IT Product Manager, Expert

Join a small, high-performing team within a major California-based electric utility that is working on a portfolio of exciting and innovative projects to transform the electric grid into a smarter grid that works with and for customers. The GRiD team is charting the future of the utility and the energy industry as part of the Strategy & Innovation division.

This execution-oriented candidate will play a Product Strategy Lead role within the Grid Products team in a mixture of new product innovation initiatives that support the Innovation Accelerator, product go-to-market, and the Grid Edge Strategy. The role includes creating, modifying, and collaborating on the strategy and vision for the electric grid; tracking, reporting, and coordinating teams working on the products and projects; and leadership across key initiatives requiring open-ended problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Tracking, coordination, and management of the Innovation Accelerator Product Portfolio
  • Be the point person tracking and managing a portfolio of Product initiatives in various stages of development
  • Create executive presentations relaying progress and recommendations across the portfolio
  • Engage with the broader organization, "growth advocates", and product teams to ensure coordination and support for product launches
  • Ensure coordination and cohesion across the Innovation Accelerator product initiatives to foster a platform approach rather than disparate point solutions
• Develop and manage the Grid Edge AMI 2.0 Strategy in partnership with the Customer Org
  • Continue to lead the strategy for AMI 2.0 innovation in partnership with the Customer organization
  • Identify value in an AMI 2.0 system from the "bottoms up" and analyze and create the business case for these initiatives
  • Realize a larger grid transformation vision through AMI 2.0 and grid edge computing from a "top down" approach
  • Bring together the strategy, create analysis and deck content for management, and advocate for projects/products to realize the value
• Drive key strategic initiatives
  • Stand up AMI 2.0 initiatives, bringing together a plan and resources as needed to support the Grid Edge AMI 2.0 Strategy
  • Form a Grid Edge Consortium between utilities, meter vendors, and device providers, establishing the operating structure and driving collective outcomes
  • Become a key stakeholder in the rest of Strategy & Innovation work, focusing on customer electrification, load management, and AMI 2.0
  • Work through executive-level problem solving or opportunity exploratory requests as they arise

Requirements

• 8 years of job-related experience in energy, products, strategy, or finance
• Experience with strategy, business case creation and approval, and management of a portfolio of solutions
• A strong track record of success in building consensus and managing many moving parts within matrixed teams
• Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. (no visa sponsorship available)
• Local candidates currently residing in the Bay Area or near the Oakland work location only

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Business, or Computer Science

Skills

• Highly organized and motivated with strong ability to manage across multiple projects and stakeholders
• Ability to create compelling strategies, presentations, and executive-level materials
• Strong ability to ideate both linearly and non-linearly
• Removes barriers to products and projects moving forward in an autonomous fashion
• Able to operate at different levels of abstraction, outcome-focused while understanding and adhering to process where necessary
• Empathic and curious — has an ability to seek to understand while driving towards shared outcomes
• Handles multiple projects and stakeholders and pushes for pace with self-directed drive
• Bias toward action, concise, and passionate

Preferred Skills

• Experience both inside and outside of the utility industry
• Experience with Distributed Energy Resources, consumer energy products, or product development
• Experience leading cross-cutting programs or technology deployments, with a focus on emerging/innovative technologies and creating new process & structure for rapid scale-up
• Chief of staff or management experience
• Familiarity with Distributed Energy Resources (DER) management
• Knowledge of Advanced Meter Infrastructure (AMI) or smart grid technologies
• Understanding of grid edge computing concepts

Benefits

• Medical, Vision, and Dental Insurance Plans
• 401k Retirement Fund

Pay

$90.00–$95.00 / Hour (USD)

Schedule

• Hybrid — required once a week on-site
• Contract Duration: 7 months
• In-person activities focus on synchronous collaboration, affinity building, ideation, or planning activities
• Occasional travel to other facilities throughout the service territory may be required

About the Client

This client is a major utility and energy company serving approximately 16 million people across a 70,000-square-mile service area spanning northern and central California, making it one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy utilities in the United States. With roughly 25,000 employees, the organization operates some of the most complex energy infrastructure in the country — transmission lines, pipelines, substations, and generation facilities that keep homes, businesses, and communities powered every day. As the energy sector undergoes rapid transformation, this organization is at the center of it — managing the intersection of traditional infrastructure and emerging clean energy solutions.