Sr Mgr Elec Contractors

General Summary of Job Responsibilities

The Senior Manager of Electric Contractor Management provides strategic leadership and oversight to contract teams engaged in critical and hazardous electrical work supporting the delivery of our annual capital investment plan. This leadership role requires comprehensive technical and operational knowledge of electric operations to establish statewide job plans, develop budgets, provide and/or support rate case testimony, develop and implement new products, cross-functional standards, and processes ensuring regulatory, procedural, and industry standard compliance. The goal is to achieve safe, reliable, productive, cost-effective construction, maintenance, service, and emergency response on Consumers Energy’s Electric Distribution system. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring completion of the contractor workplan within scope and schedule, along with monitoring their safety and quality performance. Ensure the successful operation of the contract including adherence, spend and invoicing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Leads technology and process enhancements impacting contractor oversight activities to drive efficiencies, cost savings and increased quality and performance. Implement standards, procedures and work instructions that align with the Enterprise Contractor Oversight processes and practices while leveraging technology for performance management of contractors to drive sustainable and consistent results
• Partner with other regional and process management to implement tactics, control costs and make mid-course adjustments (Project timing, re-design and scope) Represent Statewide Contractor Management in critical problem solving or process enhancement activities
• Conducts problem solving and brainstorming to develop business opportunities. Work cross-functionally to realize state-wide savings and waste elimination across different disciplines while partnering with corporate finance and Property Accounting to ensure regulatory and legal compliance.
• Plan coordinate, direct and oversee completion of Electric Distribution field construction and maintenance, service and emergency repairs to system in a safe and cost-effective manner, while meeting Company and Regulatory technical design and service standards.
• Manage safety programs and drive employees focused on safety. Ensure supervisors are supporting and completing safety focused actions. Provide guidance on escalated safety issues, participate/lead safety follow-up activities/Root Cause Analysis (RCA's), conduct/observe field visits. Analyze safety trend data and utilize problem solving tools to create safety plans and countermeasures across multiple headquarters
• Leading and coaching leaders to respond to routine and non-routine various risk level emergency situations with company and non-company crews, such as electric grid service restoration, safety incidents, and technical standards issues using incident command system model. Establishing roles, responsibilities, and expectations during response, sufficient resource allocation, resolution of escalated issues, and communication to senior leadership. Duties are typically outside of normal business hours in addition to regular job duties.

Other Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Manages all aspects of Electric Statewide Contractor Oversight by developing and monitoring major goals, establishing expectations and performance standards, monitoring performance of critical regulatory and operational company, financial, reliability and customer metrics, leading continuous improvement and operational excellence, and building leadership teams and business partner relationships including goal setting focused on the Company’s reliability and resiliency strategy. Develop and ensure that quality processes are followed to ensure proper invoices from all contractors.
• Establishes Operational plans for State-wide operations and shares vision and direction for other functions such as fleet, supply chain, engineering, statewide planning and multiple 3rd parties such as other utilities for joint construction. Responsible for holding contractors accountable for safety, performance, quality and adherence to operating standards. *
• Expected to Own or Co-Own Employee Incentive Compensation Plan (EICP) metrics that drive executive incentive compensation programs and other company wide stretch goals. Leading across multiple Executive Director organizations and framing the problem and creating and owning tactics to get containment and delivering on the metric. Accountable to and drive reporting out to CEO, Sr VP's and VP's during operating reviews. 
• Contributes, leads and/or supports company reputation, compliance and regulatory alignment including testimony, testimony contribution, Risk ownership, inquiry from other utilities nation-wide, regulatory rule owner, media contribution, tariff compliance, accounting change, or similar company risk management*
• Maintains solid knowledge of LVD departmental function and Incident Command Structure with the ability to fill specific or various roles within the structure, reporting up through WMC or EOC to the Officer in Charge. Responds to emergencies in support of storm, electric operations, or other corporate functions.
• Other duties as assigned or may be necessary

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Knowledge and ability to understand field practices and workflows, and able to learn the field audit process and tracking of any gaps identified through their own or other audits.
• Knowledge of scheduling process; project management; company policies & union agreement application.
• Problem solving skills at a function-wide level identifying, leading and owning solutions to deliver on Rate Competitiveness. Identify potential gaps in processes, waste, while mitigating reputational damage and relationships with employees and regulators
• Knowledge of company policies, procedures, work methods and union agreement application along with Contract Management Knowledge including ability to evaluate contract bids and develop contractual requirements.
• Skilled in negotiating and conflict resolution with composure across all levels of the organization and with outside stakeholders. Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills. Communicate as an owner of the business at differing levels.
• Thorough understanding of contract development, company policies, procedures, work methods and union agreement application along with Contract Management skills to evaluate contract bids and develop, implement and execute contractual requirements.
• Skilled in developing and leading leaders in technical, construction, and teamwork settings, including ability to resolve conflict, problem solve issues, influence, and deescalate situations. Ability to develop and maintain positive relationships.
• Ability to work collaboratively and communicate with multiple levels in the organization with both written and oral methods. Recommend solutions to Executive level with available information, and suggest direction forward resolving conflict.
• Knowledge of regulatory structure and how utilities operate within the regulatory framework
• Ability to manage multiple priorities within a competitive business environment to drive results.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Business or Technical area with 7 years of experience in inspections/audits from outside agencies (Michigan Public Service Commission) and applying thorough understanding of policies/gas standards coupled with leadership skills to resolve process, customer and employee issues

• [OR] Associate's Degree in Business or Technical area with 9 years of experience in inspections/audits from outside agencies (Michigan Public Service Commission) and applying thorough understanding of policies/gas standards coupled with leadership skills to resolve process, customer and employee issues

• [OR] High School Diploma with 11 years of experience in inspections/audits from outside agencies (Michigan Public Service Commission) and applying thorough understanding of policies/gas standards coupled with leadership skills to resolve process, customer and employee issues