Chief Executive Officer, VEIC

~ VEIC is a sustainable energy company on a mission to generate the energy solutions the world needs. For over 30 years. ~

• VEIC has been working with governments, utilities, foundations and businesses across North America to develop and deploy clean-energy services that provide immediate and lasting change.

Position Overview

VEIC seeks a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organization and expand the reach of its operations. VEIC administers three major sustainable energy programs as well as providing full-service consulting and engineering capabilities. VEIC is nationally recognized for originating pilots and programs that optimize energy use, reduce energy burdens for low-income customers, and advancing emerging technologies and innovative program models.

• Its work to date will produce lifetime customer energy savings of over 42 million MMBTUs and fossil fuel consumption cost savings of over $4.2 billion.

VEIC administers Efficiency Vermont, the nation’s first “efficiency utility”. In 2000, VEIC entered into a contract with the Vermont Public Service Board to implement a major, multimillion-dollar program that transformed the organization and catapulted it to a new level of scale, impact, and visibility. From the outset, Efficiency Vermont exceeded expectations as measured by energy and dollar savings to Vermont ratepayers. Its initial success resulted in VEIC winning multiple contract renewals and rebids, including its formal appointment in 2009 as the statewide energy efficiency utility.

Beginning in 2008, VEIC expanded its operations to become the implementer of new efficiency programs for the District of Columbia, the DC Sustainable Energy Utility. There VEIC has reduced DC’s per capita energy consumption, increased its renewable energy capacity, reduced its peak electricity demand, improved energy efficiency of low-income housing, reduced the growth of energy demand among the largest users, and increased the number of green- jobs.

VEIC’s launched a third major contract in 2011 with Efficiency Smart in Columbus, Ohio (where a nonprofit corporation, American Municipal Power (AMP), services a member group of municipally owned electric utilities in Ohio, Michigan, Delaware, and Pennsylvania.)

VEIC also has a consulting arm that has successfully expanded the reach of VEIC to federal, state, and local government agencies; electric and gas utilities; consumer advocate and environmental groups; for-profit and non-profit organizations and businesses; and international agencies and organizations.

Together these VEIC on-the-ground energy efficiency and green energy measures have prevented the release into the atmosphere of over 22 million metric tons of CO2. As the energy industry evolves, VEIC continues to find new ways to address market needs. Grounded in its mission and set of core values and building upon its 30+ year track record, VEIC is expanding into high-performance, efficient products, transportation electrification, decarbonizing buildings, and ensuring clean and efficient energy solutions reach all people, including low-income and disenfranchised communities.

Headquartered in Winooski, Vermont, VEIC also has significant operations and staff in Washington, DC and Columbus, Ohio. With an operating budget of approximately $88 million and 279 staff members, VEIC is overseen by an 11-member Board of Directors comprised of industry, community, and business leaders deeply committed to VEIC’s mission. Since July 2020, VEIC has been led by Interim CEO, Rebecca Foster, who served as the Director of Efficiency Vermont.

Opportunity Going Forward

The CEO will have the opportunity to lead this unique, forward-looking, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven organization to be a national leader in energy decarbonization. In addition, to managing effectively and efficiently the ongoing operations of a mission-driven, nonprofit with a $88 million annual operating budget and close to 300 geographically dispersed staff members.

High priorities for the CEO include:

• Working collaboratively with the Board of Directors and senior leadership to establish a clear, concise, and compelling vision and strategy for VEIC, one that takes advantages of anticipated growth in the clean energy sector, while recognizing market challenges and increased competition.
• Leading and empowering a team of highly skilled, experienced, and educated professionals, while creating and implementing practices and systems to raise institution-wide accountability.
• Serving as the primary spokesperson for VEIC in order to increase its name recognition, reputation, and business opportunities nationally and to advance public policy.
• Leveraging VEIC’s unique positioning as a mission-driven nonprofit to demonstrate how progressive values can effectively compete with and outperform more traditional corporate business models in the decarbonization field.
• Integrating equity and social justice policies and principles into VEICs organizational DNA and strategy.
• Codifying and implementing an aggressive business development strategy and function to expand VEIC’s programmatic reach and to improve its overall financial health and sustainability.
• Nurturing and sustaining a positive, warm, welcoming, and collaborative work culture and climate that creates unity through diversity.
• Developing and implementing strategies to promote VEIC’s organization-wide cohesiveness across significant cultural, economic, and geographic differences.
• Working collaboratively with a relatively new Board of Directors to ensure their contributions are maximized and board participation is mutually rewarding.

Qualifications

Desired Credentials/Profile of the Ideal Candidate

• A minimum of seven years of senior leadership, or equivalent experience
• Knowledge of, passion for and commitment to decarbonization
• Champion of progressive values in the clean energy and energy efficiency sectors 

Skills and Experience

Visionary and Strategic Executive

• Demonstrated ability to lead a strategic organizational vision and plan
• Understand decarbonization industry trends and build the organizational capacity and structure to capitalize on those trends
• Skilled at selling, communicating, and championing a common vision that creates downstream clarity
• Decisive, with the ability to pinpoint smart business and operational opportunities and move them forward across a large, complex, and dispersed organization
• Able to align and effectively operationalize strategy in a large, complex, and dispersed organization
• Demonstrated commitment to and success in integrating social justice and equity principles into overall business strategy
• Highly developed risk management capabilities
• Proven financial, budgetary, and governance leadership at an organization of VEIC’s complexity and scale

Mission-Driven, Passionate, and Committed Industry Leader

• Passion and personal commitment to energy decarbonization
• Authentic mission-focused and -driven leadership
• Credibility, knowledge, and respect within the energy efficiency and climate industries and communities to build relationships and expand opportunities
• Demonstrated experience and familiarity with utility operations, customer relationships, regulations, and policy development
• Has the industry knowledge and networks necessary to attract, hire, motivate, and manage subject matter experts

Creative and Entrepreneurial Business Developer

• Skilled at developing and considering entrepreneurial and creative solutions to complex problems
• Demonstrated business development skills to expand VEIC’s external book of work
• Ability to develop an institution-wide business development strategy and the supporting infrastructure and staffing model for implementation
• Capacity to engage senior leaders of potential clients to win business in both traditional and new markets
• Ability to capitalize on VEIC’s unique positioning as a nonprofit in the energy efficiency and utility industry
• Knowledge of mergers, acquisitions, and business risks

Empowering and Transparent Leader of Culture, Staff, and the Board

• Present, accessible, inspirational, and emotionally intelligent leader of staff
• Empathetic leader who motivates, appreciates, and respects staff
• Committed to developing a positive, warm, welcoming, collaborative, and diverse work culture and climate
• Skilled at creating a culture of high performance and consistent accountability, while taking personal responsibility and ownership
• Proactive problem solver and proficient crisis manager
• Committed to integrating equity and social justice policies and principles and creating unity through diversity
• Champion of transparency
• Able to develop and implement a broad-based, national talent management strategy
• Partner to the Board of Directors to expand its impact on the organization

Networker, Relationship Builder, and Communicator

• Proven, consummate, and highly skilled networker, ideally with a personal network in the energy sector
• Exceptional public spokesperson with strong communication skills and ability to sell VEIC’s vision
• Ability to translate and leverage local projects and successes with a larger national audience
• Political skills at the state and federal levels with an understanding of how government and policy development works
• Deep commitment to engaging and empowering communities, with the ability to get others to yes

Compensation

• Salary is commensurate with experience and within the framework of the organization’s annual operating budget. 

Application Guidelines

• Candidates must include a resume and a cover letter that describes how their qualifications and experience match the needs and mission of VEIC, along with salary requirements.
• Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled. Send required documents to: https://eostransitions.applicantpool.com/jobs/

Note: This executive search is being conducted by Eos Transition Partners consultant John Tarvin. All submissions will be acknowledged and are confidential, and any questions must be submitted to John at jtarvin (at) eostransitions (dot) com.

VEIC is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer which encourages applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and cultures, particularly candidates of color and/or candidates who know and/or represent the communities VEIC serves.