Sr. Program Manager - Communities & New Initiatives

Position: Sr. Program Manager – Communities & New Initiatives

Reports to: Sector Lead – Communities & New Initiatives

Compensation*: Competitive starting salary $103,400 - $133,300 commensurate with skills and experience, Full Pay Range: $103,400 - $163,200

Employment Classification: Exempt, Full Time

Anticipated Start Date: As soon as possible

Office Location: Portland Metro Area, Oregon, USA

BACKGROUND

About Energy Trust of Oregon

Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to energy efficiency and renewable energy development. We serve Oregon customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista, and SW Washington customers of NW Natural. Year over year Energy Trust is recognized as one of the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon.

Our Vision

Clean, affordable energy for everyone.

Our Commitment to Diversity

We recognize the lack of diversity in our industry, and we actively seek to address it with our hiring and retention practices as well as our values. We believe every person and their lived experience is integral to building a vibrant culture and delivering effective services to all customers we serve. We are committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and we encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds and experience to apply.

Our Location

Energy Trust provides for a range of work location options, including remote, hybrid and in-office work. This position will represent Energy Trust in public settings and potentially at community events. We are open to candidates who live throughout Oregon and Washington. The Program Manager would be expected to report to the office on a quarterly basis, at minimum.

What We’re Looking For:

The Sr. Program Manager – Communities + New Initiatives (CaNI) has responsibility for executing and implementing cross-program and cross-organizational strategies, projects, and initiatives developed and/or or supported by the Communities + New Initiatives Sector, part of the overall Energy Programs Group. This individual works with subject-matter experts to identify opportunities to increase program access to those that have been traditionally underserved. This role will champion customer- and community-centered approaches to designing programs and services to maximize customer and community benefits. This individual is highly skilled in taking technical and strategic concepts and applying them to the delivery of services for customers and communities as well as developing resource plans and assigning program and project management staff to meet team and organizational needs.  

This individual manages program staff, reports to the CaNI Sector Lead, and supports the general management of the sector working closely with CaNI Sr. Program Strategies Manager.  

This position is expected to report to the Portland office quarterly at a minimum for all staff and other in-person meetings. This position would be required to travel on an as-needed basis to support cross-organizational collaboration across Energy Trust’s territory and any specific regional projects that may require travel.  

What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate with CaNI Sector Lead, Program Strategies Managers, Program Managers, and Project Managers to prioritize, execute, and ensure effective implementation of programs, pilots, projects, initiatives, and workflows that support cross-program and cross-organizational strategies to deliver services to customers and communities. Provide recommendations to Sector Lead and CaNI Managers on prioritization and execution of projects, initiatives, and processes within the overall CaNI Sector portfolio. Collaborate with CaNI team and other organizational experts to identify and obtain resources needed to support CaNI team objectives.  

• Directly manage staff within the team and provide guidance to other staff assigned to projects, initiatives, or teams (e.g., matrixed roles or assigned resources).  

• Develop and launch a customer- and community-centered product development framework and process to support program designs for all clean energy programs. Collaborate across Energy Programs, Communications & Customer Services, Innovation & Development Services, DEI Services, and Planning & Evaluation to advance customer- and community-centered needs; lead, manage, or contribute to process documentation and continuous improvement.  

• Develop and manage complex new program initiatives, pilots, and/or program offers; may serve as sponsor. Act as a resource for Program and Project Managers managing new program initiatives, pilots, and/or program offers.  

• Serve as product owner and lead cross-functional projects, work groups, and processes within the CaNI Sector purview and provide day-to-day direction and management for team members involved. Proactively engage project sponsorship on key decisions, milestones, and feedback. Collaborate with project managers and sponsors to define project, work group, and/or process objectives and connect organizational, community, and customer needs to project charters, scopes, and outcomes.  

• In collaboration with all Energy Programs, Communications & Customer Services, and the Innovation & Development Services team, provide guidance on how current funding sources and potential new funding sources can best support customer and community needs and outcomes.  

• Negotiate complex contracts for new initiatives including statements of work, schedules and budgets.  

• Write and present reports, research, program plans and outcomes in public settings to business or government audiences, advisory committees and board. 

• Engage with key stakeholders and market actors locally, regionally and nationally to identify opportunities to bring best practices for innovation in developing offers and approaches to meet the energy needs of underserved customers and communities in Energy Trust program areas. 

• Represent Energy Trust at public events, and with stakeholders, market actors and outside groups and boards. As needed, serve on relevant public boards and committees.  

• Support the organization in meeting key actions in Energy Trust’s strategic plan, organizational goals and DEI objectives. 

• Perform other job-related duties as assigned. 

• Perform all functions of the job in a safe manner. 
  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• Hire and manage program staff. 

• Hire and direct the work of multiple external contractors, suppliers and/or vendors in the course of managing specific programs and their efforts.  

• Direct the work of internal Energy Trust staff under a matrix structure. 

What You’ll Need:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline (engineering, science, economics, business, finance, architecture, or environmental science preferred) or equivalent professional experience. Master’s degree in Business Administration or relevant discipline preferred.  

• 8 years of experience with program design, development, and budget management.  

• 3 years of project leadership and management experience, including outreach and communications. 

• 2 years of demonstrated experience successfully leading teams, managing contractors, and/or directly supervising staff. 

• Experience with customer- and community-centered approaches to designing and delivering programs and services.  

• Experience taking technical and strategic concepts and applying them to the delivery of services for customers and communities.  

• Experience in all phases of hiring and managing contractors, from internal approval of funding, writing scopes of work, soliciting bids, negotiating and finalizing contracts, to managing the execution of the contract.  

• Demonstrated ability to define strategic market directions and translate these to a coordinated set of program goals, actions, approaches and key indicators.  

• Understanding of contract administration and risk mitigation. 

• Understanding of utility regulatory environment and political context for Energy Trust’s work. 

• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word software applications.  

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. 

• Strong mathematical, financial modeling, and technical skills.  

• Demonstrated ability to work constructively with parties that may have divergent interests.  

The above information is designed to outline the functions and position requirements of this job. It does not identify all tasks that may be expected, nor address the performance standards that must be maintained. 

What You’ll Get:

·       Health/dental/vision insurance

·       Employer sponsored and paid life/disability

·       401(k) with a company contribution of 6% of your salary after 90 days of employment

·       TriMet pass

·       Access to health and dependent FSA/HSA accounts

·       Generous paid vacation, holidays and sick days

·       Paid volunteer hours

·       Employee assistance program

·       Career advancement opportunities

·       Great colleagues and culture

·       Flexibility to work from home and/or an office space at the Portland, OR location 

·       Work from home laptop provided

·       Read more about our benefits here

Note to Applicants:

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that candidates from certain demographics are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification—for example, women and People of Color. At Energy Trust we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace—if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or other roles. 

Energy Trust of Oregon is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, pregnancy, medical condition, genetic information, mental and physical disability, political affiliation, union membership, status as a parent, military or veteran status or other non-merit based factors. We will provide reasonable accommodations throughout the application, interviewing and employment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation, contact us. Energy Trust of Oregon is an E-Verify employer. This policy is applicable to all phases of the employment relationship, including hiring, transfers, promotions, training, terminations, working conditions, compensation, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment.

Energy Trust is committed to pay equity. Energy Trust is committed to fair employment practices and non-discrimination, including pay equity for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected class (race, sex, veteran status, disability, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation) in the payment of wages or screen applicants on the basis of their current or past compensation. We determine salary by completing a review of your application materials to evaluate your related education, experience and training.

*Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, and certifications in the pay equity assessment to determine equitable salary placement. Candidates should expect compensation offers within the starting compensation range. The full pay range is included to show the earnings potential for this position with sustained high performance.