Associate Manager / Manager, Energy Programs, VPPs

Job Title: Associate Manager / Manager, Energy Programs, VPPs

Salary: $130,000 - $165,000/year (commensurate with experience)

Job Type: Full-Time with Benefits

Location: California residency is required. We are a remote-first work environment with a strong preference to hire staff within a 100-mile radius of San Mateo County. Employees are expected to attend in-person meetings (generally monthly/quarterly) at our Redwood City office. Other meetings may be required. This position will also require in-person meetings with customers.

We regret that we are unable to sponsor Visas at this time and that no relocation assistance is available.

Position Summary

This new role works under the direction of a Senior Programs Manager and is responsible for supporting the implementation of PCE battery and distributed energy resource management programs in commercial and residential sectors with a goal of advancing customer affordability and electrification benefits, aligning renewable supply and demand, and driving Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) to scalable, self-sufficient business models.

This is an exciting opportunity to support innovation, greenhouse gas reductions, energy resiliency, and cost savings for PCE’s customers. Specific responsibilities include management of PCE’s Distributed Energy Resources Management System (DERMS), providing technical and strategic direction for deployment

of residential and nonresidential dispatchable assets, supporting customers on deployment, and vetting opportunities to grow PCE’s Virtual Power Plant (VPP).

Position Responsibilities

This position requires collaboration skills to work with internal/external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have a strong working knowledge of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), including dispatch strategies and economics, DERMS and VPP strategies, and behind-the-meter resource deployment. Our top candidate is organized, has strong attention to detail, and able to support activities across multiple projects.

Duties:

- Manage distributed energy management system (DERMS) vendor contract including determining DERMS dispatch strategy, monitoring performance, advising on PCE’s DERMS roadmap, providing support for asset integrations, and providing materials as appropriate for installers/integrators and customer support needs.

- Provide technical direction on BESS including hardware selection, dispatch protocols, and customer materials.

- Support integration of DERs into DERMS for dispatch optimization, including storage, thermostats, water heaters and others. Work with Energy Programs team members to understand asset performance requirements to avoid adverse customer experiences. Ensure customer satisfaction, monitor performance and recommend refinements to dispatch protocols and overall DERMS functionality.

- Recommend strategies to increase financial self-sufficiency of DER programs including exploring program structures and available supply-side and demand-side value streams. Work with DER Senior Program Manager and members of the Energy Programs, Regulatory, and Innovation & Strategy teams on program designs and policy to advance scalable, self-sufficient DER programs.

- Support Accounts Services team with engaging commercial property owners to encourage the installation

of and/or facilitate the trouble-shooting of existing solar, storage, and electrification measures.

This includes understanding property owner concerns, following the progress of major projects, providing quantitative and technical analysis, and addressing problems and bottlenecks that may arise.

- Support the residential home upgrade team with technical guidance on DER integration, equipment selection, installer and customer information, design of pilots for new asset classes, and other needs as they arise.

- Recommend improvements to programs and processes, including changes to project management systems, contracts, incentives, program participation details, and technical guidelines.

- Analyze, track, assess and report on program-level financial and technical metrics, including individual and program-wide

projected and actual costs, revenues, and installation cost scenarios to support project-specific decision making. Utilize, support, and occasionally develop internally-developed financial models. Refine and create models as appropriate.

- Maintain analytics on VPP program economics, including net margin impacts, grid services costs and benefits, and customer costs and benefits.

- Develop documentation, polished presentations, and other collateral for internal and external use.

- Assist in the design and implementation of customer recruitment and onboarding strategies.

- Develop and execute requests for proposals (RFPs), including by defining objectives and evaluation criteria, coordinating with communications team for publication, evaluating proposals, and recommending awards.

- Assist in preparing draft collateral and website copy and coordinate with marketing to finalize materials.

- Form relationships with contractors and local labor unions in the ecosystem.

- Occasionally support program outreach activities not otherwise covered by marketing or government relations, such as staff level engagement with public agencies on the local government solar and battery storage program. This also includes supporting public approval processes, such as participating in council meetings and other public forums.

- Present to various internal stakeholders including Energy Programs leaders and senior staff.

- Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

Education: Equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university with major course

work in engineering, environmental studies, economics/business, or another related technical/scientific field.

Experience: 7+ years of experience in the energy, solar, energy storage, utility, and/or project development sector(s), with a strong emphasis on behind-the-meter commercial & industrial and/or small front-of-meter

utility scale projects.

Knowledge of:

- Principles of electric generation, and in particular renewable energy technologies

- Strong subject matter and working experience in multiple of the following areas: electric utilities, solar systems, energy storage, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, virtual power plants, microgrids, or other innovative energy technologies

- Impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change in the local and global environment

- Advanced project management

- Analytics software; advanced use of MS Excel

- Mission, goals, and policies

of Peninsula Clean Energy

Ability to:

- Apply strong writing and quantitative analytic skills

- Exercise sound judgment, creative problem solving, and commercial awareness

- Manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and quickly adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced dynamic environment

- Work independently as well as coordinate team efforts

- Be thorough and detail-oriented; demonstrate patience, tact, and courtesy

- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with persons encountered during the performance of duties

- Measure and monitor performance and outcomes and recommend improvements

- Work as needed to attend evening and weekend meetings and presentations

- Interact professionally and effectively with customers, commercial partners, PCE staff, Community

Advisory Committee, and Board of Directors

- Comfortable with using basic and intermediate MS Office functions, including Word, Excel, Outlook, and Powerpoint

- Willing to learn and use various tools / systems (CRM, project management, financial tools)

Salary and Benefits

Compensation ($130,000 to $165,000) is commensurate with experience. PCE offers a generous benefits

package including:

- Individual, family and domestic partner health (medical, dental, vision) insurance

- Retirement contribution and paid parental leave

- Long term disability benefits

- Cell phone and internet stipend for remote work

- Paid vacation

- Professional development stipend

Required Application Process

- Cover Letter

- Resume

- Responses to the three Supplemental Questions

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application materials must include:

- Resume

- Cover letter

- Answers to application questions

- A case study assignment may be given in the final round of interviews

ABOUT US

Peninsula Clean Energy is the community choice energy program (known as a “CCA”) for San Mateo County and portions of Merced County. Peninsula Clean Energy’s customer base includes approximately 310,000 accounts, serving a population of 800,000, with a total electrical load of almost 4 million megawatt-hours.

Our mission is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by expanding access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. This includes providing cleaner power at lower rates with virtually GHG-free power as its standard power service. We have aggressive decarbonization goals including delivering 100% renewable energy on an hourly basis by 2025 and supporting its service territory in reaching comprehensive decarbonization for transportation and buildings by 2035.

Peninsula Clean Energy is making significant and growing investments to advance these objectives, providing a full spectrum of programs and pilots to serve the community.

Peninsula Clean Energy is committed to complying with applicable laws, including the Americans with Disability Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act, ensuring equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals with a disability. Peninsula Clean Energy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on age, sex or gender (including but not limited to pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), genetic information or characteristics, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, or on any other basis prohibited by federal, state, or local laws.