Electric System Compliance Senior Specialist

About the role

The role leads and oversees the Energy Management System (EMS) and Protection & Controls (P&C) compliance program to ensure adherence to regulatory and cybersecurity standards, with a focus on NERC CIP requirements.

Responsibilities

• Leads EMS and P&C compliance activities to ensure adherence to NERC/CIP standards.
• Provides technical leadership and strategic guidance for the development, execution, maintenance, and continuous improvement of compliance processes, procedures, and documentation.
• Develops and recommends enterprise compliance strategies for new or revised regulatory requirements.
• Advises executive leadership regarding compliance risks and regulatory impacts.
• Reviews significant compliance procedures and program documentation and recommends approval.
• Mentors and provides technical direction to compliance personnel.
• Evaluates enterprise compliance metrics and recommends program improvement.
• Provides technical recommendations to management regarding compliance priorities, regulatory interpretations, and corrective actions.
• Establishes compliance training strategy, develops training programs, and mentors technical personnel on compliance standards, processes, procedures, and evidence requirements.
• Led the design, development and enhancement of compliance tracking tools, templates, and reporting mechanisms.
• Leads compliance assessments, gap analyses, and readiness reviews, and develops action plans to address recommendations resulting from regulatory audits, internal reviews, and consultant assessments, and recommends enterprise compliance priorities based on assessment results.
• Oversees the collection, preparation, quality review, and retention of compliance evidence to ensure audit readiness and compliance with documentation requirements.
• Directs audit preparation activities, including walkthroughs and quality checks.
• Serves as the primary technical representative during regulatory audits and vulnerability assessments and leads interactions with auditors regarding EMS and P&C compliance.
• Tracks and monitors recurring compliance requirements, ensuring timely and accurate completion of assigned tasks.
• Reviews compliance evidence and documentation prior to regulatory submission to ensure accuracy and alignment with applicable compliance standards.
• Oversees preliminary reviews to identify gaps or inconsistencies in compliance practices and escalates issues as appropriate.
• Informs management of potential or actual violations and proactively recommends countermeasures and mitigations.
• Directs cross-functional compliance-related projects and initiatives affecting multiple departments.
• Directs disaster recovery testing events and reviews and recommends approval of associated technical procedures and documentation.
• Reviews mitigation plans, provides technical approval of compliance content, and monitors implementation of corrective actions for significant compliance issues.
• Completes and reviews documentation, including RSAWs, prior to self-certifications and audits.
• Leads asset commissioning and decommissioning by providing guidance on required tasks, documentation, and evidence to ensure adherence to compliance standards.
• Oversees scheduled reviews of ports and services reports to verify alignment with approved system baselines, coordinates with system owners to validate exceptions, remediates non-compliant configurations, and ensures all actions are properly documented in accordance with CIP requirements.
• Participates in compliance committee meetings, providing updates on ongoing initiatives and proposed enhancements.
• Serves as JEA's primary representative in FERC/NERC/SERC/NATF, and other industry groups regarding EMS and P&C compliance matters and oversees implementation of industry best practices.
• Oversees processes for compliance evidence collection from field devices located at substations and control centers.
• Provides leadership and example in meeting JEA's safety and wellness goals.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, information systems, cybersecurity, or a related field AND five (5) years of progressively responsible technical and regulatory compliance experience in cybersecurity, auditing, compliance, regulatory, or a related field, including responsibility for interpreting regulatory requirements, leading compliance initiatives, coordinating regulatory audits, or developing and implementing compliance programs in one or more of the following: NERC CIP compliance, EMS/SCADA/Energy Management System engineering or support, Protection & Controls (P&C) systems in an electric utility, Industrial control system (ICS) or Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity or compliance, Utility regulatory compliance, auditing, or risk management.
• Experience serving as a technical lead or subject matter expert for regulatory compliance programs is preferred.
• Utility experience is preferred.
• A valid driver's license is required prior to employment and must be maintained during employment in this classification.
• CISSP, CISA, CRISC, GICSP, or a comparable advanced cybersecurity, audit, or compliance certification (strongly preferred).