEnergy Human Resources Team

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.