Senior Program Manager

City of Seattle; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 99,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Seattle’s Seattle City Light department seeks a seasoned Senior Program Manager to lead customer-facing renewables and storage programs within CES. You will guide cross-functional teams through discovery, design, build, and implementation to achieve defined business objectives.

The role emphasizes renewable energy mastery, lifecycle management, stakeholder engagement, and equity in program design, with a focus on DER technologies and demand-side strategies. Competitive benefits available.

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in energy management, engineering, architecture or related field and three years’ professional energy management analysis experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver complex programs from discovery through exit.
• Strong ability to incorporate stakeholder input and equity into program design and outcomes.
• Proven track record of managing budgets and external consultants for municipal energy initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Manage renewable energy, battery storage, or energy efficiency programs for customers across sectors.
• Apply standard program-management tools to ensure stage-gate workflow and design thinking.
• Incorporate the voice of the customer and equity into program design through stakeholder engagement.
• Stand up and lead matrixed, cross-functional teams through design, build, launch and implementation.
• Monitor, evaluate and report on program performance during implementation.
• Identify and implement changes to address gaps, risks, and progress toward goals.
• Manage external consultants with defined scopes of work and deliverables.

Skills

Renewable energy

Program management

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Equity in design

Budget management

Public speaking

Education

Baccalaureate degree in energy management, engineering, architecture or a related discipline

Job description

Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.

Seattle City Light is seeking a renewable energy-savvy program manager for its Customer Energy Solutions (CES) division. CES manages the longest continuously operating municipal energy conservation initiative in the country. We are currently hiring a Senior Program Manager to lead our cross-functional teams to ensure that defined business goals and objectives are met. The Solutions Design and Management unit in CES is responsible for designing and managing our portfolio of customer-facing energy programs. If you are flexible, a system thinker, excel in collaboration, and have an aptitude for technical learning, you will be successful in this role. You will serve as program manager for customer-facing products and services offered to business customers within the CES portfolio. Program Managers are responsible for overlaying the CES program management and life-cycle framework onto assigned work. Assignments for this position will focus on customer renewables and battery storage programs and may focus on demand response, energy efficiency, and electrification programs.

This position reports to the Customer Renewables and Storage Segment Manager.

Senior Program Managers in this role manage customer-facing programs in varying stages of discovery, design, build, implementation and exit. Each program manager may lead one or more cross-functional teams to execute required work across program stages. Programmatic work must align to strategic drivers and have distinct business objectives and goals. Many of these programs are complex and/or high priority for the city. The program manager ensures that internal and external stakeholders are engaged, that design and tactics align to strategy, that appropriate decisions are vetted by management, and that programs are delivering on the intended business objectives and goals. The Senior Program Manager in this role will:

• Manage renewable energy, battery storage, or energy efficiency programs for customers across various sectors.
• Apply standard program-management tools to facilitate the stage-gate workflow process and to ensure consistency in design thinking and documentation.
• Incorporate the voice of the customer and equity into program design through stakeholder engagement.
• Stand-up and lead matrixed, cross-functional teams responsible for the program design, development, build-out, launch and implementation. Enable team members to conduct or leverage research and expertise to lead program workstreams.
• Monitor, evaluate and report on the performance and effectiveness of programs in implementation phase.
• Manage the ongoing needs of the program including identifying and implementing changes that address gaps or pain points, risks, program effectiveness, and progress towards goal.
• Select and manage external consultants. Establish scopes of work and selection criteria. Ensure performance, receipt of deliverables, accuracy of invoices and other related tasks throughout the life of the agreement.
• Work with strategy, planning, and engineering teams to prepare for new distributed energy resources (DER) technologies.

Minimum Qualifications

Baccalaureate degree in energy management, engineering, architecture or a related discipline and three years experience in professional commercial or industrial energy management analysis (other combinations of education, training and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability).

Work Environment/Physical Demands

• Most work is performed in a normal City work or office environment.
• Work entails visiting commercial and industrial customers and touring their facilities to identify energy conservation opportunities and conduct inspections.

License, Certification and Other Requirements

None

Desired Qualifications

You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:

• Renewable energy mastery including customer-sited solar, community solar, battery storage, and other voluntary renewables programs.
• Demonstrated experience and success with formal program management and life-cycle management processes.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams in a multi-discipline matrix organization.
• Demonstrated ability to positively influence program stakeholders and integrate the voice of the customer.
• Demonstrated commitment to environmental and economic equity in design and delivery of services.
• Ability to work collaboratively with limited supervision.
• Excellent Interpersonal skills, including the ability to maintain effective working relationships with business contacts, the public, consultants, trade ally community, and employees at all levels of the organization.
• Experience managing projects, programs and/or products that involve multiple, internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to make public presentations.
• Strategic program design including developing business cases, program plans, and decision-support materials.
• Experience soliciting for and managing large public professional services contracts.
• Experience with demand-side management program tactics, design, procedures, guidelines, and rules.
• Knowledge of applied energy management including: energy efficiency, conservation, distributed generation, electrification, decarbonization and load management.
• Experience managing program and portfolio budgets.
• Experience managing consultant teams to deliver work in a complete, cost-effective, and timely manner.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or withoutnotice

The full salary range for this position is $62.09 to $72.34 per hour.

Who May Apply

This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.

Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17 and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020. Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long‑term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits

Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers