Executive Director People Strategy

Consumers Energy is Michigan’s largest energy provider, providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.8 million of the state’s 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. Consumers Energy knows job number one is to keep the lights on for customers. We are committed to delivering reliable, clean, and affordable energy to our customers 24/7.

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship, e.g., H-1B, TN, etc. Please do not apply if you will need immigration sponsorship for a work visa now or in the future, including sponsorship for H-1B, TN, etc., now or in the future. We are unable to hire individuals with CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT for this position as the position is not eligible for participation in the H-1B lottery program and is not eligible for current or future immigration sponsorship for a work visa.

Location:

This is a hybrid position (remote/onsite) with minimum required onsite days on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday assigned to One Energy Plaza located in Jackson, MI. The candidate must be within a commutable distance to the location or willing to relocate (relocation package is available to those who qualify).

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is not a “plug and play role”. It’s a leadership role at a turning point.

CMS Energy is on a multiyear journey to build a future ready, data-driven, human-centered People team that leaders trust and rely on to deliver our 2035 strategy. We are early on that journey and being honest about it.

The Director of People Strategy plays a critical leadership role in shaping and enabling CMS Energy’s People & Culture journey. This role exists at a pivotal moment as the People function strengthens its foundation, builds its brand, and evolves towards an agile delivery system.

This is not a static or fully defined role. CMS Energy is actively evolving its People operating model, and this position is expected to grow and adapt over time. The ideal candidate is comfortable working in ambiguity, energized by transformation, and motivated by the opportunity to help design both the work and the role itself.

This role exists because we are committed to transformation; deliberately, credibly and together.

The Director of People Strategy will serve as a close thought partner to the Chief People Officer and People Leadership Team, helping translate enterprise strategy into clear priorities, disciplined sequencing, and trusted delivery.

This role shares accountability for enterprise outcomes – not simply advising on strategy but ensuring People initiatives land in ways that materially improve business performance, leader effectiveness, and workforce readiness.

What You’ll Do

This role blends strategy, systems thinking, and relationship leadership. On any given day, you may be doing some of the following:

- Be a Trusted Thought Partner (Strategy & Enterprise Alignment)

- Partner closely with the CPO and People Leadership Team to frame priorities, tradeoffs, and sequencing.

- Partner closely with enterprise leadership and lead a team that helps translate enterprise strategy into clear priorities, disciplined, sequencing and trusted delivery to all business partners.

- Help translate strategic priorities into clear roadmaps, milestones and outcomes.

- Help leaders connect People work directly to enterprise strategy, capital deployment, and operational realities.

- Bring clarity where there is ambiguity, without oversimplifying the work.

- Support executive level decisions by framing tradeoffs, risks and dependencies with clarity and credibility.

- Share accountability for enterprise outcomes by ensuring People priorities are tightly aligned to business performance, workforce readiness, and long-term value creation.

- Drive Data-Informed Delivery

- Help establish a set of trusted people metrics that leaders use.

- Translate data into insight, insight into decisions, and decisions into action.

- Support the transition to a single source of truth for people data and more disciplined operating rhythms.

- Enable executive-level and enterprise governance conversations by distilling complex People dynamics into clear, decision-ready insights.

- Strengthen the System (Not Just Programs)

- Look across governance, decision rights, workflows, and technology to identify friction and risk.

- Help design solutions that improve consistency, accountability, and leader experience.

- Ensure initiatives are designed for durability and adoption, not short-term fixes.

- Provides horizontal leadership across the People function, aligning strategy, execution, and accountability to create a coherent enterprise experience for leaders.

- Operate effectively across multiple governance bodies, balancing enterprise standards with business-specific needs.

- Build the Brand

- Model calm, grounded leadership, especially in moments of complexity or change.

- Identify upskilling, development and organization design interventions both within the People function and in support of the enterprise and deliver on those programs.

- Build strong partnerships across HR, fostering collaboration and shared accountability.

- Develop senior People leaders by modeling strategic judgment, disciplined execution, and enterprise first thinking.

- Hold a high bar for clarity, follow-through, and integrity in delivery.

- Help Shape the Future Operating Model

- Contribute to organizational design and operating model conversations as the People function evolves.

- Be adaptable as this role grows, potentially in breadth, scope, influence or responsibility.

- Help define what excellence looks like for People Strategy at CMS Energy.

What We’re Looking For

We’re less interested in a perfect résumé and more interested in how you show up.

You Are Likely Someone Who

- Has led or supported enterprise level strategy, transformation, or operating model work.

- Is fluent in data, analytics, and systems thinking, even if you don’t build everything yourself.

- Understands that trust is established through consistency and delivery.

- Can operate effectively in environments where things are still being figured out.

- Is comfortable telling the truth, with empathy and professionalism.

- Believes HR earns its seat by making the business work better.

What This Role Is Not

- It is not a purely conceptual strategy role.

- It is not a “fix it fast” turnaround mandate.

- It is not about launching programs.

- It is not a role where success is measured by activity alone; it is measured by sustained credibility and enterprise impact.

This is about doing the right work, in the right order, the right way and helping others believe in the function because of what they experience.

If you’re someone who finds purpose in building credibility, nourishing trust, and shaping something meaningful from the inside; this work will matter to you.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor's Degree required; advanced degree preferred - 8+ years’ progressive experience in people strategy, HR transformation, workforce planning, organizational effectiveness or related fields

- Demonstrated experience operating at the enterprise level

- Strong analytical and systems thinking capabilities, with the ability to translate insight into action

- Experience partnering with Senior Leaders on strategic, operational and people related topics

- Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and inspire individuals and teams through clear direction, coaching, feedback, and support.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience supporting large-scale transformation, operating model design, or HR modernization efforts

- Familiarity with HR systems, analytics platforms, and workforce data concepts

- Experience in regulated, capital-intensive, or highly operational environments

- Familiarity with lean operating systems and concepts

Leadership Attributes & Capabilities

- Comfortable operating in ambiguity and evolving environments

- Builds trust through consistency, transparency, and delivery

- Balances strategic thinking with practical execution

- Communicates with clarity, empathy, and credibility

- Values collaboration and shared accountability over individual ownership

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role is reflected in increased confidence and trust in the People function, clearer strategic alignment across People initiatives, improved use of data in decision-making, and stronger partnerships between HR and business leaders. Over time, this role will help establish People Strategy as a disciplined, reliable operating capability that enables CMS Energy’s long-term success.

Ultimately, success means leaders across CMS Energy experience People Strategy as a disciplined, credible partner that helps the business make better decisions, move faster with confidence, and deliver on its long-term commitments.

Why should you join our team?

At Consumers Energy, we offer more than just a place to work. We foster a culture that supports career development, growth, and stability, and we take pride in offering our co-workers excellent benefits and compensation packages. We are deliberately creating an inclusive culture that makes our diverse team of co-workers feel valued, supported, and empowered every day. We're a company made up of thousands of people, all with different stories to share and work to do, but we stand united in our company purpose: world class performance delivering hometown service.

What We Offer

- Competitive compensation packages

- Medical, Dental and Vision

- 401k with company match

- Paid parental leave

- Up to 13 paid Holidays

- Paid time off

- Educational Assistance Program

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

We, at CMS Energy, value Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion. It is part of our DNA. We treat our employees with respect, we treat each other fairly and we value the opinions of others. We are passionate about building and nurturing an environment where everyone feels included. We don’t discriminate. We seek to learn about each other and better understand our unique differences. Our uniqueness makes us authentic. We create safe spaces where everyone can be who they truly are. We invite difficult conversations and uncomfortable topics. We value diverse perspectives; this is what makes us great together. We harbor an inclusive environment where employees feel empowered to share their backgrounds, experiences, and ideas. Our Employee Resource Groups, Women in Energy (WE), Minority Advisory Panel (MAP), Pride Alliance of Consumers Energy (PACE), GENERGY, capABLE, Interfaith and Veterans Advisory Panel (VAP) are key enablers to living the values of our company culture: Caring, Empowered, Deliberate, Agility, and Ownership.

All qualified applicants will not be discriminated against and will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected veteran status, disability, race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or national origin.