Strategic Negotiator, Energy Market Development, Virtual Power Plants and Distributed Capacity

Google; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 176,000 - 256,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) match

Paid time off

Sick time

Maternity leave

Baby bonding leave

Holidays

Job summary

Google Cloud is seeking a Strategic Negotiator to drive the development and deployment of distributed energy resources, focusing on Virtual Power Plants and distributed capacity in North America. You will negotiate deals, manage vendor relationships, and present recommendations to Tech leadership.

Based in the United States, the role involves working with cross-functional teams to align product capabilities with energy market frameworks, and building partnerships with regulators, utilities, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 10 years of experience leading negotiations or business development.
• Proven ability to secure outcomes with policymakers and market regulators.
• Experience across utility markets including regulated and deregulated sectors.
• Strong communication, project management and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead evaluations of regulatory environments and markets to identify opportunities for distributed capacity products.
• Develop and execute market development, utility engagement, and regulatory strategies across state PUCs, ISOs, and RTOs.
• Align cross-functional teams to prioritize projects with regional regulatory strategies.
• Lead advocacy and coalition-building within regulatory bodies and trade associations.
• Support commercial negotiations to design scalable VPP programs and deployments.

Skills

Negotiation leadership

Business development

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Job description

The application window will be open until at least October 19, 2026. This opportunity will remain online based on business needs which may be before or after the specified date.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Applicants in the County of Los Angeles: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:

• Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick Time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle) including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
• Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28-30 weeks
• Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: San Francisco, CA, USA; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Atlanta, GA, USA; Austin, TX, USA; Cambridge, MA, USA; Chicago, IL, USA; Detroit, MI, USA; Houston, TX, USA; Irvine, CA, USA; Kirkland, WA, USA; Madison, WI, USA; New York, NY, USA; Portland, OR, USA; Seattle, WA, USA; Thornton, CO, USA; Washington D.C., DC, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 10 years of experience leading negotiations or business development.

Preferred qualifications

• Experience securing strategic policy or market outcomes before state public utility commissions or wholesale markets through industry coalitions and trade groups.
• Experience across utility markets including vertically integrated, deregulated, and public power contexts.
• Expertise in demand side management, distributed capacity models, utility rate design, capacity accreditation, FERC/RTO rules and stakeholder processes, and M&V protocols.
• Working knowledge of energy stakeholders, regulatory frameworks, utility programs, and market design, with focus on DERs, VPPs, demand response, and load flexibility.
• Creative problem-solver with excellent executive presence, exceptional communication, project management, and relationship-building skills in ambiguous, fast-evolving markets.

About The Job

Google's infrastructure needs go far beyond server computers. As Google's products and services scale the globe, the Strategic Negotiation team works behind the scenes to secure infrastructure for Google's future -- everything from underwater cables to physical data center space. As a Strategic Negotiator, you combine your deep market knowledge of a given sector with tech industry savvy to negotiate cost-effective solutions to support Google's infrastructure growth. You'll work with specific project teams on negotiating deals, managing vendor and partner relationships and presenting deal recommendations to our Tech leadership. Your successful negotiations have the potential to save Google millions of dollars in operating costs and impact every part of the business.

As a Strategic Negotiator, you will be focused on Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Distributed Capacity to drive transformational growth across North American grid regions. You will lead high-impact market development, utility engagement, and regulatory intervention strategies that turn flexible demand and distributed assets into recognized grid capacity. You will evaluate complex regulatory environments, ISO/RTO wholesale market rules, state public utility commission proceedings, and utility tariffs to uncover market access opportunities and mitigate operational risks for Google's innovative distributed energy products.

Working at the intersection of commercial execution, regulatory policy, and grid integration, you will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to align product capabilities with regional energy frameworks, ensuring our commercial offerings translate into scalable, highly valued grid-capacity.

In this role, you will represent Google in strategic industry coalitions, trade associations, and regulatory bodies. You will build key utility partnerships and shape policy outcomes that advance standardized, fair-value participation models for VPPs nationwide.

Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting‑edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $176000 - $256000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits

Responsibilities

Learn more about benefits at Google .

• Lead strategic evaluations of regulatory environments, wholesale markets, and utility programs across North America to identify opportunities and mitigate risks for distributed capacity products.
• Prioritize, develop, and execute market development, utility engagement, and regulatory strategies to establish accredited VPP capacity rules, tariffs, and programs across state PUCs, ISOs, and RTOs.
• Help set priorities for developing distributed capacity constructs nationwide while working cross‑functionally with Energy leads to align project priorities with regional regulatory strategies that advance distributed capacity portfolios towards scalable grid‑value streams across jurisdictions.
• Lead advocacy and coalition‑building within RTO committees, regulatory proceedings, and trade associations to advance market access, standardized models, and fair capacity compensation.
• Support commercial negotiations and partnerships to create scalable VPP program designs, novel agreements, and market‑moving proof point deployments nationwide.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form .