FirstEnergy 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.
FirstEnergy (NYSE: FE) is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, FirstEnergy 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.
About the Opportunity
This is an open position with FirstEnergy Service Company, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp.
This is a full time, on site position located in Akron, OH.
Summary:
The Safety Rep provides safety leadership and technical expertise across assigned electric business units. This role supports and reinforces the Safety Management System (SMS) by partnering with Business Unit leadership to positively affect safety outcomes at the worker interface. The position delivers consistent field engagement, verifies direct controls for high-risk work, leads structured learning, and drives closure of systemic safety gaps. The Level III Representative also mentors other Safety Representatives and supports consistent, proactive application of Safety & Human Performance programs across FirstEnergy Operations serving as a trusted field presence.
This role provides direction and leadership from the following perspectives:
- Maintain visible, structured field presence to reinforce expectations regarding safe work practices, coach safe behaviors, and support start when safe and stop-work authority.
- Partner with Business Unit leadership and frontline teams to standardize SMS practices (risk assessments, learning teams, after-action reviews) and drive continuous improvement.
- Verify execution of direct and critical controls for high-energy work (e.g., energized line work, switching/clearances, grounding/equipotential zones, confined space, heavy equipment interfaces).
- Lead or support incident and high-potential near-miss investigations using structured methodologies to identify systemic causes and ensure effective corrective actions.
- Deliver results through clear field deliverables and standardized reporting, including trends, leading/lagging indicators, and recommendations for risk reduction.
- Establish and sustain working relationships with peers, Business Unit leadership, and union leadership to enhance a culture of safety, compliance, accountability, and inclusion.
- Develop and deliver strategic safety & skills related topics within the business units
- Function as this liaison with the expanded S&HU team and skills training.
- Lead by example, guiding teams through continuous improvement while consistently promoting a culture of trust, integrity, and accountability.
Core Accountabilities & Deliverables:
Field Safety Leadership & Presence:
- Conduct routine, planned field engagements across assigned shops, crews, and facilities with emphasis on high-risk tasks.
- Assess job brief quality, hazard recognition, and direct and critical control execution during active work.
- Provide real-time coaching to supervisors and crews to reduce exposure to serious injury and fatality (SIF) risk.
Quarterly Safety Engagement Expectations:
- Lead or co-lead at least one formal safety engagement per quarter within each assigned operational location (e.g., stand-down, learning team, after-action review, skills training topic).
- Document learning outcomes and improvement actions; communicate and track commitments with Operations leadership.
SMS Integration & Learning Teams:
- Facilitate field-level risk assessments and hierarchy-of-controls decisions; ensure documentation supports learning and improvement.
- Convert learnings into practical improvements to work practices, training, tools, or program elements.
- Support program verification and drive closure of identified gaps.
Direct Control Verification – High-Risk Electrical Work:
- Perform focused observations and comprehensive reviews of high-energy work across FirstEnergy Operations.
- Validate that direct and critical controls are defined, understood, available, and executed; elevate gaps where controls are ineffective.
- Support alignment to Safety & Health requirements, safety programs, and applicable regulations.
Incident & Near-Miss Leadership:
- Lead significant incident and high-potential near-miss investigations and ensure consistent application of protocols.
- Identify systemic causes (organizational, procedural, human performance) and recommend sustainable corrective actions.
- Verify effectiveness of corrective actions through field follow-up and sharing of lessons learned.
Training, Coaching & Mentoring:
- Develop and deliver targeted training focused on direct controls, high-risk tasks, and improved job planning/briefing quality.
- Mentor and coach Level I–II Safety Representatives and frontline leadership to build operational safety capability.
Analytics & Reporting:
- Analyze safety data, identify trends, and communicate emerging risk themes with recommended mitigations.
- Provide district/facility briefs and support standardized dashboards/metrics to measure performance.
- Serve as a subject matter expert for safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements, supporting consistent interpretation, application, and compliance across the business unit.
Emergency / Storm Response:
- Participate in storm/outage and emergency response activities as assigned, providing field safety leadership during extended operations
Qualifications:
Required:
- Bachelor’s degree in Safety, Health, Engineering, or a related field; or demonstrated journey‑level or qualified craft experience (e.g., lineworker, substation, meter, or similar field roles).
- Experience supporting field operations within the electric utility, energy, or industrial infrastructure sectors, including exposure to multiple work environments such as construction, operations, maintenance, or switching/energized systems activities.
- Demonstrated ability to apply SMS principles in field-based operations and influence without direct authority.
- Working knowledge of electrical hazard controls (energy isolation/verification, minimum approach distances, grounding/equipotential concepts) sufficient to verify direct and critical controls.
- Strong facilitation, communication, and coaching skills across craft through leadership audiences.
- Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Intelex, etc.
Preferred:
- Prior field, supervisory, or technical experience in utility, generation, transmission, distribution, or comparable industrial sectors.
- Professional certification (e.g., ASP, GSP, CSP).
- OSHA training certification
- Experience developing training content and/or authoring or improving standards/procedures.
Specific knowledge and experience requirements include:
- Effective oral and written communication skills to a diverse audience (craft through executive).
- Ability to analyze data and identify trends to drive continuous improvement in safety performance.
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws/regulations affecting safety and electric utility operations.
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Workforce Development/Training, and contractors.
- Ability to function effectively in a fast-paced, field-based environment and adapt to changing priorities.
- Identify at‑risk conditions and behaviors, collaborating with leaders to implement direct and critical controls that reduce exposure.
Behavioral Attributes:
- Lead by example; model trust, integrity, and respectful engagement with the workforce.
- Apply sound, fact-based judgment; analyze complex issues and recommend practical improvements.
- Influence and coach others to strengthen job planning, direct and critical control execution, and learning behaviors.
- Maintain professionalism with employees, customers, regulatory agencies, and community stakeholders.
- Support inclusion and accountability while reinforcing consistent expectations across business units.
- Engage with employees and union leadership to create a culture of inclusion and teamwork.
- Ability to work independently and exercise sound judgment in field environments
Working Conditions:
- Field and office environment; regular travel across assigned districts/facilities, including occasional overnight travel as needed.
- Must be available to work assigned storm duty, which may include evenings, holidays, and overnight travel.
- Work requires entering operational environments including active line work areas, substations, and generation facilities; appropriate PPE required.
- Ability to perform work duties in various weather conditions, including heat, cold, and precipitation.
Benefits, Compensation & Workforce Diversity
At FirstEnergy, employees are key to our success. We depend on their talents to meet the challenges of our changing business environment. We are committed to rewarding individual and team efforts through our total rewards philosophy which includes competitive pay plus incentive compensation, a company-sponsored pension plan, 401(k) savings plan with matching employer contribution, a choice of medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance programs, as well as skills development training with tuition reimbursement. Please visit our website at www.firstenergycorp.com to learn more about all of our employee rewards programs. FirstEnergy proudly supports workforce diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with a disability. No recruiters or agencies without a previously signed contract. Unable to sponsor or transfer H-1B visas at this time.
Safety
Safety is a core value for FirstEnergy and is essential to all of our business activities. We ensure employees have the tools, information, and processes to perform their duties in a manner that assures safety for themselves, their co-workers, our customers and the public. Our goals are to provide a safe work environment, to maintain an accident-free, injury-free workplace, and to promote and maintain public safety. To meet these goals, we dedicate ourselves to achieving world-class safety standards.
Position Classification
Exempt
FirstEnergy Human Resources Team
