Operations Engineer

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows job number one is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to delivering reliable, clean, and affordable energy to our customers 24/7.  

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, e.g., H-1B, TN, etc. Please do not apply if you will need immigration sponsorship for a work visa now or in the future, including sponsorship for H-1B, TN, etc., now or in the future. We are unable to hire individuals with CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT for this position as the position is not eligible for participation in the H-1B lottery program and is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship for a work visa.

Location: This is a hybrid (virtual/onsite) position with required onsite days on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday assigned to the Parnall East location located in Jackson, MI.  The selected candidate must be within a commutable distance or willing to relocate (relocation package is available for those that qualify).

General Summary of Job Responsibilities

The Operations Engineer is responsible for ensuring that the Consumers Energy (CE) electric system is operated within system and equipment capabilities. This position utilizes power flow software and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) to analyze the impact that planned and emergent equipment outages and contingencies have on the current and proposed system configurations. This position will work closely with a subset of customers including, but not limited to, CE's adjacent Transmission Operator, ITC Holdings Corp. (ITC), System Control Center, Distribution Control Center, and Work Management Center, Field Operations and System Schedulers to coordinate planned equipment outages in a way that minimizes system and customer risk. This individual will provide real-time support to the Operating Centers which will require participation in an on-call rotation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct Engineering study analysis and problem solving based on power flow software study results. Identify overloads and voltage violations and determine the best course of action to rectify these violations. Communicate and coordinate required actions to internal and external groups based on analysis of power flow studies
• Provide real time support of control room and scheduling departments. Field questions related, but not limited to, loading and voltage violations seen in real time, scheduling conflicts between competing projects and responding to those questions in a timely manner. Support is provided during business hours and through an on-call rotation
• Assist in annual Ancillary project items. Participate, with support, in the annual rotation of completing the following projects: Review and update of Rotating Load Management (RLM)/Remote Load Shed (RLS) plans to ensure the accuracy and efficient restoration of these automated load shed applications; Review of 3rd party generator interconnection applications to address system loading or voltage violations prior to installation; Summer Assessment analysis and report to identify and plan for anticipated system issues during high loads; High Load Management Analysis of Equipment and Coordination of Proactive Measures
• Attend and participate in meetings. Actively participant in weekly meetings including, but not limited to, scheduling, field operations, real time operations, and engineering and provide answers to questions in real time or conduct research and provide timely follow up.
• Utilize knowledge of protection schemes and device states to perform fault location prediction and validation in real-time.
• Provide input to new process, procedure, tools, training, and job aids for advanced Operations Engineering functions to support real-time operations initiatives.
• Provide operational analysis to control rooms or field operations on field equipment such as Automatic Transfer Reclosers and future SCADA equipment.
• Other duties as assigned or may be necessary.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Verbal and written communication skills.
• Emergent work - Ability to perform and make effective decisions in a stressful environment.
• Strong analytical thinking, logic, and data analysis skills while well organized.
• Electrical Power Engineering background with strong technical knowledge of the function and operation of the LVD and/or HVD power system.
• Knowledge of SCADA and Advanced Power Flow Real Time Applications.
• Experience performing power flow analysis.
• Ability to prioritize work to meet changing schedules and deadlines.
• Capable of working effectively individually and in a team environment.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering degree from an ABET accredited program with two (2) or more years of experience.
  • [OR] Engineering Degree from a non-ABET accredited program plus a Professional Engineering license with two (2) or more years of experience.

Why should you join our team? 

At Consumers Energy, we offer more than just a place to work. We foster a culture that supports career development, growth, and stability, and we take pride in offering our co-workers excellent benefits and compensation packages. We are deliberately creating an inclusive culture that makes our diverse team of co-workers feel valued, supported, and empowered every day. We're a company made up of thousands of people, all with different stories to share and work to do, but we stand united in our company purpose: world class performance delivering hometown service.

What we offer: 

• Competitive compensation packages
• Medical, Dental and Vision
• 401k with company match
• Paid parental leave
• Up to 13 paid Holidays
• Paid time off
• Educational Assistance Program

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: 

We, at CMS Energy, value Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. It is part of our DNA. We treat our employees with respect, we treat each other fairly and we value the opinions of others. We are passionate about building and nurturing an environment where everyone feels included. We don’t discriminate. We seek to learn about each other and better understand our unique differences. Our uniqueness makes us authentic. We create safe spaces where everyone can be who they truly are. We invite difficult conversations and uncomfortable topics. We value diverse perspectives; this is what makes us great together. We harbor an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. Our Employee Resource Groups, Women in Energy (WE), Minority Advisory Panel (MAP), Pride Alliance of Consumers Energy (PACE), GENERGY (Different Generations), capable (Different Abilities), Interfaith, People Planet Partners, and Veterans Advisory Panel (VAP) are key enablers to living the values of our company culture: Caring, Empowered, Deliberate, Agility, and Ownership.

All qualified applicants will not be discriminated against and will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.