Vice President, Energy Efficiency

Walker-Miller Energy Services; Illinois; On-site; USD 208,000 - 263,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision insurance

Dental insurance

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Walker-Miller Energy Services seeks a Vice President of Energy Efficiency to lead the company’s EE program portfolio and provide strategic oversight across multiple utility clients. You will drive program design, implementation, and performance while ensuring client satisfaction and financial success.

You will lead Directors, Portfolio Managers, and Engineering teams, ensuring regulatory compliance and delivery excellence across territories.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Energy, Engineering, Business or related field; 7+ years managerial experience.
• 10+ years proven success in energy efficiency industry.
• 7+ years of utility energy efficiency program management experience.
• 7+ years managing utility and partner relationships.
• Experience leading multi-state teams and P&L management.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Proven ability to influence at executive levels.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the design, implementation, and performance of the EE program portfolio.
• Lead Directors, Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, field and Engineering teams.
• Ensure programs meet contractual, regulatory, and energy savings targets.
• Maintain client relationships and drive portfolio profitability and growth.
• Oversee startup, transition, and launch of new programs and territories.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Energy efficiency

P&L management

Contract management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in Energy/Engineering/Business

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Company Overview

Founded in 2000, Walker-Miller Energy Services is a core-values driven company committed to changing lives through energy efficiency. We create and manage customized energy waste reduction programs that help electric and gas utilities meet mandated energy savings goals.

Our experience driven philosophy of energy efficiency as economic development helps families and businesses save energy and save money. Through innovative, inclusive initiatives, we help build communities by creating local jobs, producing equitable energy savings for all rate payers, and spurring the growth of diverse local businesses.

Our operating philosophy is reflected in our core values. We refer to them as BEHIVE:

B - Boldly Go

E- Embrace Equity

H - Humble Confidence

I - Inclusive Stewardship

V - Value Reputation

E - Extraordinary Experience

Position Summary

The Vice President of Energy Efficiency provides leadership and operational oversight for the company's portfolio of energy efficiency (EE) programs. Reporting to the Executive Vice President of Operations & Business Development, this role is responsible for program strategy, client satisfaction, financial performance, and achievement of contractual energy savings and performance metrics across multiple utility clients and territories.

The Vice President leads the EE program delivery and Engineering teams responsible for program design, implementation, technical compliance, and delivery excellence. This role also serves as a key executive partner to clients and key partners, oversees the successful launch of new programs and territories, and collaborates with Business Development to support growth, rebid, and new contract opportunities. Success in this role is measured by client retention and growth, portfolio profitability, operational excellence, client goal achievement, and the development of high-performing teams.

Essential Responsibilities

• Embrace, operate and lead within the core values.
• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the design, implementation, and performance of the company's energy efficiency program portfolio.
• Lead and develop Directors, Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, field and Engineering teams to achieve operational excellence and client success.
• Ensure all programs meet contractual requirements, regulatory obligations, energy savings targets, client priorities and performance metrics.
• Serve as the primary relationship leader to build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with assigned client leadership, partners, key stakeholders and industry organizations.
• Drive accountability and portfolio performance through effective governance, KPI management, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement, including opportunities to enhance program effectiveness, innovation, customer experience, operational efficiency, and market impact.
• Maintain full portfolio P&L accountability, including revenue, expenses, gross margin, forecasting, and profitability.
• Develop and execute annual operating plans, budgets, resource strategies, and growth objectives.
• Oversee engineering functions supporting program delivery, technical compliance, and energy savings calculations and ensure engineering methodologies, savings estimates, and reporting processes align with utility requirements, evaluation standards, and regulatory changes.
• Lead the successful startup, transition, and launch of new and existing energy efficiency programs for both existing and new clients while minimizing operational disruption and client risk.
• Ensure organizational readiness for new program implementations, including staffing, systems, processes, training, and partner coordination.
• Partner with Business Development and contribute industry expertise to support new business pursuits, rebids, contract extensions, expansions and portfolio growth opportunities.
• Contribute to proposal development, solution design, pricing strategies, client presentations, and contract negotiations.
• Identify opportunities to expand client relationships, enhance program offerings, and increase portfolio value.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational discipline, safety, innovation, continuous improvement, and client service excellence.
• Develop high-performing leaders and teams, including 5-6 direct reports, through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and professional development based on a core value driven culture that encourages top performance with compassion.
• Provide executive reporting and strategic recommendations to senior leadership regarding portfolio performance, financial results, client satisfaction, and organizational growth.
• Serve as a member of the Operations leadership team, partnering with executive leadership to establish strategic priorities and drive enterprise growth and performance.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in Energy, Engineering, Business or other related fields, or equivalent experience with a minimum of 7 years managerial experience.
• 10+ years proven success in the energy efficiency industry.
• 7+ years of utility energy efficiency program management experience.
• 7+ years experience in managing and expanding utility and business partner relationships.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams of various sizes, experience and leadership; motivating employees and generating results in a multiple state environment that encourages a collaborative work environment and core values culture for all team members.
• Demonstrated experience in managing multi-million-dollar contracts, key account client relationships, business development, and staff and resource management and P&L management.
• Experience in managing and building high level utility and stakeholder relationships.
• Strategic, hands-on leadership with exceptional organizational, communications, and people management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the organization, including executive and C-level.
• Excellent listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated and able to thrive in a results-driven environment.
• Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree

Licenses & Certifications

• Valid Driver’s License
• CEM (Certified Energy Manager) preferred
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred
• Six Sigma Greenbelt preferred

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Frequent stationary desk work at a computer
• Required to sit, stand, walk; talk and hear.
• Noise level is typically low to moderate
• Position located in the greater Detroit or Chicagoland area
• Willingness to travel up to 25%, including overnight travel

Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

The above information describes the general duties and requirements necessary to perform the principle functions of the position. This shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the duties and requirements that may be necessary in this position.

Pay Transparency:

This compensation range is provided as a reasonable estimate of the current starting salary range for this role. If this opportunity includes multiple job levels, the salary information represents the job level minimum and the job level maximum. There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.

A team member may be eligible for additional pay, premiums, or bonus potential. Walker-Miller Energy Services offers eligible employees health, vision and dental insurance, retirement, and tuition reimbursement.

Compensation Range:

$207,825-$262,837.50 annually

Walker-Miller Energy Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Walker-Miller Energy Services, we Embrace Equity by encouraging qualified candidates from all backgrounds and identities to apply for open positions! We have several optional questions about candidates’ demographics, but they do not impact hiring decisions. In fact, all candidate demographic data is anonymized for compliance purposes and to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, so none of the information collected here will be attached to your individual application. We ask for this information because Walker-Miller is committed to inclusive recruitment practices, so we hold ourselves to a high standard in developing a candidate pool that is diverse in background, experience, and perspective.

Walker-Miller Energy Services participates in E-Verify. Which confirms employment authorization of all newly hired employees and most existing employees through an electronic database maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. For new hires, the E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification on or before the first day of work. E-Verify is not used as a tool to pre-screen candidates. For up-to-date information on E-Verify, go to www.uscis.gov and click on 'E-Verify' located near the bottom of the page.

E-Verify Notice

E-Verify Notice (Spanish)

Right to Work Notice

Right to Work Notice (Spanish)