Director - Gas Engineering Planning and Compliance

Director of Gas Engineering, Planning, and Compliance

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

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

About MGE

MGE generates and distributes electricity to 167,000 customers in Dane County, Wisconsin, and purchases and distributes natural gas to 178,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. MGE is a regulated utility subsidiary of the investor-owned public utility holding company MGE Energy, Inc. MGE's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.

An industry leader, MGE was among the first utilities nationwide to commit to net-zero carbon electricity by 2050, consistent with global climate science. Your community energy company is investing in a more sustainable future for the benefit of all our customers, investors, and employees. As your community energy company, we are committed to this area and its people. We take responsibility to:

Plan and provide a safe, reliable, and cost-effective energy supply that balances the needs and values of those we serve.

Provide information and education to serve our customers and stakeholders and help inform their energy decisions.

Preserve and protect our environment while providing affordable, reliable energy.

Encourage and support economic and business development to keep our economy strong and vibrant.

Engage in open and honest dialogue, partnership, and collaboration to best serve our customers and the broader community.

Our Values

Safety: Safety is a core value at MGE. The safety of our employees, customers, and communities is our top priority. Our culture initiatives continuously improve our safety performance. MGE has earned numerous safety awards for this safety performance, including the AGA Leading Indicator Safety Award.

Reliability: We invest in our people and in our systems to help ensure top-ranked energy reliability that helps to maintain the economic health and vitality of the communities we serve. MGE is a national leader in electric reliability.

Sustainability: With a commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement, we take a holistic and proactive approach to sustainable practices company-wide.

Equity: We are committed to equity and inclusion in our service to our customers, in our workplace, and in our broader community, and we value diverse perspectives, ideas, cultures, and backgrounds.

MGE's parent company is MGE Energy, Inc., a public utility holding company. Its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Stock Market. For more information, visit mge.com and mgeenergy.com.

JOB LOCATION

The position is hybrid, and office days are in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, where MGE is an active participant in community efforts to preserve the area's extraordinary quality of life. We offer free, on-site parking and are located near biking trails and bus stops. Many employees enjoy the use of our many on-site EV charging stations.