General Manager, Navy Yard Electric Utility

PIDC; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

PIDC seeks an experienced utility management professional to oversee the Navy Yard’s 74 MW electric distribution grid. The role requires solid operations, financial management, and project leadership to support growth and resilience for more than 200 customers and partners, including the U.S.

Navy. The candidate will drive capital projects coordination, budgeting, and sustainable funding strategies, collaborating with the Navy Yard team and PIDC to enable investment, development, and job

Qualifications

• Must be a Philadelphia, PA resident or willing to relocate.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in utility operations, energy, infrastructure, engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, and capital planning.
• Direct experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and large-scale capital projects.
• Strong strategic planning capabilities.
• Strong knowledge of utility operations, electric distribution systems, energy markets, and related industry practices.
• Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to effectively manage complex operational and business matters.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Commitment to PIDC's mission to attract investment, support equitable business growth, and create quality jobs for Philadelphia.

Responsibilities

• Operate and oversee the Navy Yard’s 74 MW private, unregulated electric distribution grid and utility.
• Coordinate with contract operator and key customers on load needs and energy procurement.
• Develop and manage operating and capital budgets; oversee billing and accounting.
• Lead strategic planning to expand grid resilience and sustainability.
• Identify funding opportunities at local, state, and federal levels.
• Manage multidisciplinary consultant teams and promote local business participation.

Skills

Utility operations

Financial acumen

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/engineering

Job description

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) is Philadelphia's public-private, non-profit economic development corporation, founded in 1958 as a partnership between the City of Philadelphia and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. Our mission is to spur investment, support business growth, and foster development that creates jobs, revitalizes neighborhoods, and drives growth to every corner of Philadelphia. We offer flexible financing, a targeted real estate portfolio, and decades of Philadelphia-based knowledge to help our clients invest, develop and grow. PIDC works with companies of all types and sizes, across all sectors.

Over the past 65+ years, PIDC has settled over 13,800 transactions with a diverse range of clients — including over $21 billion of financing and 3,400+ acres of land sales — which have leveraged tens of billions of dollars in total investment and assisted in retaining and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in Philadelphia. You can learn more about PIDC at PIDCphila.com.

In 2000, PIDC acquired the 1,200-acre former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, with the goal of restoring economic vitality, creating quality jobs, and supporting the growth and attraction of companies. PIDC serves as lead developer and operator of the Navy Yard, successfully managing its transition into one of the City’s strongest, most vibrant economic hubs. This rapidly growing riverfront neighborhood features a mix of historic buildings and new high-performance, LEED-certified construction, oriented around world-class parks and public amenities.

Today, the Navy Yard is home to over 150 companies and 16,000 employees, across a dynamic array of industrial and commercial sectors. The 2022 Navy Yard Plan established the next phase of growth, including $6B of new investment, 8M SF of new, high-quality industrial, commercial, and residential development, and over 12,000 new jobs. This initiative is already underway, with five buildings complete and the next two projects in design and pre-development.

PIDC's Navy Yard team is responsible for making the Navy Yard a great place to work, visit, invest and develop, and we work with a broad array of partners to guide the property's overall management and development, including leasing, development, planning, transit, infrastructure, electric distribution, property management, marketing, and social programming. You can learn more about the Navy Yard, its history, current activity and plans for growth at NavyYard.org.

POSITION SUMMARY

PIDC seeks an experienced and versatile utility management professional with strong business acumen to oversee the operations, financial performance, capital projects, and strategic planning of the Navy Yard’s 74 MW private, unregulated electric distribution grid and utility.

The position requires a strong understanding of utility or comparable infrastructure operations, financial management, and project management, along with the ability to effectively manage priorities across operational, technical, financial, and strategic areas. Strong interpersonal and relationship-management skills are essential to effectively engage with the utility’s diverse portfolio of more than 200 customers, prospective companies, development partners, and key stakeholders, including the U.S. Navy.

The position will also identify opportunities and coordinate with the broader Navy Yard team to advance and deliver innovative sustainability, resiliency, and infrastructure solutions. These efforts will support the Navy Yard’s continued development and position the utility to meet evolving operational and customer needs while contributing to new investment, development, and job creation at the Navy Yard.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operations

• Manage utility’s contract operator (responsible for grid operations, maintenance, repair, assigned capital projects).
• Coordinate with key customers to manage significant/unique power needs, including PECO/PJM (Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland Interconnection) load reduction requests.
• Procure and manage electricity and natural gas commodity supplies.
• Optimize generation and storage assets to maintain competitive rates, provide resilience for critical customers, and maximize non-customer revenue through participation in PJM ancillary markets.

Capital Projects

• Coordinate with contract operator and select customers to plan, fund, and execute capital projects.
• Collaborate with Navy Yard capital projects team and PIDC's Capitalization and Impact team to pursue local, state, and federal funding opportunities.
• Manage multi-disciplinary consultant teams (e.g. electrical design/engineering, construction management).
• Maximize participation of small and local businesses in contracting opportunities.

Financial Planning and Performance

• Develop, manage, and report on utility’s operating and capital budgets, including Navy and other customer-funded capital projects (monthly and annually).
• Provide oversight of customer billing (managed by contract operator), PECO contracts, utility payables, PIDC utility G/L accounting, and financial reporting.
• Coordination with Executive Vice President, Navy Yard, to develop a sustainable financial strategy to optimize grid operation and support grid expansion.

Strategic Planning

• Monitor and update grid expansion plan to ensure alignment with actual/projected development.
• Develop grid sustainability and resilience plan.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Utility Operations & Business Acumen – Applies industry knowledge, financial expertise, and sound business judgment to ensure effective utility operations and financial performance.
• Strategic Planning & Decision-Making – Establishes priorities, evaluates opportunities, and makes informed decisions that support operational and organizational objectives.
• Financial & Capital Project Management – Oversees budgets, financial performance, and complex infrastructure projects to ensure effective resource management and successful outcomes.
• Stakeholder Relationship Management – Builds and maintains productive relationships with customers, contractors, business partners, and key stakeholders.
• Leadership, Collaboration & Innovation – Provides effective leadership, fosters collaboration, and advances innovative solutions that support operational efficiency, sustainability, and long-term growth.

QUALIFICATIONS

Must be a Philadelphia, PA resident or willing to relocate within six months of hire.

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, or similarly relevant program.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in utility operations, energy, infrastructure, engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in financial management, budgeting, financial reporting, and capital planning.
• Direct experience managing multidisciplinary consultant teams and large-scale capital projects.
• Strong strategic planning capabilities.
• Strong knowledge of utility operations, electric distribution systems, energy markets, and related industry practices.
• Excellent judgment and problem-solving skills, with the ability to effectively manage complex operational and business matters.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Commitment to PIDC's mission to attract investment, support equitable business growth, and create quality jobs for Philadelphia.