What is a Project Manager at Con Edison?

A Project Manager at Con Edison is a central figure in the mission to provide safe, reliable, and sustainable energy to millions of New Yorkers. This role is not merely about tracking timelines; it is about driving the transition to a clean energy future and maintaining the critical infrastructure of one of the world’s most complex energy grids. Whether you are working within Clean Energy, AMI IT, or Workplace Culture, you are responsible for translating high-level strategic goals into operational reality.

The impact of this position is felt across New York City and Westchester County. You will lead multi-disciplinary teams to execute projects that enhance grid resilience, integrate renewable resources, and improve the customer experience. Because Con Edison operates in a highly regulated environment, your work requires a sophisticated balance of technical oversight, budgetary discipline, and stakeholder management.

This role is ideal for those who thrive on complexity and take pride in public service. You will navigate intricate regulatory frameworks and coordinate with diverse departments to ensure that every project adheres to the company’s stringent safety and excellence standards. Success in this role means ensuring that Con Edison remains at the forefront of the energy industry’s evolution.

Common Interview Questions

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Con Edison requires a dual focus on your technical project management methodology and your behavioral alignment with the company’s core values. The hiring team looks for candidates who are not only organized but also possess the emotional intelligence to lead through influence.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a deep understanding of project lifecycles, specifically within the utility or infrastructure sectors. Interviewers evaluate your ability to manage budgets, mitigate risks, and handle procurement processes. Be prepared to discuss how you apply standard methodologies (like PMP or Agile) to real-world energy challenges.

Behavioral Competency (BEI) – Con Edison relies heavily on Behavioral Event Interviewing. This means you will be judged on past actions as indicators of future performance. You should prepare detailed stories that highlight your leadership, your ability to handle conflict, and your commitment to safety and diversity.

Problem-Solving and Adaptability – The energy landscape is constantly shifting due to policy changes and environmental factors. Interviewers look for your ability to pivot when a project faces unexpected hurdles. You can demonstrate strength here by explaining the logic behind your decision-making during past project crises.

Communication and Presentation – As a Project Manager, you are the bridge between technical teams and executive leadership. Your ability to distill complex data into actionable insights is critical. For many PM roles, you will be required to demonstrate this through a formal presentation or exercise during the final stages.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process at Con Edison is known for being thorough, professional, and highly structured. While the timeline can be lengthy—often spanning a month or more—it is designed to ensure a mutual fit between the candidate’s skills and the company’s culture of excellence. The process typically moves from high-level screening to deep-dive technical and behavioral evaluations.

You can expect a high degree of organization from the recruitment team. Communication is generally prompt, and the steps are clearly defined from the outset. The company places a premium on Behavioral Event Interviewing (BEI), meaning that your ability to articulate your experience using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) will be tested at every stage.

The visual timeline above illustrates the progression from the initial Zoom-based screening to the intensive in-person final rounds. Candidates should use this to pace their preparation, focusing on high-level narratives early on and technical details for the later stages. Note that the "Exercise" phase is a critical hurdle that requires significant time investment just before the final interview.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

Behavioral Event Interviewing (BEI)

The BEI component is the cornerstone of the Con Edison selection process. The hiring team uses this to determine if you have the specific qualifications and the "soft skills" necessary to thrive in a utility environment. They are looking for evidence of your ability to navigate the unique pressures of public service and large-scale infrastructure management.

Be ready to go over:

• Conflict Resolution – How you handle disagreements between contractors, engineers, or internal stakeholders.
• Commitment to Excellence – Specific examples of where you went above and beyond to ensure project quality or safety.
• Navigating Ambiguity – Times when you had to move a project forward despite having incomplete information or changing regulations.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to deliver bad news to a senior stakeholder regarding a project delay."
• "Describe a situation where you identified a safety risk and the steps you took to mitigate it."
• "Give an example of a project where you had to manage a team with diverse perspectives and goals."

Technical Project Management & Domain Expertise

Depending on the specific team (e.g., Clean Energy, IT, or Construction), you will be tested on your ability to apply PM principles to that domain. For Con Edison, this often involves a focus on regulatory compliance, vendor management, and long-term asset planning.

Be ready to go over:

• Budgetary Oversight – Your experience managing multi-million dollar budgets and tracking variances.
• Risk Management – How you identify, quantify, and mitigate risks in a high-stakes environment.
• Vendor and Contractor Management – Strategies for ensuring external partners meet Con Edison's rigorous standards.
• Advanced concepts – Regulatory rate cases, energy efficiency metrics, and grid modernization technologies.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "How do you prioritize competing projects when resources are limited?"
• "What metrics do you use to track the health of a project in real-time?"
• "Explain your process for conducting a post-mortem after a project fails to meet its primary objective."

Presentation and Strategic Thinking

For many Project Manager roles, the final stage involves a PowerPoint presentation based on a pre-assigned exercise. This tests your ability to synthesize information, create a cohesive plan, and defend your logic in front of a panel.

Be ready to go over:

• Data Synthesis – Taking the exercise data and identifying the core problem.
• Strategic Recommendations – Proposing clear, actionable steps that align with Con Edison's goals.
• Public Speaking – Delivering your findings with confidence and handling "q&a" sessions effectively.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Based on the data provided in the exercise, which project would you prioritize for the next fiscal year and why?"
• "How would you adjust your plan if the budget was suddenly cut by 20%?"