This Director is part of the Customer Operations organization and has ownership and accountability for the associated billing of all gas and electric residential, commercial, and industrial customers and billing for natural gas marketers for the NiSource companies. This position is also responsible for directing all NiSource billing exceptions, customer payment processing, third-party billing, and gas transportation programs. This position also has ownership and accountability for the printing and inserting of all customer bills and notices from an overall NiSource perspective. The Director interacts externally with natural gas marketers, large commercial and industrial customers, industry associations and regulators, as well as internal parties pertinent to the operation of functional areas.
The Director serves as a witness for rate cases and facilitates mandatory negotiations to ensure NiSource complies with all rules and regulations in each state. The Director manages multiple vendor relationships and holds business partners accountable to service level agreements. This Director oversees each functional area in a manner that establishes excellent customer service and compliance with any/all regulatory and state rules and creates internal and external value.
Essential Functions
• Defines and articulates strategies that enhance and improve the customer experience, drive customer satisfaction, reduce costs, and drive revenue growth for all six NiSource companies
• Builds, develops, and leads high-performing teams across NiSource footprint, which includes 100+ leaders, employees, and contractors (includes bargaining unit, exempt, non-exempt and offshore)
• Ensures the daily, monthly, and annual performance associated with functional areas is aligned with NiSource planning and customer expectations, including timely and accurate billing of all revenue, processing of all customer payments and bank reconciliation
• Negotiate agreements and contracts with external vendors, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and managing their performance to maintain high standards in critical operations
• Develops, owns, and meets the O&M budget for responsible areas, including budget variance reporting, issue tracking, and resolution status
• Promote and improve safety practices with employees
• Works collaboratively to develop, implement, and execute customer experience action planning and process management
• Leads the ongoing refinement of processes for functional areas and motivates others to make changes and improvements
• Determines and evaluates strategic issues. Develop and execute strategic goals and initiatives. Recommends strategic alternatives and develops strategic plans.
• Identifies, understands, and champions the capabilities of current IT technology, as well as emerging customer/digital technologies and their applicability to processes
• Maintain superior industry knowledge through cultivating business relationships with marketers, customers, trade partners, and other utilities and industries to identify and adopt best practices
Job Description
• Attends and participates in marketer, customer, and regulatory round table meetings
• Develop relationships with internal and external business partners and establish business and customer metrics to track and continuously improve business and customer performance
• Provides input and participates in audits and state/federal regulatory proceedings, including testifying and acting as a witness before federal and state regulatory agencies
• Collaborates with third-party billing business partners to resolve customer and stakeholder inquiries and concerns
• Ensure contracts within the organization are monitored and managed effectively
• Ensures compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements for processes within the organization, working in cooperation with the state regulatory and legal teams
• Develop business cases that enhance business processes and capabilities, articulating business requirements, costs, and benefits.
• Provide accountability and ensure consistency, as appropriate, across functional areas and operating companies
• Identifies the strengths and development needs of employees and provides them with challenging assignments and opportunities for training and development
Required Qualifications Position.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
• 4-6 years minimum of experience in customer operations
• 4-6 years of managerial and supervisory experience
• Experience working in a Matrix Organization
• Strong leadership skills
• Knowledge of the natural gas and electric industry
• Proven ability to implement successful process improvements
• Proven ability to present strategy, concepts, and initiatives effectively to all levels of the organization and drive business outcomes
• Ability to direct, review and assess quantitative analyses
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational / time management skills
• Exercises independent judgment and initiates solutions
• PC-based program knowledge
Preferred Additional Qualifications for Position
• Master's Degree Master or advanced degree
• 5 years’ experience in gas transportation
• Knowledge of LDCs tariff and rate schedules
Work Authorization
Authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship.
Inclusion & Diversity
Value inclusion within your day to day responsibilities by respecting others perspectives/convictions, engaging others opinions, creating a safe environment where people, ideas, and opinions are valued within your Team/Customers and external partners.
Respect and take into consideration diversity within your Team/Customers and external work partners by valuing different world views, challenges, and cultures that represent all walks of life and all backgrounds.
Treat others with respect and consideration. Actively participate in creating and contributing to a positive work environment.
Equal Employment Opportunity
NiSource is committed to providing equal employment opportunities in each of its companies to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, veteran status, disability, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, sex (including pregnancy, lactation, childbirth or related medical conditions), genetic information, citizenship status, or any protected group status as defined by law. Each employee is expected to abide by this principle.
By applying, you may be considered for other job opportunities.
Safety Statement
Promote a safe work environment by actively participating in all aspects of our employee safety program. Report any unsafe conditions and take actions to prevent personal injuries. Support our interdependent safety culture by ensuring the safety of your co-workers. Stay focused on the task at hand and promote productivity through good work habits.
Salary Range:
$129,500.00 - $194,300.00
Posting Start Date:
2025-01-14
Posting End Date (if applicable):
2025-01-29Please note that the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date.
What We Do
NiSource (NYSE: NI) helps energize the lives of its nearly 4 million natural gas and electric customers across six states. Our local utilities – Columbia Gas and NIPSCO – ensure that customers receive safe, reliable and affordable natural gas and electric service each and every day. Our business plan is focused on proactively investing in our energy infrastructure – approximately $1.4 billion a year – to ensure we meet and improve upon our customer commitments for the next 100 years.
We employ more than 7,000 of our neighbors who are actively engaged in the communities we’re privileged to serve, making them great places to live and call home. NiSource is headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana – about 35 miles from Chicago – and we maintain a significant corporate presence in Columbus, Ohio. Our utility operations also span Kentucky, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia
