Utility Planning & Market Strategy Associate

Polar Consulting; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision insurance

HSA/FSA options

Discretionary performance bonus

20 days PTO

Job summary

Polar Consulting is seeking a Utility Planning & Market Strategy Associate to support IRP, power supply, and market strategy for municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and small to mid-sized IOUs across the United States. The role emphasizes analysis of resource options, forecasting, and translating complex market insights into practical planning recommendations.

A 2+ year background in the electric utility or energy sector is expected, with strong Excel/PowerPoint and a related bachelor’s

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant professional experience in electric utility, energy, consulting, engineering, regulatory, RTO/ISO, generation development, transmission, or related sectors.
• Foundational understanding of the electric utility industry, including generation, transmission, wholesale power markets, utility regulation, or resource planning.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills with the ability to organize and evaluate complex datasets.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills; experience developing financial, planning, engineering, or market-analysis models is beneficial.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical or market concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, collaborate effectively, and maintain strong attention to detail.
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, business, engineering, finance, public policy, data analytics, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Support integrated resource plans and long-term power supply strategies.
• Assist with load forecasts, resource portfolios, capacity positions, energy requirements, reserve margins, and future resource needs.
• Evaluate generation, storage, demand-side, transmission, market purchase, and other resource alternatives.
• Develop analytical workbooks, planning models, scenario inputs, and supporting datasets.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses around load growth, fuel and market prices, resource retirements, renewables, storage, electrification, large loads, and other planning uncertainties.
• Research wholesale energy, capacity, ancillary service, and transmission market developments.
• Analyze RTO/ISO market rules, resource accreditation, capacity constructs, interconnection processes, and transmission considerations.
• Evaluate market data, forward prices, utility filings, and RTO/ISO materials to support client recommendations.
• Translate market developments into clear implications for utility planning, resource strategy, emissions, and rates.
• Support RFPs and competitive solicitations for generation, storage, capacity, energy, renewable resources, and other utility supply needs.
• Assist with RFP materials, bidder communications, proposal intake, evaluation criteria, and process tracking.
• Develop tools to compare proposals across price, term, resource characteristics, development status, transmission/interconnection considerations, and risk.
• Support bid evaluations, shortlists, recommendations, and stakeholder presentations.
• Review regulatory filings, commission orders, utility planning requirements, legislation, market rules, and policy developments.
• Support regulatory filings, stakeholder materials, legislative analyses, and related deliverables.
• Assist with interpretation of generation interconnection, transmission planning, deliverability, and reliability studies.
• Prepare client presentations, technical memoranda, planning reports, and executive summaries.
• Participate in client meetings and collaborate with utility, engineering, legal, regulatory, market, sustainability, data, and technology specialists.

Skills

2+ years experience

Quantitative analysis

Strong written and verbal comms

Education

Bachelor’s degree in economics, business, engineering, finance, public policy, data analytics

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

PLEXOS

Aurora

PROMOD

Python

Julia

Job description

Polar Consulting (Polar) is a next-generation energy and decarbonization advisory firm serving utilities, municipalities, power producers, and large energy users globally. Through deep industry expertise and digital capabilities, Polar helps organizations navigate complex energy and decarbonization challenges.

Polar was founded by energy and decarbonization experts through a strategic partnership with Business Integration Partners (BIP), a global consulting company operating at the intersection of business and technology.

Polar is expanding its U.S. presence, with a focus on utility advisory, strategic energy management, and transactional services. Our teams help clients make smarter energy decisions, manage risk, and respond to a rapidly evolving power market.

About the Role:

Polar is seeking a Utility Planning & Market Strategy Associate to support utility advisory engagements across the United States. The role will primarily focus on integrated resource planning (IRP), power supply and market strategy, and strategic resource solicitations for municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, and small to mid-sized investor-owned utilities.

The successful candidate will combine strong analytical skills with an understanding of how utilities plan, procure, and manage generation, transmission, capacity, and other power supply resources. Working closely with senior Polar team members and utility clients, you will develop forecasts, evaluate resource alternatives, support competitive solicitations, analyze market developments, and translate complex information into practical planning recommendations.

Candidates may come from utility, consulting, RTO/ISO, engineering, regulatory, legislative, generation development, or related energy-sector backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities:

Utility Planning & Analytics

• Support integrated resource plans and long-term power supply strategies.
• Assist with load forecasts, resource portfolios, capacity positions, energy requirements, reserve margins, and future resource needs.
• Evaluate generation, storage, demand-side, transmission, market purchase, and other resource alternatives.
• Develop analytical workbooks, planning models, scenario inputs, and supporting datasets.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analyses around load growth, fuel and market prices, resource retirements, renewables, storage, electrification, large loads, and other planning uncertainties.
• Research wholesale energy, capacity, ancillary service, and transmission market developments.
• Analyze RTO/ISO market rules, resource accreditation, capacity constructs, interconnection processes, and transmission considerations.
• Evaluate market data, forward prices, utility filings, and RTO/ISO materials to support client recommendations.
• Translate market developments into clear implications for utility planning, resource strategy, emissions, and rates.

Resource Solicitations & Procurement

• Support RFPs and competitive solicitations for generation, storage, capacity, energy, renewable resources, and other utility supply needs.
• Assist with RFP materials, bidder communications, proposal intake, evaluation criteria, and process tracking.
• Develop tools to compare proposals across price, term, resource characteristics, development status, transmission/interconnection considerations, and risk.
• Support bid evaluations, shortlists, recommendations, and stakeholder presentations.

Regulatory, Transmission & Project Support

• Review regulatory filings, commission orders, utility planning requirements, legislation, market rules, and policy developments.
• Support regulatory filings, stakeholder materials, legislative analyses, and related deliverables.
• Assist with interpretation of generation interconnection, transmission planning, deliverability, and reliability studies.
• Prepare client presentations, technical memoranda, planning reports, and executive summaries.
• Participate in client meetings and collaborate with utility, engineering, legal, regulatory, market, sustainability, data, and technology specialists.

Required Skills & Experience:

• 2+ years of relevant professional experience in the electric utility, energy, consulting, engineering, regulatory, RTO/ISO, generation development, transmission, or related sectors.
• Foundational understanding of the electric utility industry, including generation, transmission, wholesale power markets, utility regulation, or resource planning.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills with the ability to organize and evaluate complex datasets.
• Strong Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint skills; experience developing financial, planning, engineering, or market-analysis models is beneficial.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical or market concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, collaborate effectively, and maintain strong attention to detail.
• Bachelor’s degree in economics, business, engineering, finance, public policy, data analytics, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience in one or more of the following areas is preferred:

• Integrated resource planning, power supply planning, resource adequacy, load forecasting, or generation planning.
• IRP tools such as PLEXOS, Aurora, or PROMOD, and/or programming experience with Python, Julia, or similar languages.
• Transmission planning, generation interconnection, RTO/ISO study processes, or related engineering analyses.
• State utility commission filings, regulatory proceedings, legislative analysis, or stakeholder processes.
• U.S. wholesale power markets, including MISO, PJM, SPP, ERCOT, or CAISO.
• Utility RFPs, competitive resource solicitations, power procurement, renewable energy, battery storage, or generation development.
• Graduate coursework or an advanced degree in a relevant discipline is a plus but not required.

The base salary range for this role is $100,000-$110,000. Actual compensation will depend on factors including skills, education, experience, and knowledge.

Polar offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance; HSA/FSA options; short- and long-term disability; matching 401(k); discretionary performance bonus; employee referral bonus; employee assistance program; paid holidays; 20 days PTO; 7 sick days; paid parental leave; volunteer days; and remote/hybrid work environment support.

Polar provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals based on job-related qualifications and ability to perform the job, without regard to age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, marital status, or other protected characteristics. Polar is committed to maintaining a non-discriminatory work environment free from intimidation, harassment, and bias.