Smart Grid Technology Planning Director

NRTC is Member Driven and Technology Focused – providing solutions that help our 1,500 electric and telephone members bring all the advantages of today’s evolving technology to rural America. NRTC’s solutions are developed specifically to meet the needs of rural utilities and their customers, and include integrated broadband, managed services, smart grid, mobile and video solutions. We are a dynamic, growing cooperative with more than 800 employees operating out of eight office locations. We are looking to add experienced staff to our Smart Grid team to help our utility cooperative members develop smart grid technology roadmaps. Our approach is to educate and support our members as we work with them through a consultative process.
Job Summary
As Smart Grid Technology Planning Director, you will leverage your experience working with electric cooperatives to help them develop ten-year smart grid technology roadmaps. As an individual contributor, you will be responsible for helping create strategic and financial plans for our members related to smart grid technologies. You will work to help cooperatives understand the benefits and costs associated with smart grid initiatives. You will analyze data collected from smart grid devices across member’s utility operations augmented with publicly available information to validate projections. You will continually learn as you collaborate with the NRTC subject matter experts and our members to develop technology roadmaps that help our members answer the: what, why, when, how, and how much; about smart grid initiatives you recommend they implement.
You will bring an understanding of electric distribution utility operations, a knowledge of the data sets our members need to get the most out of business and operational software platforms, an awareness of how key data moves between these systems, as well as a keen ability to develop frameworks to answer complex questions specifically when calculating financial costs or benefits. Your “been there, done that” experience will enable you to tie the relationships of smart grid systems to business operations to define the electric cooperative of the future and provide anecdotal case studies to help our members see the path to the future.  You will be able to translate this knowledge through financial analysis and the development of business cases to help members understand the value of the smart grid roadmap initiatives and see how to get from their current state to their future vision. 
You will demonstrate proven ability to successfully work across organizational boundaries for project execution. You will also have strong capabilities with Microsoft Office tools, especially PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams.
Responsibilities

• Assist the Vice President of Smart Grid Technology Planning in management and delivery of smart grid technology roadmap projects by interviewing and procuring data from member co-ops, organizing, and facilitating workshops on smart grid topics, development of business cases and preparation of presentation materials
• Become a thought leader in communicating the future of smart grid technologies and analytics
• Create and/or modify business plans and financial models
• Create and present compelling stories that demonstrate insight in presentation format
• Stay current on smart grid technologies and roadmaps and provide thoughtful insights based on member challenges and capabilities
• Contribute to thought leadership and content around smart grid technology planning and grow into a recognized leader in the cooperative utility space around the future of data analytics and smart grid solutions
• Assist team members in the prospecting and deployment of Smart Grid solutions for AMI, resiliency, grid intelligence, distributed energy resources and strategic road map development
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities      

• Exceptional leadership skills, work ethic, and professionalism
• Ability to create high-level electric utility financial models designed to represent the performance of a financial asset, project, or other investment
• Candidates should be self-driven, able to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, and comfortable interfacing with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong written, analytical, presentation, and problem-solving skills
• Effective time/project management, relationship-building, and negotiation skills. Excellent written and oral communication, and interpersonal skills
• Ability to resolve conflicts and maintain positive relationships with internal and external clients
• Proficiency in Excel, Power Point, and Teams

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business management, finance, accounting, or equivalent work experience and certifications
• 5+ years of experience working directly with or advising utilities on smart grid technology. Direct knowledge of load management programs and data analysis software a plus
• Experience working on teams in electric utilities in load management, wholesale markets, or distributed energy resources a plus

Physical Demands

• Work is typically performed in a remote office setting
• Ability to travel for work at Member sites 30% of the time

Disclaimer:  The above job description summary is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this position.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties and skills.  The order in which responsibilities, duties and skills are listed is not significant.
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