Transmission Operations Spec

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.

This position is within the Energy Delivery Transmission Operations Support (EDTOS) Tools and Technology (T&T) group. EDTOS groups, including T&T, support the 24/7 operations of FirstEnergy’s (FE’s) three transmission System Control Centers (SCCs) in Akron, OH and Fairmont, WV as well as their respective Back Up Control Centers (BCCs) in Wadsworth, OH and Fairmont, WV. The SCCs provide 24/7 oversight of FE’s transmission grid through monitoring, optimizing, and control. T&T provides support in the implementation, maintenance, and improvement of tools, technology, and procedures related to the SCCs and BCCs. Positions within T&T are very dynamic and execute a wide variety of work over a spectrum of scopes. As a result, candidates filling these positions will conduct frequent interaction with peers and leadership, particularly through status updates on initiatives and projects.

IMPORTANT - This position is located at the Fairmont, WV Control Center facility. 

Responsibilities include:

• Demonstrating a solid commitment to all aspects of safety
• Being or becoming a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in Control Room technology and applications including A/V and telecommunications systems
• Serving as the technical lead for Operations on development, configuration, and operation of critical work management programs
• Being or becoming proficient in various software, analysis packages, and visualization tools including Excel, PowerPoint, and Sharepoint
• Conducting tenacious troubleshooting analysis and follow-up actions on various technology issues, including reported Control Room related items, by implementing and tracking corrective actions immediately or by forwarding to proper group or external vendors and tracking to completion
• Serving as a project manager for initiatives (sometimes simultaneously) of various scopes and timelines
• Coordinating with outside departments or vendors for technology upgrades
• Database administration including:
  • Defining data, maintenance, and developing operational guidelines.
  • Ensuring the accuracy and completeness of data
  • Maintaining security and internal controls for data integrity
  • Formulates and monitors policies, procedures, and standards relating to databases.
  • Work with business units to implement enhancements that improve the performance and reliability of the application.
• Preparing technical reports and summaries, sometimes on an ad hoc basis and making presentations when necessary
• Actively seeking formal and informal learning opportunities to better understand departmental procedures
• Providing off-hours support to the Control Room as needed (typically infrequently) during large restoration incidents
• Being a representative at annual industry related conferences and meetings external to FE

An employee hired at the Transmission Operations Specialist II and III level will be expected to perform all of the above responsibilities with more proficiency, and in a more independent manner.  Further, the Transmission Operations Specialist II and III level employee will be assigned additional responsibilities related to those above.

Qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related technical field preferred; in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree an Associate degree in a related technical field preferred
• Minimum 1 year of related experience. Related work experience includes the development, configuration, and operation of applications and programs. As well as experience identifying and acting on process improvements, analyzing and projecting work that must be performed, monitoring requirements to completion. Database Management and Audio and Video experience preferred.
• Self-motivated, self-starter, customer focused, and results oriented but work effectively with team members or independently
• Ability to drive and manage simultaneous projects and tasks to completion within established deadlines and with a high degree of quality, accuracy, and reliability
• Demonstrated proficiency in proactively communicating with team members, stake holders, and external partners regarding initiatives, tasks, projects, studies and deadlines
• Demonstrated abilities of effective analytical and reasoning capabilities
• Refined oral and written communication skills, including ability to effectively structure and confidently present information to peers and leadership
• Possess a working knowledge of Microsoft Office tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Word
• Possess basic researching skills
• Desire to continue to learn and grow, work across FirstEnergy, and deliver results
• Ability to travel infrequently from the Fairmont, WV facilities to the Akron, OH area facilities if needed
• Proven ability to be well organized
• Strong interest and knowledge in emerging A/V, communications and various system technologies
• Basic networking knowledge and experience
• Preference given to candidates with the following:
• Experience utilizing troubleshooting skills and strategies
• Programming experience in a variety of platforms or languages (coding on Unix, Windows, or web-based platforms)
• Proficiency with statistics
• Familiarization with the Incident Command System (ICS)
• Financial experience, particularly with purchase orders, invoicing, capital projects, OPPM or similar
• Technical writing experience
• Database management and maintenance
• Public speaking experience
• Experience with any or all the following internal and external applications
  • Energy Management System (EMS)
  • Energy Delivery Outage Application (EDOA)
  • System Outage Request (SOR) application
  • Fault Analysis Lightning Location System (FALLS)
  • Regulatory Authorization Access Database (RAAD)
  • Global Learning System (GLS)
  • Systems Applications and Products (SAP)
  • Microsoft Project

EEI Testing

We administer selection tests for a variety of positions. The required tests have been developed by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a trade association of investor-owned electric utility companies. We strongly encourage potential employees to review all information, including the sample test brochures, and to use the available practice tests before taking the actual tests. Click this link to access the practice tests. You will be prompted for a name and password. Use firstenergy for both.

https://secure.eei.org/eeitests/onlineproducts/Login.aspx

Practice tests provide sample questions and detailed discussions of the correct answers. It's important to take the practice test as you would the actual one, with similar intensity and concentration. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer.

Note: EEI website does not allow access to actual tests. Testing is held at various locations throughout our service territory based on where the job is located.

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

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FirstEnergy Human Resources Team