Utility Planning Lead

National Grid is hiring a Utility Planning Lead for our Brooklyn, NY location.

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry.

To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business.

New York's energy system is in the midst of a once-in-a-century transition driven by state policy objectives, market innovation, and customer choice. Over the next fifteen years, the state is seeking electrify much of its economy and deliver economic growth while simultaneously decarbonizing the power sector. Realizing these objectives will require upgrading the state's electric grid network, which was originally built at the turn of the 20th century.

The New York Clean Energy Development team helps to enable the state's economic and energy transition by originating critical clean energy infrastructure projects on behalf of National Grid's regulated electric utility in Upstate New York. Our team partners with other experts within National Grid's New York Electric business to identify projects through rigorous and novel electric system studies, and with external stakeholders to advance those projects to approval through appropriate regulatory and policy proceedings.

The purpose of the Lead Analyst role is to originate investments and commercial opportunities relating to Clean Energy Development projects relating to 1) transmission investments to deliver clean energy, 2) transmission and distribution investments in support of electric vehicle charging, and 3) grid-enhancing technologies such as energy storage to provide increased power system resilience and reliability. The candidate will be responsible for leading major studies to identify infrastructure needs, building business cases, securing commercial support and commercial agreements, and advancing project development for new clean energy business opportunities.

The successful candidate will have a visionary and entrepreneurial mindset. They will be both strategic and tactical, a hands-on and results-driven team member who will bring credible expertise, exceptional relationship building skills, and fresh new energy to the team. They will possess winning commercial acumen that will lead to sustainable growth in clean energy business development activities and create value for National Grid's customers.

Our team blends commercial development with traditional utility planning and investment practices. Because of that, this role is a great fit for two types of candidates - those who will build on an existing background in energy to help a regulated utility navigate a rapidly changing investment environment, and those who will bring commercial development skills from outside the utility sector to push forward new clean energy projects.

• Translate the commercial development vision into winning business strategies and viable clean energy infrastructure projects for National Grid's electric utility business in New York.
• Partner with the Clean Energy Business Development Directors, and external partners to pursue emerging infrastructure opportunities and partnerships that are in line with National Grid's strategic business objectives and to deliver demonstrable value for National Grid's customers.
• Proactively analyze clean energy development opportunities, future technology, asset development strategies, and other market opportunities.
• Provide inputs to financial modeling or system planning studies for transmission for clean energy delivery, grid-enhancing technologies, and proactive grid upgrades for electric vehicle charging.
• Propose new operating models for the business, if necessary, to suit the opportunity adding detail as the discrete opportunity progresses.
• Lead significant workstreams in emerging regulatory or policy proceedings to advance and receive approval for projects.
• Develop and negotiate terms of commercial agreements underpinning pursuit of new business.
• Develop investment papers and business cases to support the progress of new opportunities in transmission, storage and vehicle electrification projects.
• Manage internal and external stakeholders and assure buy-in to propositions.
• Deliver high-quality output: fact-based reports, feasibility reports, strategy papers, governance papers, stakeholder plans, work plans, risk, action & decision logs and maintain documentation control to assure audit trail and effectiveness of handover as opportunities evolve.

• Works well in a team.

To succeed, candidates will require a minimum of either:

• 4+ years of experience in the energy sector, including utilities, power generation, energy storage, or transportation electrification.
• Experience in the administration, analysis, development or monitoring of wholesale power markets in the northeast US, and regulatory recovery mechanisms for regulated utilities.
• Experience with utility planning and the ability to design and lead novel studies, such as rigorous analyses utilizing new data sources to demonstrate the magnitude of potential electric load growth from electric vehicle adoption.
• 6+ years of experience conducting new business development activities or completing rigorous financial analyses.
• Experience in cost, risk and financial appraisal to support business case development.
• Significant understanding of technical, commercial, regulator, market and relationship management aspects of business development involving capital investment and issues affecting the utility industry.
• Experience in the development and negotiation of partnership agreements, as well as a successful track record.
• Candidates who have experience with both the energy sector and business development will be especially well-suited for success on the Clean Energy Development team.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, engineering, or government policy preferred.
• An interest in being a member of a high-collaboration, high-passion team, who will rely on your work to achieve company and statewide objectives.
• A self-starter approach to generating new investment opportunities and the tenacity to see them through to approval and execution.
• An ability to sweat the commercial or analytical details while being able to pull up and take a strategic view or creative lens on a problem.
• Strong project management skills paired with strong writing and presentation skills.
• Superb ability to negotiate, problem solve and engage key external stakeholders resulting in desired outcomes and delivering strong outcomes for National Grid.
• Exceptional inter-personal, relationship building, and collaboration skills at all levels.
• Confidence in public speaking engagements.
  

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