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Director - Gas Engineering Planning and Compliance

Location

Madison

Job Category

Gas or Electrical Engineering

Job Purpose

The Director of Gas Engineering, Planning, and Compliance provides high-level strategic leadership, setting long-term direction for the gas distribution system while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance is embedded in all planning, design, and operational decisions. This role drives organizational strategy to meet evolving regulatory requirements, industry standards, and stakeholder expectations. Focused on strategic vision to ensure the safe, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of natural gas services, proactively addressing compliance risks and shaping policies to support sustainable growth, operational integrity, and community trust.

Core Responsibilities

Note: This list is not all-inclusive.

+ Provide corporate leadership in the strategic planning and oversight of gas engineering, system planning, and compliance functions.

+ Establish and maintain a long-term vision for the gas distribution network, ensuring alignment with corporate goals and regulatory mandates.

+ Foster a culture of operational excellence and innovation that fully integrates regulatory compliance into organizational strategies, policies, and practices.

+ Collaborate with executive leadership to ensure financial, operational, and safety objectives are met while mitigating compliance risk.

+ Develop strategies to anticipate and address emerging regulatory trends, industry changes, and stakeholder expectations.

+ Build organizational capability and lead cultural change initiatives that strengthen operational integrity and public trust.

+ Represent the organization with regulatory bodies, industry associations, and key stakeholders to influence policy and industry standards.

+ Partner across departments to promote a unified approach to quality and regulatory compliance, ensuring that engineering and planning standards are consistently applied and integrated throughout operational practices.

Competencies

Note: These are in addition to MGE’s Core Competencies.

+ Strategic Mindset: Anticipates future trends and positions the organization for long-term success.

+ Drives Vision and Purpose: Creates and communicates a compelling vision that inspires commitment.

+ Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high-quantity, and sometimes contradictory information.

+ Tech Savvy: Anticipates and adopts innovations in business-building digital and technology applications.

+ Ensures Accountability: Drives a culture of accountability by establishing clear expectations and partnering across departments to ensure adherence to quality and compliance standards.

Skills

+ Strong leadership and executive communication skills.

+ Deep knowledge of utility regulatory compliance frameworks.

+ Proven ability to develop and implement long-term strategic plans.

+ Financial acumen for capital and operational planning.

+ Stakeholder management and relationship-building at executive levels.

+ Change management and organizational development expertise.

Education and Certification

+ Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field required. Master’s degree (MBA, MPA, or related) preferred for strategic business acumen and leadership in complex regulatory environments.

+ Professional Engineering license or relevant compliance certification preferred.

Experience

+ Minimum 15 years of progressive experience in gas utility engineering, operations, and/or compliance

+ 10 years demonstrated leadership and supervisory experience in a utility or engineering setting

+ Experience leading regulatory compliance efforts, audits, and public testimony

+ Proven record managing complex technical projects and multidisciplinary teams

+ Significant experience overseeing gas distribution system operations and standards development

Work Location

This hybrid role is based at our Madison, WI headquarters. While three days onsite is the minimum, team collaboration and business needs may require additional in-office presence.