HR Compliance Specialist

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 safety, reliability, and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy includes one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, more than 24,500 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, and a regulated generating fleet with a total capacity of 3,780 megawatts.

About the Opportunity

This is an open position with FirstEnergy Service Co., a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.  [SC00

Position Summary:

The HR Compliance Specialist supports compliance program operations across Legal, Human Resources, Payroll, Safety, and business functions. This role coordinates audits, investigations, regulatory responses, reporting, policy administration, and compliance tracking to help ensure adherence to applicable employment, workplace safety, and utility reliability standards. The position requires strong attention to detail, sound judgment, effective communication, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, regulated environment.

Core Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and support compliance audits, self-certifications, data requests, agency inquiries, and regulatory submissions.
• Gather, organize, review, and maintain documentation to support audits, investigations, compliance reviews, and regulatory responses.
• Support OSHA, workplace safety, employment law, wage and hour, and other compliance-related matters through fact gathering, research, tracking, and draft response preparation.
• Maintain and administer compliance policies, procedures, trackers, dashboards, records, and reporting tools to support program effectiveness and audit readiness.
• Monitor applicable regulatory requirements, including NERC, Reliability First, PJM Transmission Operator requirements, and related Operations and Planning Reliability Standards.
• Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to identify compliance risks, resolve issues, develop mitigation plans, and drive timely follow-through.
• Prepare compliance reports, metrics, presentations, and status updates for leadership and business partners.
• Support root cause analysis, corrective action tracking, process improvements, and special projects related to compliance operations.
• Coordinate compliance meetings, governance activities, deadlines, and follow-up actions to ensure accountability across teams.
• Maintain awareness of emerging regulatory and industry developments through benchmarking, research, and participation in relevant forums.
• Support outage and storm restoration activities as required, including evenings, weekends, and holidays.
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Human Resources, Legal Studies, or a related field or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience are required.

Experience: 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in compliance, legal operations, HR compliance, risk management, regulatory operations, or a similar regulated environment required.
• Experience supporting audits, investigations, regulatory inquiries, agency responses, policy administration, or compliance-related projects required.
• Experience with NERC, ReliabilityFirst, PJM, electric utility operations, employment law, wage and hour compliance, OSHA, or workplace investigations preferred.
• Experience developing, implementing, or improving compliance programs, procedures, reporting tools, or governance processes preferred.

Skills:

• Strong organizational, project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and deliver accurate, high-quality work.
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, initiative, curiosity, and continuous improvement mindset.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.
• Experience with compliance, HRIS, case management, project management, dashboarding, or tracking systems such as Workday, Smartsheet, or similar platforms preferred.
• Ability to build effective relationships, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and promote accountability for timely resolution of compliance matters.
• High level of discretion, sound judgment, and ability to maintain confidentiality when handling sensitive information.
• Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, manage competing priorities, and make practical, risk-informed decisions.

Preferred Certifications:

• SHRM-SCP or SHRM-CP
• SPHR or PHR
• CEBS (Certified Employee Benefits Specialist)
• CHRC (Certified Human Resources Compliance Professional)
• Labor Relations Certification

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