Strategic Advisor

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 One Energy Plaza headquarter 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 

The Strategic Advisor serves as a trusted partner and force multiplier to the Chief Transformation, Legal & Administrative Officer. This role ensures alignment, disciplined execution, and enterprise readiness across transformation, rates, legal, and HR priorities.  The Advisor strengthens decision quality and cross-functional cohesion -- translating strategic direction into clear operating rhythms and measurable progress.

Essential Duties and Resposnibilities

1. Strategic Alignment & Execution

• Align transformation, rates, legal, and HR initiatives with enterprise strategy.
• Assist in prioritizing in-year actions tied to digital transformation, affordability, and important regulatory milestones.
• Monitor progress on critical initiatives and surface risks early.
• Ensure enterprise readiness for rate cases, IRP filings, and major regulatory moments.

2. Executive Advisory, Executive Communications & Decision Support

• Serve as a confidential thought partner on complex transformation, HR, and organizational issues.
• Pressure-test assumptions and benchmark ambition against industry standards.
• Establish and manage operating cadences (e.g. staff councils, operational reviews, leadership meetings) to drive clarity, alignment and quality decision-making.

• Partner on executive communications for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring consistent messaging that reinforces trust and transparency.
• Support development of executive narratives tied to transformation progress, affordability and other strategic priorities.

• Ensure decision-making frameworks are consistently applied across functions.
• Elevate conversations from tactical updates to enterprise implications.

3. Leadership Enablement & Culture Shift

• Coach senior and mid-level leaders to set ambitious, measurable goals.
• Reinforce “What must be true?” and “What can be done?” thinking.
• Support embedding experimentation, accountability, and cross-functional ownership into leadership expectations.
• Normalize intelligent risk-taking within regulatory guardrails.

4. Cross-Functional Integration

• Reduce friction across Transformation, Rates, Legal, HR initiatives.
• Surface misalignment early and broker resolution.
• Ensure affordability, regulatory strategy, and transformation efforts move in sync.
• Represent the function in enterprise forums as needed to ensure alignment with broader company priorities.

What Success Looks Like

• Clear integration across Transformation, Rates, Legal, and HR.
• Strong regulatory positioning tied to disciplined transformation progress.
• More ambitious goal-setting with grounded affordability discipline.
• Reduced friction between innovation and compliance.
• Confident, cohesive executive leadership in high-stakes forums.

Knowledge/Skills/ Abilities

• Enterprise-level Strategic Advisor or Chief of Staff experience.
• Experience in regulated environments (utility experience preferred).
• Strong planning and executive facilitation capability.
• Proven ability to influence senior leaders without formal authority.
• High emotional intelligence, discretion, and executive presence.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business related field and 7+ years of experience in strategic planning, communications, marketing and/or business. 

• [OR] Associate's degree in Business related field and 9+ years of experience in strategic planning, communications, marketing and/or business. 

• [OR] High school diploma and 11+ years of experience in strategic planning, communications, marketing and/or business. 

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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, capABLE, Interfaith 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.