What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Manager Welding position at Consumers Energy?
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 an onsite position and may be assigned to any Consumers Energy Service Center located within the Gas territory. 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 Senior Manager, Welding, is responsible for leading a team of Managers and Engineers with statewide oversight of safe, efficient, and regulatory-compliant welding operations across the Gas System, including Gas Distribution, Gas Storage, Gas Compression, and Gas Transmission. This role provides expert guidance on escalated issues involving gas-related incidents and employee matters. The Senior Manager develops and implements comprehensive, long-term strategic and tactical plans to achieve corporate objectives, ensure adherence to financial programs, and maintain compliance with regulatory processes. Additionally, this position supports and leads large-scale statewide and departmental projects, oversees safety initiatives, drives Lean process improvements, advances strategic planning efforts, and effectively manages emergent situations.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Provide coaching and mentorship to Managers and Engineers on Lean methodologies, integrating visual management, operating reviews, problem solving, standard work development, and waste elimination into the effective deployment of statewide and zonal business plans. Serve as a sponsor and leader for large-scale, cross-functional projects, driving strategic change initiatives to support business objectives.
- Lead the development and execution of safety plans at the statewide and zonal level, ensuring compliance and accountability across multiple headquarters. Oversee performance against safety plans, implement countermeasures to address emerging safety trends, and act as a management sponsor for local safety initiatives.
- Lead, develop, and coach a team of Managers and Engineers to consistently achieve departmental objectives and expectations. Provide support and guidance on complex escalations, oversee statewide activities, develop strategic initiatives, and ensure budget compliance. Maintain accountability by utilizing analytical tools such as key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and evaluate job performance.
- Manage multi-million-dollar financial programs by tracking actual performance against forecasts and implementing strategic countermeasures to ensure adherence to allocated budgets.
- Organize and lead major operational initiatives and strategic projects impacting statewide or multiple headquarters. Ensure successful execution of projects through effective management sponsorship, leadership of project plans, milestone tracking, and budget oversight. Oversee and provide final approval for requisitions related to operations and maintenance supplies, equipment, and materials.
- Participate in an On-Call rotation, providing leadership during after-hours, weekends, and holidays. Serve as Incident Commander for statewide and zonal incidents, developing and executing Incident Action Plans, and interfacing with executive leadership throughout incident duration. Lead the advancement of the Incident Command System (ICS) maturity across the organization through strategic training plan development and cross-functional reviews of lessons learned.
- Provide expert direction and guidance on escalated welding barriers. Sponsor and lead cross-functional teams in the development and approval of gas procedures, operations manual updates, project designs, and scope approvals. Monitor the impact of departmental actions on business operations and interdependencies, conduct complex investigations of process and standard violations, and interpret gas code requirements to ensure compliance.
- Resolve union contract disputes and grievances in collaboration with local union leadership and Labor Relations teams across statewide and zonal areas. Partner on the strategic development and implementation of union contract modifications and provide support throughout the contract negotiation process.
- Perform other duties as assigned or required to support organizational objectives.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Demonstrated ability to implement and adhere to Corporate Safety protocols and best practices.
- Proficient in interpreting and operating within the parameters of Union Contracts.
- Strong leadership capabilities with a proven track record of guiding and developing teams.
- Exceptional negotiation and conflict resolution skills, with experience addressing complex issues.
- Comprehensive knowledge of natural gas procedures, industry standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Expertise in problem solving, waste elimination, process automation, and Lean methodologies.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including effective presentation abilities.
- Ability to build and maintain productive relationships with both internal and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated capacity to perform effectively in high-pressure and fast-paced environments.
- Experience in developing, managing, and overseeing Operations & Maintenance (O&M) and Capital budgets.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in welding with a minimum of seven (7) years of related Gas System or leadership experience.
- (OR) Associate's degree in welding with a minimum of nine (9) years of related Gas System or leadership experience.
- (OR) High school diploma with a minimum of eleven (11) years of related Gas System or leadership experience.
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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.
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, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.