Distribution Planning Engineer

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 the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. 

This Planning & Protection Engineer position provides technical expertise for the planning, protection, and reliability of Ohio's distribution systems.  The engineer works across FirstEnergy Ohio, performs analysis and recommends solutions to maintain a reliable electrical infrastructure that meets present and future electrical needs. 

This position reports onsite and is at any available service center / office in the FE Ohio service territory except in these Ohio Edison southern locations: Marion, Springfield, and Mansfield.

Responsibilities include: 

• Demonstrating a commitment to all aspects of safety, with maturity to exercise independent judgment on complex projects and assignments.
• Performing power system planning and analysis to study the impact of new customers, generation, or electrification trends.
• Demonstrating proficiency in the use of engineering analysis software to model the distribution system, calculate voltage drop and fault currents of circuits, and perform distribution switching and protection studies.
• Preparing budget estimates and schedules for system reinforcement projects.
• Supporting operations and maintenance by performing switching studies and preparing settings for mobile substation installations as needed.
• Conducting protective device coordination studies and developing relay settings.
• Preparing protection specifications for new capital projects and system upgrades.
• Performing long-term, area-wide planning studies using applicable distribution system analysis software and preparing load study reports that detail the study findings and recommendations.
• Performing capacity studies for customer new load requests and preparing load study reports that detail the study findings and recommendations.
• Collaborating with multiple stakeholders, internally and externally, and demonstrating a strong customer-focused mentality.
• Performing technical reviews and interconnection studies for customer distributed generation applications.
• Providing prompt technical support and analysis to the Distribution Control Center (DCC) for planned and emergency load shifts, mobile substation installations, and troubleshooting for miscoordinations or mis-operations  
• Performing outage analysis, including analysis of circuit lockouts, in support of the Company's reliability initiatives.
• Completing Customer Experiencing Multiple Interruptions (CEMI) and Worst Performing Circuit (WPC) analysis and recommend reliability improvements.
• Attending industry user group meetings as necessary to support FirstEnergy as a premier utility, including but not limited to Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and IEEE, etc.
• Supporting Ohio's storm process as needed, either as a hazard dispatcher, storm analyst, or line shop analyst.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering / Electrical Engineering Technology from an ABET accredited institution is required.  Acceptable alternatives are: 
  • (1) a Professional Engineer’s (PE) License 
  • (2) a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or technical field of study (non-ABET) plus an advanced degree in Electrical Engineering from a university with an ABET accredited Bachelor’s program.
• Minimum 0 - 5 years' engineering experience is required.
• Successful completion of the Fundamentals of Engineering exam considered a plus.
• Experience and knowledge of electrical systems, operations, and maintenance practices, switching and tagging, computer systems, work management and electrical controls are desired.  Relay control work experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in effectively working and communicating across functional boundaries and providing total customer satisfaction.
• Able to identify and implement effective restoration processes and procedures.
• Self-motivated and a self-starter, customer focused, results oriented and a team player.
• Effective written and oral communication skills.
• Able to analyze data, write technical reports, develop work packages to implement recommendations and the ability to handle multiple assignments.
• Able to provide storm restoration support and hazard dispatching duties during storm restoration efforts.
• Able to apply technical skills to solve practical problems and develop and provide technical information to support the Regional Dispatching Office to ensure safe and efficient operation of the electrical system.
• Willing to work overtime to support storm efforts or other special projects as business needs require.
• Willing to travel throughout the service territory, and willing to work extra and/or irregular hours. 

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 $79,500 - $126,000. 

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