Energy Utility and Policy Analyst

Energy Utility and Policy Analyst

The Southern Environmental Law Center is seeking an analyst to join its Clean Energy & Air team in either our Charlottesville, Virginia, or Chapel Hill, North Carolina office – although other cities with SELC offices might be considered. This is an excellent opportunity to join a highly successful, nationally recognized organization that is uniquely positioned to help the nation meet the global challenge of climate change.

About the position:

The Clean Energy & Air team is SELC’s largest program area. Our driving goal is to bend down the arc of greenhouse gas emissions in the region’s energy sector while ensuring that the new clean energy economy will relieve, not reproduce, the environmental and financial disparities of the old one. We work across a range of venues at the federal and state levels, including the courts, utilities commissions, environmental regulatory agencies, and legislative bodies.

Our team consists of attorneys, communications, and administrative professionals. We now seek to add quantitative, technical, and policy analytical expertise to inform our day-to-day advocacy and broader energy strategy, which focuses on accelerating clean energy solutions in the domestic electricity sector. The chief responsibilities of the position will include:

• Develop and maintain expertise in policy, technical, and economic issues relevant to the effort to expand clean energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions while promoting energy equity.
• Review filings in utility regulatory proceedings and advise energy attorneys on technical and policy aspects, including working with energy attorneys as they engage and manage testifying experts.
• Analyze proposed regulations and legislation for environmental, economic, and equity implications.
• Synthesize and analyze data to inform SELC’s larger energy program strategy.
• Synthesize quantitative information and recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports.  
• Support energy advocacy by providing information and policy context for public comments, communications, and legal arguments.
• Work with administrative staff to maintain databases and files of relevant data and policy information.
• Serve as an expert resource and voice for SELC advocacy in meetings, stakeholder processes, presentations, and lobbying.
• Cultivate working relationships with researchers, academics, state and federal professionals, and peer professionals working with partner organizations across the country and particularly in our region.

Qualifications:

We are seeking a highly motivated individual who is capable of meshing their policy knowledge and analytical and quantitative skills with an experienced team of attorneys and communications professionals. The ideal candidate will possess experience or graduate-level degree in economics, electrical or power system engineering, public policy, or related disciplines, and:

• Understand energy policy and technical issues, including solar and wind energy development, electric utility system resource planning, energy efficiency programs, utility regulatory policy, or power system modeling.
• Understand basic financial concepts, analyses and metrics, such as debt, equity, net present value, and cost of capital, as well as state utility regulatory processes.
• Preferably, have familiarity with optimization and electricity dispatch models and be able to create and run Excel-based models.
• Have the abilities to distill technical and policy information into clear written product, to manage multiple tasks with varying timelines, and to identify and prioritize strategic objectives.
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to build and maintain effective relationships with a diverse set of clients, partners, and coworkers.
• Exhibit a strong personal commitment to SELC’s mission, including SELC’s deep commitment to being an open, welcoming, diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization.

Salary and Benefits:

SELC offers salaries competitive with other leading environmental non-profits nationally, and provides an excellent benefits package. For more details, please visit https://www.southernenvironment.org/about-us/careers/.

About SELC:

The Southern Environmental Law Center is one of the nation’s most powerful defenders of the environment, rooted in the South. With a long track record, SELC takes on the toughest environmental challenges in court, in government, and in our communities to protect our region’s air, water, climate, wildlife, lands, and people. Nonprofit and nonpartisan, the organization has a staff of 170, including 90 attorneys, and is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., with offices in Asheville, Atlanta, Birmingham, Chapel Hill, Charleston, Nashville, Richmond, and Washington, D.C.   

SELC works in Congress and state legislatures to inform environmental laws; in regulatory agencies to implement environmental laws and policies; and in the courts to enforce the law, stop the worst abuses, and set important precedents. The organization works collaboratively with more than 100 national, state, and local groups to enhance their efficacy and achieve common conservation goals. Additional information regarding our work and staff is available at www.southernenvironment.org.

SELC believes that a broad range of ideas, life experiences, and backgrounds enriches our workplace, drives innovative thinking, and attracts highly talented people who seek a work environment that values the unique contributions of individual team members. We are eager to welcome new team members who share this belief. We still have much progress to make, but our goal is to create and maintain a staff that, at every level, reflect the rich racial and cultural diversity of the communities where we work and the clients that we serve. SELC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to fostering a transparently inclusive workplace environment. We are looking for people to join us in this effort. Persons of all backgrounds—including people of color, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and LGBTQ candidates—are strongly encouraged to apply.

To Apply:

To apply, click on the ‘Apply Now’ link below to be directed to an online application where you may upload your application materials. Applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and one writing sample.

Apply Now

There is no deadline for applications. We intend to fill this position as soon as possible and will accept and review applications until the position is filled.