Principal Rate Analyst

This position will be filled at either the Senior or Principal level. If you would like to be considered for the Senior Rate Analyst position, please apply to requisition #2481.

The Revenue Strategy team at SMUD is excited to announce an opening on our Rates & Pricing team, offering a unique opportunity for individuals passionate about data analytics and innovative rate design. Your work in this area plays a highly visible role in SMUD's 2030 Zero Carbon Plan (2030 ZCP).

SMUD is a recognized leader in the utility industry, known for innovative rate designs and pioneering standard Time-of-Use (TOU) rates for all residential customers. We have launched pilot rates and load flexibility programs targeting electric vehicle (EV) charging for residential and commercial customers, and a virtual power plant program. We recently introduced an optional residential rate for customers with electrical panels rated at 125 Amps or less. As a member of the Pricing team, you will support the development of our marginal study and updates to the Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT).

Our Pricing team’s work is frequently referenced across the industry for its excellence, innovation and lower rates in California. In this role, you will help sustain this legacy by developing new innovative rates, fees, analytical tools, and supporting complex rate analyses and forward-looking decisions that support the 2030 ZCP.

Looking ahead, managed EV charging remains a key area of study as well as rates for large industrial customers including data centers and potential AI facilities. All our customers have AMI 1.0 meters, and we are in the process of installing 200,000 new AMI 2.0 meters, which would enable detailed estimation of end use load patterns including EV and photovoltaic (PV). Additional key initiatives include data analytics to support a service territory that has over 60k behind-the-meter solar installations equipped with AMI meters and load analysis of over 70k customers with EVs to explore new rates and load flexibility. If you join the Pricing team, you will have access to AMI data which has been reprogrammed to capture data every five minutes, allowing near real-time load monitoring; and use cutting-edge analytical platforms and tools, including SAS, SAP, Databricks, and Metrix ND. You will be collaborating across many departments at SMUD on high profile projects and contribute to innovative rate design and revenue forecasting that directly support SMUD’s clean energy goals.

This position is ideal for an experienced and talented analyst who is passionate about data-driven decision-making and the evolution of next generation of pricing signals to manage Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) more effectively.

Purpose

Develops and recommends competitive pricing and costing strategies utilizing various analytical models and research data; designs, evaluates and negotiates competitive rate structures with customers to support maximization of SMUD revenues and recovery of annual revenue requirements and investments in compliance with Board policies, goals and objectives.

Nature and Scope

Serves as a technical or functional expert or consultant providing expertise and/or direction in one or more areas of a professional discipline and assumes responsibility for resolving complex problems and overseeing complex projects. May also serve in a Lead role and assist in planning, coordinating, prioritizing, monitoring and evaluating the work results in assigned area and in selecting, training, motivating, evaluating and developing lower-level personnel.

Duties and Responsibilities

- Designs rate alternatives and recommendations that satisfy SMUD’s revenue requirements and objectives; creates innovative rate products to retain existing and attract new load customers; applies average and marginal cost principles to assure competitive pricing; forecasts revenue impacts accurately to protect SMUD’s interests; estimates customer response to incentivized rate offerings based on research and qualitative analysis.

- Incorporates new approaches to rate setting and knowledge of current and changed market conditions with balanced analytical principles and system modeling to ensure SMUD revenue protections and competitiveness.

- Conducts cost of service studies using alternative methodologies for different customer classes; integrates study findings in apportioning SMUD’s annual revenue requirement among the various customer classes; makes recommendations on rate structures to meet SMUD revenue requirements and established policies.

- Provides technical expertise and leadership in evaluating and improving analytical methodologies and tools for the department; makes recommendations for improvements in methodologies, techniques and applications.

- Formulates and conducts evaluations of competitive rate structures by ensuring fair and equitable apportionment of revenue requirement recovery from individual customer classes; supports the Board’s and executive management’s policies, goals and objectives; provides price signals that accurately reflect the cost of providing service to different customer classes; ensures compliance with all regulatory requirements.

- Designs, evaluates and implements firm service rates, non-firm rate options, partial-requirement “unbundled” service rates, and innovative and experimental rates for proposed programs; forecasts retail revenues based on current rates and ensures that proposed rates recover SMUD revenue requirements.

- Performs independent rate analyses on various rate options for customers; negotiates competitive alternative rates with company officials to retain customers who may choose to bypass full-requirements electric service; recommends and coordinates Board approval and implementation of flexible, customized rates options through SMUD’s present and/or personal computer billing system.

- Represents SMUD before regulators, Board committees, management, the public and consultants on issues regarding load research, market research, cost of service, rate design, technical assumptions and related subjects; provides information, analysis, justification and technical expertise.

- Organizes and conducts workshops and promotes cooperative professional relationships with the public, other rate payers and industry professionals; provides details and justifications for rate proposals; solicits responses to rate designs and proposals; deals diplomatically with rate issues under conditions of hostility and stress.

Required Education

- A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in engineering, marketing, business administration, social science, finance, economics, statistics, or a related field.

Required Experience Qualifications

- At least seven (7+) years of progressively responsible relevant work experience in designing and evaluating strategic and competitive rate options; performing embedded (average) cost of service studies and the application of embedded and marginal costs to rate design; financial and statistical analysis; computer modeling and maintaining complex spreadsheets; and oral presentation to management and the public.

Knowledge Of

Advanced retail rate design theory and related utility standards; electric utility operations; advanced cost of service methodologies, procedures, alternatives and effects; advanced methods and techniques of load/market research, including sample design, data validation and correction and demographic and saturation surveying; advanced techniques and practices for cost benefit analyses; advanced industry-accepted electric utility costing theory including average and marginal costing; understanding of innovative rate design practices including real time pricing, options pricing, standby service options and interruptible service options; SMUD policies, procedures, and other special agreements including rate-making policy; pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations governing class load surveys, end-use monitoring and related rate design and analyses; principles and practices of various analytical approaches; methods and techniques of report preparation and writing; techniques and strategies for public speaking; techniques related to customer relations; office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases; English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Skills To

Perform advanced rate analysis functions to design rate alternatives and recommendations that satisfy SMUD’s revenue requirements and objectives; provide technical expertise and leadership in evaluating and improving analytical methodologies; independently compile and analyze complex financial, operating and statistical data; interpret, analyze and apply pertinent policies, procedures, regulations and requirements; gather data from appropriate sources and identify relevant factors; develop and maintain spreadsheets and sophisticated computer models in various computer environments; compile and prepare technical, statistical and/or analytical reports and presentations; explain complex and/or controversial policies, regulations, procedures and/or activities internally/externally; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; establish and maintain effective working relationships internally/externally.

Desirable Qualifications

- Master's degree from an accredited college or university majoring in Economics, Business, Mathematics or a related field.

- Rate design experience.

- Advanced Excel skills.

- Experience with computer programming.

NOTE: This position will require on-site work three days a week at SMUD Headquarters located at 6201 S Street, Sacramento CA 95817.