Senior Program Associate, Southeast

~ The Energy Foundation’s nonprofit mission is to serve the public interest by building a strong clean energy economy. Pragmatic and nonpartisan, the foundation supports education and analysis to promote policy solutions that build markets for clean energy technology. Advancing renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation and other solutions can open doors to greater innovation and productivity—growing the economy with dramatically less pollution. ~

A partnership of leading foundations launched the Energy Foundation in 1991 and Energy Foundation China in 1999. In the U.S., we advance energy efficiency and renewable energy in the power, transportation, and buildings sectors. The Policy and Public Engagement programs focus on strategy development, policy innovation, and campaign design, while the Strategic Communications Program develops capacities and strategies in the regions and nationally. The States and Regions Team is a cross-disciplinary team of policy, communications, and campaign experts dedicated to advancing strong state and regional climate and clean energy policies.

For more than 25 years we have supported grantees to help educate policymakers and the general public about the health and economic benefits of a clean energy economy. Grantees include business, health, labor, environmental, faith, equity, free-market, and consumer groups, as well as policy experts, military organizations, think tanks, and universities.

The Energy Foundation’s founding office is in San Francisco, CA, with additional offices in Raleigh, NC; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; and Las Vegas, NV.

Position Overview

The Senior Program Associate’s (Sr. PA) primary responsibilities are to support the work of the full regional team by leading internal coordination, project management, and the processes for the region’s most complex grants and contracts. The Sr. PA will engage in all facets of grantmaking, from start to finish. This role will manage the more complex grants and contracts in the regional portfolio. The Sr. PA will also be the lead on facilitating important projects like in-state strategy meetings, annual planning, and supporting the launch of new state programs.

Responsibilities

Grantmaking:

• Lead the facilitation and processing of the most complex grants and contracts in the regional portfolio from start to finish.
• Prepare the regional team and grantees/consultants in advance of renewal/origination meetings to ensure efficient and effective conversations through timely scheduling, agenda preparation, and any relevant advance research.
• Track and execute next steps in the grantmaking process, including serving as the primary contact for grantees/consultants and working with parties to craft and finalize proposals and scopes of work. Represent and communicate interests of the campaign, communications, and policy perspectives of the regional office throughout, and keep the regional team informed of progress and relevant strategic questions.
• Write proposal summaries and assessments to advise the Regional Program Directors on final funding decisions, and process grants/contracts through EF’s internal systems in a timely and responsive manner.

Project management/internal coordination:

• Serve as the primary responsible party in the regional office for management of projects.
• Manage processes for state scoping and state expansion efforts.
• Manage annual planning and budgeting processes in the region.
• Serve as primary liaison to States and Regions team on integrating regional process with other regions and headquarters.
• Ensure effective coordination and integration within the regional office, including implementing tools and systems to support collaboration and information-sharing (e.g. Asana, Evernote), organizing and running regular team check-ins, etc.
• Ensure regional budget is current at all times, serving as initial point of contact for questions from internal parties.

External coordination:

• Facilitate networking and information sharing between grantees/consultants across the region and build connections with national groups/experts, as appropriate.
• Organize regional/state-wide meetings and convenings, including developing presentations and agendas.

Build the team:

• Generate and implement ideas for systems, program, and operational improvement.
• Maintain collaborative relationships with peers and colleagues. Contribute to a positive working environment.
• Conduct basic research to support strategy and grantmaking.
• With assistance from the supervisor and others, formulate own learning and development plan. Identify and seek out professional development opportunities, including networking, informational interviews, training, projects, etc.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field, plus four or more years of workplace experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with complex project management, customer relations, matrixed organizations, and at least an intermediate knowledge of clean energy and climate subject matter.
• Technical skills: Advanced skills using Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, preferably in a Mac environment; familiarity with Google Drive, Box, Docs, and Sheets. Experience using cloud-based relational database systems, such as Salesforce, preferred.
• Multitasking: experience supporting multiple priorities and juggling a variety of tasks for one or more individuals in a team environment.

Physical demands:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to spend extended hours at the computer.
• This position requires moderate levels of domestic travel.

Work environment:

• The Energy Foundation’s regional Southeast office is located at One City Plaza, 421 Fayetteville Street, Suite 100, Raleigh, NC.
• The office environment is a typical office, with moderate noise levels, shared kitchen facilities, and a collegial atmosphere.
• On occasion, there are activities or events after work hours. Occasional travel is required.

~ Energy Foundation is an equal opportunity employer ~