The Coalition for Community Solar Access (“CCSA”) is seeking qualified applicants for a Regional Director to cover the Mountain West US region, with an immediate focus on state-level regulatory support in Colorado and New Mexico, which may expand to other states as needs arise. The anticipated start date for this position is immediate. CCSA is a growing organization working to open, expand, protect, and serve markets for community solar as well as distributed energy and storage across the country.
The Regional Director will serve as lead for all new and existing community solar programs in the Mountain West US. The Regional Director will work with CCSA members, policymakers, regulators, and other stakeholders to guide development and implementation of community solar programs to meet organizational Core Principles and ensure market best practices. The Mountain West Director will report to CCSA’s VP of Existing Markets and Regulatory Affairs and will work closely with CCSA’s regulatory and government and public affairs teams. CCSA is a fast paced, mission driven, collegial, and fun work environment. The ideal candidate will share CCSA’s mission to expand access to solar for all and fit the fast paced and self- starting culture.
Qualifications:
- Strong experience in electricity market dynamics, renewable energy, solar energy policy, as well as legislative and regulatory engagement
- Ability to develop and drive policy positions that achieve market goals in state regulatory processes and to a lesser extent legislative processes
- Ability to build, manage, and effectively deploy coalitions of stakeholders across multiple states
- Ability to efficiently manage CCSA Member input within organizational Committee process; working alongside Committee Chairs, Members and broader coalitions of local stakeholders
- Ability to co-lead thought leadership development of policy positions with CCSA VP of Existing Markets and Regulatory Affairs team
Responsibilities:
- Serve as the resident expert for community solar as well as distribution connected solar and/or storage throughout the Mountain West U.S.
- Represent CCSA at in person and virtual legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder events
- Run regular CCSA state committee calls and manage member feedback on legislative and regulatory efforts in Mountain West markets
- Manage and co-produce written comments in state regulatory proceedings working with members, CCSA’s regulatory leads and external legal support
- Interface with external stakeholders including allied industry organizations and NGO's to advance CCSA's policy goals
- Manage external consultants and associated budgets to drive outcomes across the Mountain West including regulatory attorneys and lobbyists.
Requirements:
- Minimum 5+ years work experience in public policy and advocacy – particularly in the Mountain West U.S.
- Potential for up to ~10-20% travel requirement to stakeholder meetings
- Significant experience working in state regulatory processes
- Strong communications and strategic instincts
- Self-starter, with strong regulatory instincts, and ability to work remotely and while traveling
Preferred Skills/Experience:
- Prior work directly with or in front of the CO Public Utilities Commission or NM Public Regulation Commission
- Knowledge of energy storage program design as well as development and operation of projects
- Grid/utility planning (generation, transmission, distribution, etc.)
- Community solar billing and crediting issues, including implementation of consolidated billing, and subscriber acquisition/management
- Rate design/analysis, cost/benefit analysis, Value of Solar/Storage development, utility cost of service models/studies
- Prior experience serving as an expert witness
- Proven track record of passing legislation including managing lobbyists, building coalitions, and running public affairs and communications campaigns
- Interconnection policy development and implementation
Location:
- Prefer location that enables affordable, efficient travel to Mountain West states– either centrally located or near a major transit hub.
- Flexible worksite - e.g. home or shared worksite.
Compensation and Benefits:
- Base salary range is between $120,000 - $150,000 with the opportunity to participate in a performance incentive plan. Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge and skills of applicant, and alignment with market data.
- Comprehensive benefits include health insurance (90% premiums paid for employees and 75% premiums paid for dependents); 100% paid vision and dental insurance for employees and dependents
- 3% retirement plan employer contribution
- Company sponsored short-term and long-term disability insurance, and life insurance
- Paid parental leave (eligible after 6 months of employment)
- 3 weeks paid vacation (during first year of employment) and 11 paid holidays
- Professional coaching opportunities
- A fun and collegial environment
- Weekly all-hands company meeting keeps you engaged and connected to the organization and your team members
Applications Process:
Please send resume and cover letter to careers@communitysolaraccess.org - with the subject line “Regional Director, Mountain West – YOUR NAME”.
The Coalition for Community Solar Access is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Studies have shown that some groups of people, like women, are less likely to apply to a role unless they meet 100% of the job requirements. Whoever you are, if you like one of our jobs, we encourage you to apply as you might just be the candidate we hire.
CCSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to ensuring that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Team Values
- Focus on Results. We have clear and ambitious goals that drive everything we do on a daily basis. Every day we ask ourselves the question: will the actions I take achieve results that get me closer to my goals? If the answer is yes, then we push forward. Setbacks happen and not everything is in our control, but we focus on what we can control and move toward our goals one victory at a time.
- Foster Dialogue. We debate ideas, not people. We take the energy of our differences and channel it toward something that has never been created before. The problems we tackle are colorful and complex. To drive to the right decision, we believe in respectfully and productively debating ideas and leaving our egos at the door.
- Put people first. We prioritize the well-being of our team and take the approach of the “whole person”. We believe that we bring our best selves to our professional lives when we are balanced and taking care of ourselves and each other.
- Inclusivity. We deeply value diversity of thought, background, and lived experience – and through this is where our most transformative, lasting innovation grows. As our industry expands, we are committed to actively bringing new people, businesses, and localities into the fold, especially those who are traditionally underrepresented.
- Member Service. We represent the collective voice of our members, who want to see community solar expand and grow. We provide a valuable service to our member community, keeping them up to date on our campaigns and policy initiatives, which helps them plan and grow their businesses. We also serve members by amplifying their collective voice to expand their impact in the market.
Mission and Core Principles
CCSA is a national Coalition of businesses and nonprofits working to expand customer choice and access to solar for all American households and businesses through community solar. Our mission is to empower every American energy consumer with the option to choose local, clean, and affordable community solar. We work with customers, utilities, local stakeholders, and policymakers to develop and implement policies and best practices that ensure community solar programs provide a win, win, win for all, starting with the customer.
CCSA’s Core Principles are a concise set of overarching principles that guide organizational vision, mission, core policies, and culture. CCSA’s elected Board is responsible for developing and maintaining the Core Principles, with at minimum, an annual audit. Process and decision making of Core Principles is done based on Board governance rules set out in the Bylaws of the organization.
- Opportunity: Open, expand, and protect competitive, sustainable community solar markets through comprehensive engagement in all aspects of community solar market design, enablement and innovation.
- Access: Allow all consumers the choice to participate in and receive a tangible economic benefit from new community solar assets, and ensure those economic benefits are communicated and realized in a clear, timely and transparent manner.
- Integrity: Guarantee community solar market rules create a safe, reliable marketplace for consumers to make informed choices for products that work for their needs.
- Value: Ensure project compensation is reflective of the full value of the locally-sited energy produced by community solar projects.
- Efficiency: Champion transparent, non-discriminatory, and evidence-based rules on siting and interconnection for expedient and fair community solar project development.