Senior Manager - Carbon-Free Energy Project manager

Nscale; New York (NY); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Nscale is scaling AI infrastructure across the United States. The Senior Manager, Carbon-Free Energy will own the roadmap for sourcing carbon-free energy across Nscale’s U.S. portfolio and lead its core environmental strategy.

The role combines energy procurement with water and emissions oversight, and requires close collaboration with multiple teams and leadership responsibilities. The position emphasizes negotiation of PPAs, VPPAs, and RECs, plus evaluating new firm clean energy sources and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a relevant field.
• 5+ years in sustainability or energy procurement with deal experience.
• Strong knowledge of U.S. power markets and regulations.
• Experience leading cross-functional programs with executives.

Responsibilities

• Own carbon-free energy strategy and roadmap across U.S. markets and sites.
• Origin, structure, negotiate and close clean energy deals (PPAs, VPPAs, RECs).
• Build financial models for price, risk, tenor, credit and collateral requirements.
• Perform energy due diligence during site selection (grid carbon intensity, local supply).
• Represent the company with utilities, developers, brokers and regulators; develop a deal pipeline.
• Manage contracted CFE portfolio and monitor delivery and risk over multi-year terms.
• Lead water stewardship and inventory emissions reduction initiatives.
• Shape sustainability messaging for executives, clients and policymakers.

Skills

Energy markets knowledge

Financial modeling

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering/energy/finance

MBA (preferred)

Tools

Excel

Energy market data platforms

Job description

Role Overview

Nscale is scaling AI infrastructure across the United States, and the energy that powers it is now the company's largest sustainability lever and one of its biggest commercial differentiators. The Senior Manager, & Carbon-Free Energy will own the roadmap for sourcing carbon-free energy (CFE) across Nscale's U.S. portfolio and lead its core environmental strategy. The role pairs two mandates. First, find, evaluate and help close the energy deals that decarbonize Nscale's load: PPAs, virtual PPAs, utility green tariffs, energy attribute certificates and emerging firm clean sources such as advanced nuclear, geothermal and storage-backed renewables. Second, lead strategy on water, embodied carbon and the emissions Nscale produces from its own operations. The role partners closely with Power/Utility, Site Development, Finance, Legal and Commercial teams, carries direct people‑leadership responsibility and is designed to scale as Nscale grows.

Key Responsibilities

• Carbon-Free Energy Strategy & Procurement
• Own Nscale's carbon-free energy (CFE) strategy and roadmap, setting portfolio targets by U.S. market and site type
• Partner with Power/Utility and Commercial teams to originate, structure, negotiate and close clean energy transactions, including physical and virtual PPAs, utility green tariffs and sleeved supply, and renewable energy certificates (RECs).
• Build business cases including financial models for price, basis, shape and volume risk, contract tenor, and credit and collateral requirements.
• Run energy due diligence during site selection: grid carbon intensity, local CFE supply, utility and market structure, interconnection timelines, and regulatory barriers to clean supply.
• Represent Nscale with utilities, independent power producers, developers, brokers and regulators; build a pipeline of offtake opportunities in each U.S. market where Nscale operates.
• Manage the contracted CFE portfolio after signing, tracking project delivery, contract performance and development risk on multi-year deals.
• Emerging & Firm Clean Energy Sources
• Scan and evaluate emerging firm and dispatchable clean sources, including advanced nuclear and SMRs, next‑generation geothermal, long‑duration storage, hydro, and low‑carbon fuels such as hydrogen and RNG.
• Assess technology readiness, cost curves, timelines and counterparty risk
• Evaluate on-site and adjacent generation, behind‑the‑meter and co‑location structures, microgrids and battery storage with Engineering and Power teams.
• Develop grid‑interactivity and demand flexibility options, such as load shifting, demand response and backup‑generation alternatives, that lower emissions and ease interconnection.
• Track U.S. energy policy and market rules (for example federal clean energy tax credits, state clean energy standards and ISO/RTO market rules) and their effect on Nscale's sourcing options.
• Build relationships with clean energy developers, industry groups and buyer coalitions to keep Nscale early in the deal flow.
• Resource & Environmental Strategy
• Lead water stewardship strategy: consumption baselines, cooling technology decisions and replenishment initiatives.
• Lead the inventory of emissions Nscale produces directly from its own operations (such as backup generators, on‑site fuel use and refrigerants) and drive plans to reduce them.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Team Leadership
• Shape accurate, defensible sustainability and energy messaging for executives, clients, investors, communities and policymakers.
• Collaborate with community affairs, public policy, and other internal teams on energy and environmental matters.
• Directly manage and develop the team, and build the function's planning cadence, governance and future subject‑matter roles (e.g. energy markets).

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, energy, environmental science, business, finance or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years in sustainability, energy procurement, renewable project development or energy markets, including experience negotiating or structuring energy or clean energy agreements (PPAs, VPPAs, utility tariffs or RECs).
• Working knowledge of U.S. power markets (e.g. ERCOT, PJM, MISO), utility regulation, transmission and interconnection, and renewable energy certificate markets.
• Experience with financial modeling of energy deals and assessment of price, volume and development risk.
• Experience managing people or leading cross‑functional programs with executive stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced degree in energy, environmental policy or finance.
• Track record of closing utility‑scale clean energy deals (wind, solar, storage) or firm clean energy offtakes (nuclear, geothermal, hydro).
• Experience at a hyperscaler, colocation provider, utility, IPP or energy advisory firm serving data center load.
• Familiarity with 24/7 CFE and hourly matching methods and granular certificates.
• Experience with carbon removal buyers or environmental attribute suppliers.
• Direct experience with public utility commissions, regulators or grid operators, and with multi‑state portfolios across U.S. markets.
• Willingness to travel ~20%.

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