Principal Associate, Rate Design and Cost Allocation

Job Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical leader, strategic advisor, and project lead, working closely with clients and multidisciplinary teams to develop rigorous, forward-looking regulatory analyses.
• Lead the development of expert testimony, analytical reports, and regulatory strategy recommendations that shape utility policy and regulatory outcomes.
• Projects may include developing recommendations to protect customers from cost shifting from data centers, proposing innovative rate designs for electric vehicles and distributed energy resources, assessing utility proposals for multi-year rate plans, conducting benefit-cost analyses of non-wires alternatives and grid modernization investments, and reviewing utility cost-of-service studies and cost allocation proposals to assess their implications for different customer classes.

Required Qualifications

• A strong desire to work on behalf of public interest clients in improving energy policy and utility regulation.
• Expertise in utility regulatory frameworks, cost allocation methodologies, and rate design principles.
• Degree or significant experience in Finance, Economics, Public Policy, or a related field.
• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of industry experience, Master’s degree with 6+ years of industry experience, or PhD with 4+ years of industry experience.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex technical concepts clearly.
• Ability to work effectively in collaborative, multidisciplinary teams and manage multiple priorities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in economics or a related field.
• State, federal, or provincial electric utility regulatory experience.
• Project management experience in a consulting position or in a similar role.
• Expert witness testimony experience (either sponsoring or substantial contributions to the testimony of others).

Benefits

• Generous and flexible PTO (35 days)
• Flexible work hours and holidays, and the ability to choose a schedule that works for you
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP): a tax-deferred retirement plan that offers employees a chance to be partial owners of Synapse.
• Eligible for a discretionary annual bonus, subject to company performance.
• Work-life balance benefit: at the end of the year, salaried employees are compensated for every hour worked over their standard full-time work schedule
• 401(k) plan, including an employer safe harbor contribution of 3% of your annual salary regardless of individual contributions
• Life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Collaboration: everybody contributes, asks questions, proposes solutions, and works on interesting research and analysis
• Extensive professional development opportunities
• Cambridge, MA office space with sit-stand desks, lots of meeting space, indoor bike parking, and plenty of nitro cold-brew and kombucha on tap.

Pay

Principal Associate base salary range is $115,000-$185,000 annually, based on a full-time schedule. Our base salary range does not include profit-sharing bonuses. Actual salaries will vary based on various factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance.

Schedule

Our ideal candidate will be located in the Boston area and work in our Cambridge, Massachusetts office on a hybrid basis. However, Synapse will also consider applications from candidates who seek to be fully remote.

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit your cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format. In your cover letter, please describe your experience with rate design, cost-of-service studies, and/or public utility regulatory frameworks.

About the Role

Synapse Energy Economics is seeking a strategic thought leader and technical expert to develop innovative regulatory approaches that advance the public interest. Synapse Energy Economics is a consulting firm that has provided rigorous analysis on behalf of public-interest clients in the energy sector for more than 25 years. Our work includes expert analysis, reports, and expert witness testimony in proceedings before public utility commissions across the United States and Canada. Our clients primarily include environmental nonprofit organizations, state and federal agencies, and consumer and environmental advocacy groups.

Qualifications

Synapse is seeking a Principal Associate with deep expertise in electric utility rate design, cost-of-service studies, and regulatory models. The successful candidate will lead high-impact analytical work at the forefront of emerging challenges in utility regulation, including electrification, distributed energy resources, large-load tariffs, and performance-based regulation.