Position Description:

The Coalition for Community Solar Access (“CCSA”) is seeking qualified applicants for a Campaigns

Research Manager to support CCSA’s efforts across various state level legislative and utility commission initiatives. The anticipated start date for this position is immediate. CCSA is a growing organization working to open, protect, and serve markets for community solar across the country.

You will report to the Senior Regional Director of Policy and Government Affairs, for the mountain west region, as well as partner with the Vice President of Campaigns to support the entire campaigns team in successfully achieving our key objectives of opening and expanding community solar markets across the country. This role will be a Regional Director in training and span a broad set of internal and external efforts, having the ability to interact with and impact numerous areas of the organization.

CCSA is a fast paced, mission driven, collegial, and fun work environment. The ideal candidate will share CCSA’s mission to expand access to solar for all, and fit the fast paced and self- starting culture.

Qualifications:

  • Excellent written and spoken communication skills
  • Ability to conduct detailed research to support the campaign team’s achievement and CCSA’s market goals in state legislative and regulatory processes
  • Ability to work closely with staff, members, stakeholders, and partner organizations while managing competing priorities
  • Ability to efficiently manage CCSA Member input within the organizational Committee process; working alongside the CCSA Regional Directors and broader coalitions of local stakeholders
  • Ability to speak to and work with both conservative and progressive constituencies

Responsibilities:

  • Support the entire campaigns team in a research and analysis capacity, compiling information to support state campaigns, and translating information into usable tools & resources for the team
  • Develop, compile, and manage a comprehensive database of all major community solar programs across the country, including a catalog of all policy and historical data pertaining to community solar like current program rules, bill credits rates/methodology, historical pricing, electric loads, and other data related to electricity markets
  • Assist the Vice President of campaigns develop and execute team organization and processes and evaluate and implement technologies that can improve campaign team execution
  • Work directly with the Senior Regional Director to assist in managing at least one existing community solar market and member committee
  • Serve as a backup regional director when gaps in coverage periodically come about. This consists of running committee meetings, ensuring deadlines are met, working with CCSA members and stakeholders, and managing consultants
  • Occasionally represent CCSA at in-person and virtual regulatory and stakeholder events
  • Provide administrative support for regulatory processes and organizational committee processes
  • Coordinate with external stakeholders including allied industry organizations and NGO’s to advance CCSA’s policy goals
  • Provide input into communications efforts to support the campaigns team and long-term planning for industry and organization

Requirements:

  • Self-directed team player with strong political instincts and ability to work independently or as part of a team; who is dependable, highly organized, an excellent communicator, and committed to achieving CCSA’s mission and goals
  • Minimum 3+ years’ work experience in public policy, advocacy, or research — ideally within the renewable energy or utility space — working with companies, trade associations, advocacy groups, NGOs, regulators, or legislators
  • An adaptable, versatile and self-motivated person, who enjoys learning and distilling vast amounts of information into key findings
  • Preference for experience working within state legislative campaigns and/or regulatory efforts
  • Preference for comfort with electricity market dynamics, with former experience in community solar/distributed energy/utility business models
  • Potential for up to 10% travel

The perks of working at CCSA:

  • Base salary range is between $80,000 – $100,000 with the opportunity to participate in an additional performance incentive plan. Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge and skills of applicant, and alignment with market data.
  • Comprehensive benefits include health insurance (100% premiums paid for employees and 75% premiums paid for dependents); 100% paid vision and dental insurance for employees and dependents; and company sponsored HSA for qualified medical expenses up to $1,200 for qualified health plans
  • Up to 3% 401k match
  • Company sponsored short-term and long-term disability insurance, and life insurance
  • Paid parental leave (eligible after 6 months of employment)
  • 3 weeks paid vacation and 11 paid holidays
  • Professional coaching opportunities
  • A fun and collegial environment
  • Weekly all-hands company meeting keeps you engaged and connected to the organization and your team members

Location:

  • Remote
  • Flexible worksite – e.g. home or shared worksite

Culture:

Our team members are passionate about expanding access to renewable energy solutions to every American energy consumer and are constantly striving to improve and better ourselves. We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in the workplace and in the communities with which we partner. If you will enjoy working in a growing organization with a collegial work environment, and in a fast paced and self-starting culture, you are probably a great fit for our team!

Application Process: Please send Cover Letter and Resume to CCSA’s Senior Regional Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Kevin Cray (kevin@communitysolaraccess.org) with email header “CCSA Policy Manager – Application – YOUR NAME”.

The Coalition for Community Solar Access is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) Team Values

  • Focus on Results. We have clear and ambitious goals that drive everything we do on a daily basis. Every day we ask ourselves the question: will the actions I take achieve results that get me closer to my goals? If the answer is yes, then we push forward. Setbacks happen and not everything is in our control, but we focus on what we can control and move toward our goals one victory at a time.
  • Foster Dialogue. We debate ideas, not people. We take the energy of our differences and channel it toward something that has never been created before. The problems we tackle are colorful and complex. To drive to the right decision, we believe in respectfully and productively debating ideas and leaving our egos at the door.
  • Put people first. We prioritize the well-being of our team and take the approach of the “whole person”. We believe that we bring our best selves to our professional lives when we are balanced and taking care of ourselves and each other.
  • Inclusivity. We deeply value diversity of thought, background, and lived experience – and through this is where our most transformative, lasting innovation grows. As our industry expands, we are committed to actively bringing new people, businesses, and localities into the fold, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented.
  • Member Service. We represent the collective voice of our members, who want to see community solar expand and grow. We provide a valuable service to our member community, keeping them up to date on our campaigns and policy initiatives, which helps them plan and grow their businesses. We also serve members by amplifying their collective voice to expand their impact in the market.

Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA) Mission and Core Principles

The Coalition for Community Solar Access is a national Coalition of businesses and non-profits working to expand customer choice and access to solar for all American households and businesses through community solar. Our mission is to empower every American energy consumer with the option to choose local, clean, and affordable community solar. We work with customers, utilities, local stakeholders, and policymakers to develop and implement policies and best practices that ensure community solar programs provide a win, win, win for all, starting with the customer.

We promote policies, programs, and practices that:

  1. Allow all consumers the opportunity to participate in and directly economically benefit from the construction and operation of new clean energy assets.
  2. Provide equal access for community solar providers to build and operate community solar projects and interconnect those projects to the serving utility’s grid.
  3. Incorporate a fair bill credit mechanism that provides subscribers with an economic benefit commensurate with the value of the long-term, clean, locally-sited energy produced by community solar projects.
  4. Support the participation of diverse customer types in community solar programs, and encourage customer choice with providers, product features, and attributes to catalyze innovation and best serve customers.
  5. Encourage transparent, non-discriminatory utility rules on siting, and interconnecting projects, and collaboration with utilities to facilitate efficient siting and interconnection.
  6. Ensure that community solar projects are operated and maintained well to protect customers and providers’ investment.
  7. Ensure full and accurate disclosure of customer benefits and risks in a standard, comparable manner that presents customers with performance and cost transparency.
  8. Comply with applicable securities, tax, and consumer protection laws to reduce customer risk and protect the customer.
  9. Maintain a 360-degree view of the community solar market and ensure a beneficial role for all parties in the partnerships forged between subscriber, provider, and utility.