Description

New Leaf Energy is seeking a Director of Wholesale Market Development to join our growing team at any of our office locations in Lowell, MA, Latham, NY, Chicago, IL, Denver, CO or Oakland, CA. We offer a hybrid work environment, allowing you to work remotely 2-3 days a week and from the office 2-3 days a week. We will consider remote locations for exceptional applicants. Candidates should have a willingness to travel up to 20%.

At New Leaf Energy, we don’t accept the status quo. We are driven by a culture of teamwork, fearless thinking, safety, and adaptability as we pursue our mission to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy. New Leaf Energy is a trusted name in the solar industry and well-known for our strong employee culture. We combine the stability and wisdom gained by decades in business with an entrepreneurial spirit. 

About the Role:

The focus of this position will primarily be to catalyze business development and improve public policies to support a rapid deployment of utility-scale solar and energy storage in the Western U.S. Our policy and business development work is core to New Leaf Energy’s business strategy: we believe that to be successful, we must focus our work on the projects and technologies that are the most aligned with society’s needs while simultaneously evolving public policy to align with these needs. The Director of Wholesale Market Development will join a growing team of developers, engineers, and business development professionals focused on accelerating New Leaf Energy’s growth in the utility-scale solar and storage development motivated by our mission to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy. 

The Director of Wholesale Market Development will play a leadership role across several geographies, including California, Colorado, Arizona and other WECC states, employing a blend of hands-on business development activities with effective pro-clean energy policy advocacy. We are looking for an entrepreneurial leader who has deep market expertise and experience in both renewable energy development and policy advocacy at the RTO/ISO, FERC and/or PUC level. At New Leaf Energy, the Director of Wholesale Market Development will be an active member of our multi-disciplinary utility-scale development team, providing colleagues with market-wide strategic guidance to generate new solar and storage business opportunities, as well as direct, project-level support to increase the value of our existing project pipeline.

Position responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: 

  • Identify new and evolving business risks, opportunities and potential new revenue streams created by proposed policy changes and evolving market conditions. Prepare market analyses and business plans, working collaboratively across the organization to implement development strategies that add meaningfully to New Leaf Energy’s market-leading solar and storage businesses.
  • Directly support project developers in their development footprints, including but not limited to contributing to transmission-level prospecting strategies, project interconnection efforts, RFP responses, and developing relationships with potential commercial contractual counterparties.
  • Lead our industry and New Leaf Energy’s participation in utility commission dockets and RTO/ISO stakeholder initiatives that directly impact New Leaf Energy’s renewable energy and storage businesses as well as broader decarbonization efforts. Engage high-level decision makers, form and lead coalitions of trade groups and peer companies on issue-focused topics, prepare written comments and testimony, and manage external counsel and consultants.

Requirements

While no one individual will possess them all, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and attributes. If you’re unsure of whether you meet enough of the qualifications below but believe that your experience and skill set is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply! 

  • 5 – 8 years experience in business development and policy focused on the electricity industry
  • College degree in related field, advanced degree preferred
  • Passion for accelerating the adoption of renewable energy
  • Advanced understanding of development challenges and strategies for de-risking utility-scale projects, including familiarity with the function of the transmission system and project interconnection processes as well as renewable project finance, discounted cash flow models, and financial valuations of energy projects
  • Experience navigating and advocating at state and/or FERC jurisdictional wholesale electricity market tariffs, structures, and stakeholder processes
  • Familiarity with CAISO and western markets a plus
  • Exceptional interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills with the ability to simplify complex issues and build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  • Demonstrated independence and creativity, with a clear focus on results and the flexibility to adapt to changing environments
  • Ability to multi-task and effectively manage multiple complex assignments under time constraints and with minimal supervision

Compensation, Benefits, and Culture

New Leaf Energy uses an internally equitable and externally competitive total cash approach to compensation. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, health, life, and disability insurance; a comprehensive wellness program; 401(k) plan with company match and immediate vesting; continuing education and professional development assistance; and self-managed flexible work schedules and time-off policies.

Our corporate culture fosters collaboration, a growth mindset, and the ability to take risks — and we value innovative thinkers who will help us reach our ambitious growth goals. We believe that flexibility and work-life balance are important parts of long-term employee happiness and productivity. Our employees are trusted to get their work done and are given the freedom to do so when they are their most efficient, creative, and engaged.