Senior Program Manager - Charging Smart

Interstate Renewable Energy Co; United States; Remote; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement contribution

Personal time off

Flexible work schedule

Job summary

Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) seeks a Sr. Program Manager to support Local Initiatives in expanding EV charging adoption.

You’ll work with partners to recruit communities and provide technical assistance to local governments pursuing Charging Smart designation, focusing on permitting, planning, utility engagement, and market development. You will collaborate with a small, national nonprofit team, manage contractors, and contribute to program evaluation and reporting under federal

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in policy, economics, planning, local government management or related field.
• 4+ years in municipal/regional government affairs, public affairs, solar, EV charging, or renewable energy.
• Proven stakeholder outreach and program recruitment success.
• Strong writing skills and customer service mindset.
• Ability to work independently with a distributed team; travel ~5%.

Responsibilities

• Support outreach and recruit communities to the Charging Smart program.
• Communicate program benefits to stakeholders effectively.
• Assist local governments in building EV/EV charging markets.
• Evaluate local policies for alignment with best practices.
• Deliver presentations to local officials; coordinate internal working groups.
• Manage external contractors to meet project goals.
• Maintain program data in Salesforce and support reporting.

Skills

Public policy

Stakeholder outreach

Technical writing

Project coordination

Communication

Education

Undergraduate degree (policy, economics, planning, public affairs)

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Term position through July 31, 2027, with potential for extension

Type: Full-time; exempt; term position. This position is grant-funded and is budgeted through July 31, 2027, with potential for extension based on funding.

Salary: $70,000 - $85,000 commensurate with experience and qualifications

Location: Remote (U.S. Based)

Reports to: Senior Director, Local Initiatives

Benefits: Health, dental, vision insurance, retirement contribution, personal time off, flexible work schedule

About IREC

IREC is an independent nonprofit that builds the foundation for rapid adoption of clean energy and energy efficiency to benefit people, the economy, and our planet. Our vision is a 100% clean energy future that is reliable, resilient, and equitable. IREC develops and advances the regulatory reforms, technical standards, and workforce and community-based solutions needed to enable the streamlined integration of clean energy. IREC provides independent leadership and trusted clean energy expertise through three interrelated strategies:

• Workforce Development - IREC leads initiatives to build a diverse and qualified clean energy workforce while ensuring that clean energy workers have access to family-sustaining careers.
• Local Initiatives - IREC supports communities to develop policies and promote best practices that accelerate the equitable deployment of clean energy.
• State Regulatory Engagement - IREC represents the public interest in state regulatory proceedings and develops and disseminates best practices to ensure that distributed energy resources (DERs) can be equitably and efficiently integrated on the electric grid.

About the Position

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) is seeking a highly motivated Sr. Program Manager to support the Local Initiatives team in achieving aggressive goals to increase the adoption of electric vehicles (EV) and EV charging. The Sr. Program Manager will work with partners to recruit communities and provide technical assistance to local governments pursuing designation under the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Charging Smart program. You will work as part of a small, dynamic team to help communities reduce local barriers to the adoption of EV charging. You will focus on permitting and inspection, planning and zoning, government operations, utility engagement, and market development as well as other federal, state, and local EV and EV charging topics. You will also work with a broad coalition of other stakeholders, demonstrating thought leadership at both the strategic and tactical levels. The Sr. Program Manager will occasionally perform other duties and support other programs as needed to meet the objectives of a small and dynamic national nonprofit organization. This is a term position ending July 31, 2027, with potential for extension based on funding.

Responsibilities

• Support outreach efforts and work with partner organizations to recruit new communities to the Charging Smart program;
• Promote the Charging Smart program by effectively communicating program benefits to stakeholders;
• Assist local governments in identifying and implementing programs and practices to build robust local EV and EV charging markets;
• Evaluate local government policies to determine if they meet Charging Smart best practices;
• Design and deliver presentations to local government officials;
• Manage external contractors to ensure project goals and deliverables are met;
• Facilitate meetings and build relationships with local government officials and their stakeholders;
• Lead and/or participate in internal working groups on program evaluation, outreach and recruitment strategies, criteria development, and technical assistance;
• Support designation review process and maintain program data in Salesforce;
• Develop new resources (e.g., white papers, fact sheets, presentations, tools) to help local governments learn from and replicate model practices;
• Develop and refine program-related supporting documents;
• Provide research, writing, and coordination support for Charging Smart and other projects at IREC;
• Support accurate, timely program reporting in compliance with federal grant requirements; and
• Support other IREC programs and initiatives as needed.

IREC team members collaborate primarily in a virtual environment, leveraging remote meeting, project management, and other collaboration tools to stay connected and on task.

Knowledge, Skills, Experience, and Qualities for This Role:

The successful candidate will bring the following qualities to our organization:

Required:

• An undergraduate degree in public policy, economics, planning, local government management, public affairs, environmental studies, or a related field;
• 4+ years of relevant work experience, preferably in municipal/regional government affairs, public affairs, the solar industry, EV charging, or other renewable energy field;
• Demonstrated success with stakeholder outreach and program recruitment;
• Strong interpersonal skills and clear, persuasive technical writing skills;
• Proven ability to provide high-quality customer service;
• Ability to work independently and with a geographically distributed team to meet deadlines (experience managing large groups of external stakeholders is a plus);
• Ability to build a professional network, travel (approximately 5% of time), and present effectively at local, regional, and national meetings, conferences, and other events;
• A demonstrated passion for transportation electrification or renewable energy; and
• Willingness to be flexible, adapt to new technologies, learn, and shift course as needs arise.

Preferred:

• A Master's degree in a related field;
• Experience managing federally funded programs;
• Knowledge of local and regional planning, zoning, and permitting processes; and
• Education or experience in EV charger deployment.

IREC Foundational Values

• We value diversity of backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and thoughts and believe they result in better outcomes and greater organizational impact.
• We value the uniqueness and dignity of each individual and their right to be their true and complete self.
• We believe in the potential of the clean energy transition to advance equity in our nation.

IREC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and embracing a workplace with diverse voices and perspectives. We strongly encourage and seek applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds. Applicants are not discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, medical conditions, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The application window is expected to close on November 15, 2026.

Applicants must be based in and authorized to work in the United States.