Policy Developer

Job description

Company Description

The California Independent System Operator (ISO) manages the flow of electricity across the high-voltage, long-distance power lines that make up 80 percent of California’s power grid. We safeguard the economy and well-being of 30 million Californians by operating the grid reliably ²⁴⁄₇.

As the impartial grid operator, the California ISO opens access to the wholesale power market that is designed to diversify resources and lower prices. It also grants equal access to 25,865 circuit-miles of power lines and reduces barriers to diverse resources competing to bring power to customers.

The California ISO’s function is often compared to that of air traffic controllers. It would be grossly unfair for air traffic controllers to represent one airline and profit from allowing that company’s planes to go through before others. In the same way, the California ISO operates independently—managing the electron traffic on a power grid we do not own—making sure electricity is safely delivered to utilities and consumers on time and reliably.

The California ISO is committed to the health, safety, and work/life integration of its employees and is proud to offer flexible work arrangements. This position is available to participate in an on-site or hybrid within commuting distance schedule.

Relocation Assistance is available.

Job Description

The Policy Developer actively participates in the development of the ISO market changes to achieve a low carbon electric system that serves electricity customers, while ensuring that the ISO’s tariff provisions provide sufficient available resources with the right attributes in the ISO’s markets for the reliable and efficient operation of the electric grid.  This opportunity will have a direct role in shaping the future of the electrical energy industry by shaping policy development in areas such as:

• Enhancing the ISO markets and promoting policies to provide for the efficient development, retention, and dispatch of an optimal fleet of transmission and distribution connected resources
• Developing enhancements to resource supply adequacy and procurement provisions
• Developing new market rules and products to enable new resource technologies and distributed energy resources to effectively participate in the ISO market to provide grid services
• Decarbonization of the electricity and transportation sectors
• Operational, environmental, and cost benefits from a larger regional electric grid
• Customer adoption of new technologies to efficiently manage energy use

This role partners with internal teams, industry participants, and other stakeholders through the policy development process.  Ensures that resource supply adequacy provisions and any new resource types work efficiently with the ISO’s market design. Advocates California ISO policy positions in the development of new state and federal regulations.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Participates and represents the policy team in meetings with internal and external stakeholders and industry participants, consider stakeholder input, address stakeholder concerns, and communicate proposed actions to address identified needs.
• Evaluate, propose, and assist in the development of enhancements to the ISO’s markets to ensure efficient market operations and electric grid reliability and to facilitate achievement of corporate goals and strategic objectives.
•  Identify technical and regulatory barriers and create solutions to enable the integration of distributed energy resources into the ISO market.
• Identify enhancements to resource supply adequacy and procurement provisions to ensure efficient market operations and electric and gas grid reliability.
• Evaluate, propose, and assist in the development of ISO positions on related policies being considered by public agencies, such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and state agencies.
• Actively engage in regulatory proceedings to represent ISO policies and positions.
• Effectively communicate issues and proposed enhancements in writing and orally. Develop substantial white papers that effectively communicate complex issues.  Provide significant input into ISO tariff and other regulatory filings.  Make oral presentations to internal and external audiences that effectively communicate complex issues.
• Develop, facilitate, and partner on cross-departmental teams and projects including regulatory reports, filings and responses.
• Coordinate with implementation teams to ensure ISO market enhancements are appropriately planned and implemented, including ensuring that policies make appropriate trade-offs with implementation effort.
• Assist in analysis to identify flaws in current policies or other barriers to efficient operation of the current or future ISO energy and ancillary services markets.
• Ensure revisions to policies meet organizational needs. Collaborate with colleagues to develop policies and procedures for efficient markets and reliable grid operation.

Qualifications

Level of Education and Discipline

• A Bachelor’s degree (BA, BS) or equivalent education, training or experience in Economics, Engineering, Business or related field.
• Master’s Degree or Ph.D. desired.

Amount of Experience

• Equivalent years of education and training, plus two (2) or more years related experience.

Type of Experience

• Prior experience performing policy analysis related to commodity markets by applying economic and engineering principles and techniques is strongly desired.
• Policy development and/or regulatory processes at the federal or state levels, or similar experience desired.
• Experience writing and presenting technical proposals and reports to diverse audiences, including high level communications to regulators, executives and/or board members.
• Past experience in working with teams and/or stakeholder groups to resolution on technical and challenging issues strongly desired.
• Experience developing and managing project plans and teams to meet established milestones and objectives desired.
• Experience with resource adequacy policies, wholesale and/or retail market design, distributed energy resources, electric and/or gas utility resource procurement, electric transmission and/or generation development, market operations or market monitoring, preferably in the electric utility industry.

Additional skills and abilities

• Must work collaboratively and devise solutions to problems in keeping with multiple considerations and competing interests.
• Strong verbal and written communication and documentation skills required, with a demonstrated attention to detail.
• Ability to use deductive reasoning and analytical thinking with sound judgment and decision-making skills.
• Strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills are also essential.
• Must be self-starting and willing and able to work independently in a dynamic corporate organization under pressure of tight deadlines and aggressive expectations.
• Problem solving skills with the ability to influence others without direct authority.
• Must be able to work effectively in a team environment as facilitator and team member.
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.

Additional Information

The pay range for the Policy Developer position is $41.90 - $69.84 per hour.

**We will also consider applicants for a Sr Policy Developer position. This position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education, training or experience in Economics, Engineering, Business or related field and five (5) years of experience. Master’s degree or Ph.D. preferred.**

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.