Senior Commercial Manager (West US)

About Piclo

The climate crisis means that now, more than ever, we need to act. Here at Piclo, we believe we are not powerless against climate change and are focused on enabling the transition to a decarbonized future. Our team is on a mission to make our energy systems smart, flexible and sustainable.

We’re hiring a Senior Commercial Manager to work alongside our friendly team of software engineers, product managers, designers and more that are at the forefront of transforming the energy sector.  

The US market is strategically very important for our company. In less than a year, Piclo has made a splash in expanding within North America. We have grown from one utility customer in New York State - where we launched our local grid flexibility marketplace with National Grid in December 2022 - to running New England’s first grid flexibility marketplace with Eversource and Avangrid across Connecticut. Piclo needs additional staff to support this new growth in our DER-enabled (Distributed Energy Resource) grid flexibility marketplace as we look to expand into new markets. This is a key period for us as we ramp up our growth and develop momentum among key potential customers.

Piclo is a rapidly growing team, headquartered in London, UK, with over 50 people across offices in Australia, Italy, and the east coast of the US. Piclo has backing from a range of investors including Clean Growth Fund, Future Energy Ventures, EDP Ventures and Toshiba. Our company's values are: be human, collaborate, keep things simple, be adaptable, be open & push boundaries.

Inclusivity

Our team welcomes everyone to work together on our mission. We don’t believe that anyone should be discriminated against for any reason, be that age, nationality, gender, race, sexual preferences, religious beliefs, political leanings or disabilities. We welcome diversity among our colleagues and see it as important that everyone is supported and comfortable working with us.

Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire.

Who we are looking for 

Piclo is seeking a Senior Commercial Manager as ‘first boots on the ground’ on the west coast of the US, managing our existing accounts in the western US and driving additional business development. 

This person will be responsible for:

• Setting-up and preparing our business for rapid growth in the western US
• Leading new business development with utilities in the region
• Day-to-day and strategic management of our key utility customer accounts in the Northeast
• Building market liquidity from Flex Service Providers (FSPs) and DER operators to drive market participation through networking, targeted engagement, and partnerships 
• Advising utility staff on the DER market approach, and guiding their teams on DER market implementation best practices
• Ensuring our software team delivers the product on-time as agreed upon, and influencing the product roadmap 
• Growing Piclo’s presence in the region at events, trade associations, industry happenings
• Contributing to Piclo as a thought leader in the US energy and DER sphere

Our ideal candidate meets many - but not necessarily all - of the below criteria:

• 5 years minimum work experience in a customer-facing role (e.g., sales / BD, account management, project management, consulting), with at least 3 years in the utility, DER, renewable project development, and/or energy markets sector
• Entrepreneurial experience and attitude with a demonstrated ability to work self-sufficiently, flexibly and resourcefully
• Utility program management and/or energy markets expertise
• Demonstrated track record of external stakeholder engagement and management (e.g., customer accounts, influencers, regulators)
• Excellent communication skills with experience developing concise presentations and campaigns, and overseeing software product implementation
• Incredible self-motivation and organization skills. Enjoys the process of prioritizing work and setting timelines while collaborating with cross-functional teams
• Based in the West US and willing to travel periodically for customer meetings or business development opportunities, mostly across the US
• Ability to travel to London periodically for team building

Also desirable:

• You have experience in scale-up environments, and are motivated by driving rapid business growth
• You have a strong professional network consisting of utilities, DER aggregators and developers, policy bodies, and grid software products
• You have an understanding of how utility teams interact with each other, purchase and find value in software, and make buying decisions
• You understand wholesale market (CAISO, SPP) trends and mechanisms, and the implications of FERC Order 2222
• You are motivated by Piclo’s mission to decarbonize the grid and align with our values
• You are naturally empathic and are always mindful of the humans who use and benefit from your work

About the role

Reporting directly to the Chief Growth Officer, this role sits within our Commercial Team and would be responsible for (but not limited to) the following:

1. Business development and thought leadership
   1. Engage in business development activities across the West US to attract new clients. Deliver a portion of the sales and revenue targets, supporting the Chief Growth Officer
   2. Lead sales engagement for prospective customers by preparing and providing product demos, explaining functionality, and executing thoughtful campaigns
   3. Assist in expansion opportunity scouting, including direct sales, federal/state/regional innovation funding (e.g., BIL, IRA), and RFPs, and relevant application and presentation development
2. Market participation and liquidity
   1. Collaborate with our marketing team to build DER market participation and liquidity through professional networking and targeted engagement activities, such as strategic marketing and partnerships
   2. Provide guidance and consulting around market design, launch, and operations for newer utility customers in the region
   3. Attend trade shows and relevant industry events, and proactively seek partners to support our growth strategy
3. Client satisfaction and retention
   1. Day-to-day key account management of specific named utility clients, ensuring their satisfaction and effective relationship management
   2. Work with the product team to ensure their work satisfies the customer on the agreed upon timeline
   3. Act as the primary communication link with clients for product feedback and account management
   4. Contribute to the maintenance and growth of client accounts by providing high-quality input for product roadmap prioritization, ensuring alignment with market needs and strategy
   5. Manage the entire lifecycle of client contracts, including renewals, upselling, invoicing, and collections
4. Market positioning and thought leadership
   1. Work with Senior Market Development Manager to catapult Piclo as a thought leader in grid modernization and DERs by contributing to content pieces, delivering public presentations, building the collaborator network, and monitoring and reacting to the regulatory environment

What we can offer

Joining Piclo means you’ll be part of a high-performing, passionate team that is right at the heart of accelerating the energy transition. In addition, we are pleased to offer the following:

• Competitive compensation package
• 25 days holiday - excluding federal holidays
• 40-hour week - with flexible working hours
• Fully remote working (at least initially), with opportunities to travel to meet the US team, and to London, to meet the wider company
• A super welcoming, supportive, collaborative and transparent culture where the priority is to help shape your role to find the best balance between what we need as a business and your career progression plans.

How to apply and interview process

To apply, click the Apply button below and provide some basic information to start the process.

Please include a copy of your CV or the URLs for your personal site or Linkedin profile, as well as URLs to any relevant public repositories that might support your application. Please note that, at this stage, we’re more interested in hearing why you think you’re a good match for us and the role. 

We generally conduct interviews in three stages, lasting approximately 2-4 weeks.

1. Introductory call: we’ll invite you for a short video call to discuss your experience and what you’re looking for in your next role. 
2. Written Challenge: If successful, applicants will be invited to complete a challenge relevant to the skills required in your role
3. Final interview & team collaboration session: if successful, applicants will then be invited to a final stage consisting of:
1. In-depth interview to understand your experiences
2. Team collaboration session