Director Wildfire Program Strategy & Analytics - FE Operations - Akron Headquarters

First Energy 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.

First Energy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, First Energy 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.

This is an open position with First Energy Service Company, a subsidiary of First Energy Corp.

This is a full‑time, on‑site position in a First Energy location in Akron, OH;
Holmdel, NJ or Morristown, NJ.

Reports to:

Vice President, Operational Excellence

Organization:
First Energy Operations

The Director, Wildfire Mitigation is the executive owner for the utility’s end‑to‑end wildfire risk strategy—spanning governance, risk analytics, regulatory strategy, program design and execution, operational readiness, and cross‑jurisdictional stakeholder engagement. This leader builds and scales a high‑performing organization that reduces ignition risk, enhances community and system resilience, and enables sustainable regulatory recovery across multiple state jurisdictions. The role stewards the company’s Wildfire Mitigation Plan (WMP) portfolio—including grid hardening, vegetation management strategy, situational awareness and meteorology, operational protocols (e.g., PSPS), and emergency coordination—and ensures measurable risk reduction aligned to enterprise goals and Board oversight.

• Enterprise remit across all operating companies and service territories; influences capital allocation and O&M priorities tied to wildfire risk.
• Serves as primary executive liaison to the Board Operations/ERMC committees on wildfire risk, and as executive sponsor in state regulatory proceedings.
• Accountable for a multi‑year, multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar portfolio with rigorous benefits realization and transparent performance reporting.
• Stands up a center of excellence integrating engineering, data science, field operations, regulatory/legislative affairs, communications, and emergency management.

• Establish the enterprise Wildfire Mitigation strategy with clear goals, policies, and decision rights; align with enterprise risk appetite, climate adaptation strategy, asset management, and Grid Modernization plans.
• Design and chair the Wildfire Governance Council, integrating Transmission, Distribution, Vegetation Management, System Planning, Regulatory, Legal, and Corporate Affairs.
• Own the multi‑year WMP portfolio (capital and O&M): set priorities, sequencing, and tradeoffs; ensure alignment to risk models and regulatory recovery pathways.
• Provide regular briefings and written reports to the Executive Risk Management Committee and the Board; maintain executive‑level dashboards and leading KPIs.

• Institutionalize wildfire ignition risk modeling (asset condition, environmental hazards, fault/operations data, weather) to target investments (e.g., covered conductor, sectionalization, fast‑curve protection, distribution automation).
• Define enterprise KPIs and KRIs, such as ignitions per 1,000 circuit‑miles, wire‑down events, weather‑normalized risk score reductions, PSPS customer‑minutes, asset‑level risk reduction, and benefits realization against plan.
• Build a situational awareness function (meteorology, fire weather indices, camera networks, LiDAR imagery, remote sensing, and field intel) that informs operational posture and investment prioritization.
• Drive continuous improvement via post‑season/after‑action reviews and independent validation of risk reduction claims.

• Serve as executive sponsor and expert witness in relevant state and federal proceedings; lead strategy for WMP filings, PSPS protocols, cost recovery (riders/trackers), and prudency…