Regional Vice President, Chicago Area

Cascade Energy; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 226,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Cascade Energy is seeking a Regional Vice President, Midwest in Chicago to lead the Midwest business, align regional strategy, and drive growth across utilities and clients. You will build executive relationships, guide investment priorities, and develop leaders to sustain long-term success.

The role emphasizes strategic account management, market shaping, and cross-functional leadership in a fast-evolving energy landscape. Expect regular travel and impactful leadership across North America.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, Energy, Sustainability, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in energy efficiency, demand-side management, or related field.
• 5+ years’ experience leading through Directors and matrixed teams.
• Experience building strategic account plans with sales, customer engagement, and delivery teams.
• Experience with emerging energy solutions such as demand flexibility and electrification is preferred.
• Strong financial and business acumen including budgeting and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Midwest business, aligning regional strategy, client commitments, financial goals, and Cascade priorities.
• Own Midwest account strategy and client relationships, building trusted executive relationships with utility leaders.
• Develop leaders and build organizational capacity, coaching and succession planning.
• Shape market opportunities and industry influence by translating trends into actionable strategies.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive relationship building

Financial acumen

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Admin / Engineering / Energy

Job description

About This Opportunity

We're looking for a

About This Opportunity

We're looking for a Regional Vice President, Midwest to lead a growing business, strengthen influential utility partnerships, develop exceptional leaders, and help shape the future of energy solutions across one of Cascade's most important regions. This is a rare opportunity to step into a visible leadership role with significant influence over business performance, market strategy, organizational growth, and client impact.

The energy industry is evolving rapidly, creating significant opportunities for innovation and impact. Utilities are reimagining how they serve customers, strengthen grid resilience, manage demand, and advance ambitious energy and decarbonization goals. From energy efficiency and demand flexibility to electrification and emerging grid solutions, the Midwest is at the center of many of these transformations - and Cascade is helping lead the way.

As Cascade's senior executive leader in the Midwest, you'll lead one of Cascade's most significant growth opportunities while helping shape the future of energy solutions across the Midwest region. You'll guide regional strategy, shape investment priorities, build executive-level relationships, develop future leaders, and help identify and capture the next generation of growth opportunities.

This role goes far beyond operational leadership. We're seeking a leader who thrives on building businesses, influencing markets, developing people, and driving meaningful change. You'll represent Cascade throughout the region, bringing together clients, industry partners, policymakers, and internal teams to create solutions that generate lasting value for utilities, customers, communities, and the energy system as a whole.

At Cascade, you'll join a highly respected team of experts who are passionate about helping clients solve complex challenges while creating measurable impact. As an employee-owned company, we empower leaders to think boldly, act decisively, and build the teams, partnerships, and capabilities needed to succeed. If you're energized by the opportunity to lead a business, shape an industry, grow exceptional leaders, and leave a lasting mark on the future of energy, we'd love to meet you!

Future-Focused AI-Ready Culture

At Cascade Energy, we’re actively shaping how AI gets deployed in the real world, in our tools, our client engagements, and our daily work. Our approach has always been relationship-driven and expertise-led, and AI is how we multiply the impact of both.

Successful Cascadians are curious and resilient. They embrace change, seek smarter ways to create impact, and take ownership of their own growth. We embed AI into our work in ways that are responsible and human-centered, and we actively develop our people to deploy it creatively and confidently.

We believe the future belongs to organizations that pair emerging technology with genuine human expertise. That future is being built here . . come be a part of it!

What You Will Be Doing

Reasonable accommodation will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Lead the Midwest business

• Lead the Midwest business, aligning regional strategy, client commitments, financial goals, and Cascade priorities.
• Drive business performance by aligning people, resources, and priorities around key objectives.
• Lead directors, managers, and regional staff to deliver strong execution, accountability, and client outcomes.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement to strengthen client outcomes and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure strong governance, risk management, and organizational readiness across Midwest programs and teams.

Own Midwest account strategy and client relationships

• Build trusted executive relationships with utility leaders and key stakeholders
• Lead regional account strategy to support client success, retention, and long-term growth.
• Partner with Customer Engagement to position Cascade for renewals, expansions, and new opportunities.
• Serve as an executive sponsor for major utility partnerships, helping resolve complex challenges and strengthen strategic partnerships.

Develop leaders and build organizational capacity

• Develop leaders through coaching, succession planning, and talent development.
• Build the organizational structures and capabilities needed to support long-term growth.
• Lead a high-performing regional leadership team grounded in accountability, collaboration, and results.
• Strengthen partner and delivery ecosystems to support business objectives and client success.

Shape market opportunities and industry influence

• Translate market, policy, and industry trends into actionable business strategies.
• Represent Cascade with utilities, regulators, policymakers, and industry partners across the region.
• Expand Cascade's visibility, influence, and reputation within the Midwest energy community.
• Advance emerging solutions such as demand flexibility, grid-interactive efficient operations, electrification in partnership with product owners and experts.

This is a full-time, exempt position located in the Chicago, Illinois area. Regular travel is expected for client engagements, utility partner meetings, industry events, program reviews, team meetings, and companywide events, including overnight stays as needed.

Qualifications

Applicants for this role are required to have:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Engineering, Energy, Sustainability, or related field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive leadership experience in energy efficiency, demand-side management, utility programs, consulting, engineering, or related field, including 5+ years’ experience leading through Directors and matrixed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to build and execute strategic account plans in partnership with sales, customer engagement, and delivery teams.
• Experience with emerging energy solutions such as demand flexibility, grid-interactive efficient operations, electrification, or integrated demand-side management preferred.
• Strong financial and business acumen, including budget ownership, revenue, gross margin, forecasting, and investment tradeoffs.
• Demonstrated success building and leading mission-driven, values-based teams and cultures that deliver strong business results while maintaining high employee engagement and client impact.

A successful candidate should also demonstrate these preferred characteristics and/or skills:

• Experience working within employee-owned organizations or similarly high-accountability ownership-oriented cultures preferred.

For candidates whose experience may not align perfectly with all these preferred skills but can see themselves adding value in this role, we encourage you to still apply. Cascade is dedicated to building an inclusive and authentic workplace and places strong importance on learning and development.

Compensation & Benefits

The target salary range for this full-time, exempt position in Chicago, Illinois is $226,000 - $252,000. At Cascade, transparency and fairness are core to how we work. We post the salary range for every role because we value clarity and equity. Our offers are thoughtfully determined based on factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and internal equity, to ensure fairness. We aim to ensure consistency and integrity in every decision.

Our total rewards include competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and financial security. We provide health, dental, and vision coverage, along with flexible spending and health savings account options that include employer contributions. Additional benefits include life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, paid parental leave, and a 401(k)-retirement plan with a guaranteed 3% employer contribution. Cascade is proud to offer an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), annual cash performance bonuses, paid vacation and sick time, and an inclusive, flexible holiday policy. To further support wellbeing, we provide a $500 contribution that can be applied to an HSA, FSA, or Lifestyle Spending Account.

About Us

Cascade Energy is a leading provider of energy efficiency, energy management, decarbonization, and sustainability solutions for the industrial, commercial, and public sectors across North America. We have a 30-year history of delivering high-value services through electric and gas utility-offered programs and directly to industrial and commercial enterprises.

Our reputation for stellar, high-quality work has expanded our reach throughout North America to serve clients ranging in size from small to Fortune 500 companies in their pursuit of wide-ranging decarbonization and energy savings objectives. Cascade Energy has 14 offices throughout the US and employees in 30 states.

Why Work at Cascade?

As a 100% Employee-Owned Company (ESOP), Cascadians foster and value a culture of equals, initiative, and ownership. Our teams reflect our core company values: Do the Right Thing; Put Others First; Seek Shared Success; Learn Constantly; and Be Industrious. Our customers are vitally important to us, and we pride ourselves on stellar customer service. Our team members are a dedicated and diverse group of ambassadors, representing Cascade Energy, striving to embody our values, ensure we are responsive, and consistently delighting our customers.

In alignment with our values and doing better, Cascade Energy celebrates and values diversity as vital for increased creativity and innovation and faster problem solving, and we are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination and harassment. Learn more about what we do to create a welcoming environment at Cascade by visiting Culture and Belonging | Cascade Energy.

Cascade promotes a healthy work-life balance and appreciates employee contribution in all areas. We walk the talk about our commitment to learning constantly, with a focus on the ongoing development of every team member. Cascade is a strong supporter of flexible working arrangements, and offers role-dependent options for remote, hybrid, and in-office work.

AI Usage During our Recruitment Process

We value doing the right thing and authenticity in our hiring process. All application materials, including resumes, cover letters, and assessments, must reflect your own original work. The use of AI tools including Gemini, Claude, Copilot, ChatGPT, other large language models or generative AI, Grammarly, and resume builders to assist is acceptable only when your personal experiences, voice, and descriptions of your knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications are accurately and meaningfully represented. Submission of work that is not your own or the use of AI impersonation or deepfake simulators during screening calls and videos will disqualify you from consideration.

AAP/EEO Statement

Cascade is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion and religious practices, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, or family, marital, or veteran status. To request a reasonable accommodation during the application and interviewing process, please contact the Cascade recruiter. Cascade Energy uses the federal E-Verify system to determine eligibility for work in the United States and conducts post-job offer, pre-employment drug screening.