Director Utility Training

First Energy Training Leadership Opportunity

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 a full-time, on-site position in any First Energy location in OH, NJ, PA, WV/MD including:
Akron, OH;
Holmdel, NJ;
Morristown, NJ;
Reading, PA, Charleston, WV, Williamsport, MD

The executive leadership position is responsible for leading the strategy, design and implementation of operational training and supporting activities across First Energy. This includes training curriculums, staffing strategies, and training needed for employees to safely and effectively fulfill their responsibilities in areas including distribution, transmission, and generation craft lines, customer service and energy delivery process and systems including emergency preparedness. It also includes establishing and monitoring organizational goals, policies, plans, performance objectives and budgets.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide overall leadership and strategic direction for the Utility Training function, accountable for safety, compliance, quality, and effectiveness of training delivered to Transmission & Distribution (T&D) operations and supporting groups.
• Own and evolve FE's progression-school strategy (e.g., distribution line worker, transmission line worker, substation, relay/protection, underground, transmission) including curriculum roadmaps, sequencing, prerequisites, and readiness criteria aligned to job task analysis and field performance expectations.
• Establish and enforce a Systematic Approach to Training (SAT)/ADDIE governance model for analyzing work, designing instruction, developing materials, implementing delivery, and evaluating results for T&D training programs.
• Design and deploy standardized evaluation instruments (knowledge/skill assessments, job performance measures, performance checklists, field validations, observation guides) and an outcome measurement strategy (Reaction/Learning/Behavior/Results) to demonstrate training impact and target continuous improvement.
• Lead compliance training strategy and execution for electric power operations, including OSHA 29 CFR  related to training qualification, refresher criteria, safe work practices and documentation practices, in partnership with Corporate Safety, Operations, and Labor.
• Maintain "leading with safety" culture across all training environments (yards, labs, substations, classrooms, mobile/field training), ensuring training activities, equipment, and simulations meet applicable safety requirements and are risk-assessed prior to delivery.
• Provide enterprise oversight for registered/recognized apprenticeship programs (e.g., distribution line worker, substation electrician) including standards, related instruction, on-the-job training alignment, progression, completion, and continuous partnership with labor unions and joint training committees.
• Build instructor capability through train-the-trainer standards, coaching, classroom/field observation, and technical qualification expectations; ensure consistent delivery across locations and modalities (in-person, blended, e-learning, and simulation).
• Own training records governance for utility training programs (LMS and supporting systems), ensuring accurate completion data, qualifications, and evidence packages that support internal controls and readiness for internal/external audits and regulatory reviews.
• Develop the annual training forecast and multi-year capability plan aligned to Operations workforce plans, capital programs, major work methods changes, and emerging technologies; manage the operating and capital budgets for training assets and facilities.
• Partner with T&D Operations leaders to translate business needs into training solutions, coordinate training impacts for major initiatives, and drive timely change management communications across a matrixed environment.
• Continuously benchmark against utility industry best practices for T&D training (progression schools, field assessment, simulation, and safety training) and apply improvements based on data and stakeholder feedback.
• Support the First Energy storm restoration process with a dedicated storm role, ensuring training readiness for incident response, mutual assistance, and emergency work practices.

Qualifications:

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree (Education, Organizational Learning, Safety, Engineering, Business, or related field) or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 10+years of relevant experience in energy or utility training…