SWEPCO NERC Compliance Lead

About the role

The NERC Compliance Lead ensures that electric utilities, power generators, transmission operators, and related energy organizations comply with mandatory reliability standards established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).

Responsibilities

• Collaborate on, monitor, and interpret the operational impact of new and revised NERC standards by tracking standards development, regulatory policy activity, and industry trends.
• Participate in NERC ballot processes and discussions to identify and mitigate compliance and reliability risks prior to standard approval.
• Translate regulatory requirements into practical, executable actions.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of Compliance Programs.
• Evidence collection and documentation: Gather, review, organize, and maintain compliance evidence (data, logs, reports).
• Support internal audits, spot-checks, self-certifications, and external regulatory audits.
• Identify gaps, perform root cause analysis for potential violations, and recommend corrective actions.
• Consultation and training: Provide guidance to business units on compliance best practices, requirements, and evidence sufficiency.
• Help communicate regulatory changes.
• Reporting and metrics: Develop compliance reports, dashboards, or metrics. Track status, monitor tasks in compliance tools, and support submissions to NERC or Regional Entities.
• Controls Development and Execution: Contribute to the development, execution, and tracking of internal controls to support compliance risk mitigation strategies.
• Analyze compliance data, identify non-compliance risks, and contribute to continuous improvement of the compliance program.
• Collaborate with Embedded Support, plant system owners, GEN NERC, and ENRA to ensure that processes are compliant.
• Cross-departmental efforts, assist with special projects, and support state public utility commission requirements.
• Work with Operating Company’s Impacted Business Unit Leader (IBUL) to review and approve mitigation plans, RFI responses, and the design of compliance processes and controls.

Requirements

• NERC Compliance Lead (Salary Grade 9): Bachelor’s degree in engineering (electrical preferred) Computer, Systems, or Applications engineering, Business, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• Minimum of eight years in fossil hydro generation-related experience, preferably including project-level leadership.
• Minimum of four years in compliance, auditing, risk management, power systems operations, or cybersecurity.
• Prior utility/energy sector or NERC-specific experience is highly preferred.
• Distribution system experience is a plus.
• NERC Compliance Lead (Salary Grade 10): Bachelor’s degree in engineering (electrical preferred) Computer, Systems, or Applications engineering, Business, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• Minimum of ten years in fossil hydro generation-related experience, preferably including project-level leadership.
• Minimum of five years in compliance, auditing, risk management, power systems operations, or cybersecurity.
• Prior utility/energy sector or NERC-specific experience is highly preferred.
• Distribution system experience is a plus.

Qualifications

• Talent expected to live within 45 minutes of the worksite.

Skills

• Professional Engineer (PE) desirable
• Certified Power Systems Engineer (PSE) highly desirable
• NERC System Operator Certification
• CISSP, CISA, or other compliance/security certifications
• CRISC or similar risk/compliance certifications

Benefits

AEP offers a unique comprehensive benefits package that aims to support and enhance the overall well-being of our employees.

Pay

• NERC Compliance Lead (Salary Grade 9): Expected Salary Range: $122,000.00-$132,000.00 (USD)
• NERC Compliance Lead (Salary Grade 10): Expected Salary Range: $142,000.00-$152,000.00 (USD)

Schedule

The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.