Director Customer Programs and Solutions - Customer Policy & Solutions - Akron FirstEnergy Headquarters
FirstEnergy · Akron
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 Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.
This is a full-time, on-site position located in one of the FirstEnergy locations in: Akron, OH; Greensburg, PA, Reading, PA; Holmdel, NJ, Fairmont, WV and Frederick, MD.
This position is within the FE Pennsylvania organization and reports to the President, FE Pennsylvania.
Key responsibilities include:
Strategic Leadership
- Develop and execute FirstEnergy's enterprise strategy for customer programs, distributed energy resources (DERs), electrification, virtual power plants (VPPs), demand flexibility, and emerging customer energy solutions.
- Identify opportunities to leverage customer participation to support grid reliability, affordability, resiliency, peak demand management, and evolving system needs.
- Serve as the company's business lead for customer-facing grid modernization initiatives, ensuring alignment between customer needs, regulatory requirements, and utility operational objectives.
- Build a multi-state roadmap for customer program expansion across FirstEnergy's operating companies.
Regulatory Strategy & Program Development
- Lead development of regulatory filings, business cases, testimony support, and stakeholder engagement associated with customer programs and grid flexibility initiatives.
- Partner with Regulatory Affairs, Rates, Legal, Engineering, Operations, and State Leadership teams to secure program approvals and cost recovery mechanisms.
- Represent FirstEnergy before public utility commissions, state agencies, consumer advocates, legislators, and industry stakeholders.
- Monitor evolving state and federal policies affecting electrification, DERs, demand response, customer affordability, and grid modernization.
Virtual Power Plants & Grid Flexibility
- Lead strategy, design, procurement, implementation, and evaluation of virtual power plant (VPP) programs and customer flexibility initiatives.
- Develop frameworks for utilizing customer assets, including thermostats, electric vehicles, batteries, solar, and smart appliances, to provide grid value.
- Collaborate with Transmission, Distribution, and Planning organizations to identify opportunities where customer programs can support reliability, congestion relief, peak demand reduction, and infrastructure optimization.
- Establish methodologies to evaluate customer flexibility performance and program value.
Electrification & Transportation Programs
- Lead customer electrification strategies including electric vehicles, managed charging, fleet electrification, school bus initiatives, and other beneficial electrification programs.
- Oversee design and delivery of EV customer programs across residential, commercial, fleet, and public sector markets.
- Develop partnerships with automakers, charging providers, fleet operators, technology vendors, academic institutions, and industry organizations.
- Identify innovative solutions supporting transportation electrification while ensuring cost-effectiveness and customer value.
Distributed Energy Resources & Emerging Technologies
- Guide evaluation and deployment strategies for DERs including solar, battery storage, managed charging, demand response, and transactive energy solutions.
- Assess technology trends and market developments to identify opportunities for customer program innovation.
- Support integration of customer resources into broader utility planning and operational strategies.
Program Portfolio Management
- Oversee a portfolio of customer programs across multiple states, customer segments, and regulatory jurisdictions.
- Establish performance measures related to participation, customer benefits, grid impacts, operational outcomes, and regulatory commitments.
- Ensure programs are delivered efficiently, effectively, and in compliance with commission orders and company objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement through lessons learned, pilot evaluations, and performance analytics.
Vendor & Partner Management
- Lead procurement and management of consulting firms, implementation contractors, technology vendors, software providers, and research partners.
- Negotiate contracts, establish performance expectations, and ensure accountability for deliverables and program outcomes.
- Foster strategic relationships with industry organizations, technology providers, OEMs, research institutions, and market stakeholders.
Cross-Functional Leadership
- Build strong partnerships across Customer, Engineering, Rates, Regulatory, Legal, Distribution, Transmission, Planning, Operations, Information Technology, and External Affairs teams.
- Translate technical, regulatory, and operational requirements into actionable customer program strategies.
- Lead matrixed teams to execute complex, multi-year initiatives spanning multiple business functions.
- Drive alignment among stakeholders with differing priorities while advancing enterprise objectives.
Financial Management
- Manage multi-million-dollar program and consulting budgets.
- Develop business cases supporting investment decisions and regulatory approvals.
- Monitor program performance, spending, cost-effectiveness, and financial outcomes.
- Ensure prudent use of customer and shareholder resources.
Team Leadership
- Lead and develop a high-performing team responsible for program strategy, regulatory support, implementation oversight, and stakeholder engagement.
- Establish clear priorities, accountability, and performance expectations.
- Promote a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus. Support succession planning and leadership development across the organization.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Technical, Public Affairs/Communications or related discipline required. Advanced degree preferred.
- 10 years’ relevant experience in customer account management, technical or regulatory required.
- Deep knowledge of utility customer programs, electrification, DERs, grid flexibility, and regulatory processes preferred.
- Demonstrated experience developing and securing approval for complex utility programs and managing programs across multiple states and regulatory jurisdictions.
- Understanding the intersection of customer programs, grid planning, reliability, and affordability and ability to operate in emerging policy areas where regulatory frameworks are still evolving.
- Strong executive communication skills and ability to build credibility with regulators, senior leadership, and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrate the ability to translate strategy into implementation and measurable business outcomes.
- Advanced verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
- Ability to work after normal business hours, which could include evening or weekend travel throughout the FirstEnergy service territory in support of both projects and stakeholders.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).
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 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 NJ $189,000 - $260,000.
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
Exempt
FirstEnergy Human Resources Team