Principal Research Analyst - Power & Renewables (Data Centre)

Wood Mackenzie is the global data and analytics business for the renewables, energy, and natural resources industries. Enhanced by technology. Enriched by human intelligence. In an ever-changing world, companies and governments need reliable and actionable insight to lead the transition to a sustainable future. That’s why we cover the entire supply chain with unparalleled breadth and depth, backed by over 50 years’ experience. Our team of over 2,400 experts, operating across 30 global locations, are enabling customers’ decisions through real-time analytics, consultancy, events and thought leadership. Together, we deliver the insight they need to separate risk from opportunity and make confident decisions when it matters most.

WoodMac.com

Wood Mackenzie Brand Video

Wood Mackenzie Values

• Inclusive – we succeed together
• Trusting – we choose to trust each other
• Customer committed – we put customers at the heart of our decisions
• Future Focused – we accelerate change
• Curious – we turn knowledge into action

We are looking for a Principal Research Analyst to join the Grid Edge research team within Wood Mackenzie’s Power & Renewables practice. The Grid Edge team consists of leading analysts covering some of the most cutting-edge topics in the energy transition, including transportation and building electrification, microgrids, distributed energy resource participation in wholesale and retail markets, demand flexibility, and grid modernization. Our research and thought leadership inform the strategies of key players throughout the energy industry, driving innovative business models while hastening the energy transition.

The analyst will be a subject matter expert on data centers, helping to lead the Grid Edge team’s North American coverage of that topic. This ranges from data center capital deployment and project tracking to load growth and on-site energy management. The analyst will establish and maintain relationships with data center investors, developers, operators and technology providers to stay at the forefront of industry developments. They will also maintain relationships with utilities to track the power supply side of the industry, including interconnection queues. Through hands-on research they will publish reports, develop and maintain data sets, and provide critical intelligence that informs the strategies of developers, investors, utilities, and other power sector stakeholders.

Experience in the data center space is required, as are exceptional research, writing, and speaking skills. You must be someone who thrives on writing and editing high-quality reports, with a knack for gathering and then distilling significant amounts of information into focused, actionable insights.

Responsibilities

• Be a subject matter expert in data centers, including:
  • Data center investment, development, and operation
  • Power access, interconnection, connectivity, and on-site energy management
  • Trends in AI, cloud, enterprise, and crypto use cases and their applicable hardware
  • State and utility policy, including tax incentives and interconnection processes
• Conduct hands-on research, including literature review, data gathering, and close guidance of supporting data analysts
• Track commercial developments: Capital and debt investment, M&A, JVs, and partnerships
• Track project development and pipelines, including MW, location, cost, use case, and developer
• Track technology trends, from GPUs and rack densities to cooling technologies and supplier market share
• Develop and maintain a market-level data center load and capex forecast
• Produce multiple research reports throughout the year, and contribute to team-wide reports
• Support Wood Mackenzie clients upon request and assist with customer acquisition and retention
• Support Wood Mackenzie’s consulting team on data center-related engagements
• Present at conferences, moderate panels, engage with media, and publish thought pieces
• Travel infrequently, but as necessary, to clients, conferences, and other Wood Mackenzie offices

 Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in the data center industry, on the finance, development, operations or technology side
• Intermediate to expert understanding of the four foregoing aspects of the data center sector
• A Bachelor’s or a Master’s degree, preferably in engineering or finance
• Willingness to invest time in hands-on data gathering as well as guiding and QAing the efforts of supporting analysts
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, with the ability to articulate key takeaways and craft compelling data-driven visuals
• Excellent organizational skills, able to balance long-term research projects with near-term publications, client questions, and team development initiatives

Nice to haves

• Prior experience as a research analyst, with a track record of publications and presentations
• Modeling experience, with the ability to factor historical data, project pipelines, policy and regulation into a commercially-bankable demand forecast
• Expertise in the power sector, including renewables, distributed generation and storage
• Experience in line management, with the ability to effectively guide, coach, and support junior analysts

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer. This means we are committed to recruiting the best people regardless of their race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. You can find out more about your rights under the law at www.eeoc.gov 

If you are applying for a role and have a physical or mental disability, we will support you with your application or through the hiring process.