Title: Executive Director
Reports to: Board of Directors
Status: Full-time exempt
Location: Remote within the United States with regular travel
About New Energy Economics
New Energy Economics (NEE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing sound, data-driven economic and policy decisions that affect America’s energy future.
Through rigorous, non-partisan economic and policy analysis, NEE informs policymakers, utilities, businesses, and other energy stakeholders about the costs, benefits and risks of various energy generation resources so that they can make informed resource planning decisions. By providing expert analysis and testimony on behalf of intervenors in state utility regulatory proceedings, we seek to ensure that the economics of various energy resource types are evaluated fairly and accurately and that customers are protected from unnecessary costs and risks.
NEE’s work is currently focused on vertically integrated electricity markets in the Southeast and Midwest. Our work has been focused on the following priority areas:
- Clean customer programs and large-load tariffs that allow large customers to bring new clean resources to the system while protecting other customers from cost shifting and stranded investment risk.
- Natural gas price, supply, infrastructure, performance, and capital-cost risks.
- Coal plant economics, including operating costs, capital needs, reliability, environmental compliance, retirement timing, refinancing, and replacement options.
- Resource planning and procurement, including transparent modeling, accurate cost and risk assumptions, competitive all-source procurement, independent evaluation, and access to utility data.
- Cost profiles of carbon-free resources, particularly battery energy storage systems and utility scale solar.
Additional information about NEE is available on our website and upon request.
Position Summary
NEE seeks an accomplished, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven Executive Director to lead and grow the organization and to expand its impact and influence in achieving sound, forward-looking decisions on energy policy and resource selection.
The Executive Director will lead all aspects of NEE’s work, including development of program strategy, hiring and management of staff, fundraising, financial management and administration, and partnerships with client organizations, outside experts, and other stakeholders. The Executive Director will work closely with the Board of Directors and staff to establish strategic priorities, strengthen the organization’s financial and operational foundation, expand its research and regulatory capabilities, and increase its influence on state energy policies and decisions.
The successful candidate will combine strategic vision with strong execution. They will be comfortable operating at the intersection of energy economics, public policy, utility regulation, philanthropy, business, non-profit management, and stakeholder engagement.
The position requires detailed knowledge of resource economics and utility regulation and the ability to identify where NEE can make meaningful contributions, define questions its work should answer, and assess the quality and strategic value of the analysis.
In addition to leading staff, consultants, and outside experts, the Executive Director will be expected to provide expert testimony on a regular basis. Regular travel is expected for regulatory proceedings, partner and funder meetings, staff planning, and conferences as necessary to advance the mission.
Position Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
- Set NEE’s multi-year strategy and annual workplan, including prioritization and selection of states, proceedings, partners, staffing, outside experts, budgets, and expected outcomes.
- Identify opportunities to expand and deepen NEE’s geographic, policy, research, and regulatory knowledge and impact.
- Translate the organization’s mission into measurable priorities, programs, and outcomes.
- Build an organizational culture characterized by intellectual rigor, collaboration, independence, and effectiveness.
Program and Policy Leadership
- Oversee NEE’s participation in state utility regulatory proceedings and related policy initiatives, which may include integrated resource plans, certificates for new generation and storage, rate cases, fuel-cost proceedings, procurement matters, coal retirement decisions, large-load tariffs, clean customer programs, and rulemakings.
- Guide development of high-quality economic and policy research and testimony and serve as an expert witness in selected proceedings.
- Ensure that NEE’s testimony, comments, research, and recommendations are accurate, well supported, timely, and useful to partners and decision makers.
- Recruit, lead, and support NEE’s staff, dedicated consultants, and outside experts. Establish clear roles, priorities, workplans, quality standards, and performance expectations.
Organizational Growth and Fund Development
- Serve as NEE’s chief fundraising leader. In partnership with the Board and staff, broaden NEE’s funding base and secure multi-year support needed for staff, third-party experts, research, and operations. Build strong relationships with foundations, philanthropic organizations, large individual donors, corporate partners, and other potential supporters.
- Develop compelling cases for support based on NEE’s research, regulatory impact, and public value.
- Identify opportunities for strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
External Relations and Communications
- Build and manage relationships with advocacy organizations, regulators, commission staff, consumer advocates, utilities, customer and business groups, technical experts, funders, and national networks.
- Serve as a highly visible spokesperson and ambassador for NEE.
- Clearly communicate NEE’s findings and recommendations on complex economic and policy issues to policymakers, media, funders, business leaders, and the public.
- Strengthen NEE’s reputation as a credible, independent source of energy-economic analysis.
- Represent NEE in meetings, conferences, funder discussions, public presentations, webinars, and other communications tied to the organization’s program objectives.
Organizational Management and Board Engagement
- Oversee organizational operations, budgeting, personnel, compliance, and administration.
- Recruit, develop, and retain a high-performing staff and network of outside experts.
- Maintain effective systems for docket tracking, project management, quality control, grant compliance, contracting, institutional knowledge, records management, and evaluation of results.
- Maintain a productive, transparent relationship with the Board.
- Provide the Board with regular updates on strategy, programs, finances, opportunities, and risks.
- Work with the Board on strategy, governance, financial oversight, organizational performance, Board development, and fundraising.
Required Qualifications
- At least ten years of experience in energy policy, utility regulation, economics, or a related field, including significant senior-level responsibility.
- Working knowledge of the electric utility sector and state regulatory processes that shape utility resource planning, rate-setting, procurement, and customer programs.
- Experience working with state public utility commissions, utilities, policymakers, and energy-market participants.
- Demonstrated ability to set strategy, make disciplined choices among competing opportunities, and lead complex work involving multiple organizations, experts, deadlines, and decision makers.
- A record of successful fundraising and funder stewardship, particularly with foundations or other institutional donors.
- Experience managing staff, consultants, budgets, contracts, and operations in a small or growing organization.
- Strong written, oral and interpersonal communication skills, including ability to explain regulatory and economic issues to nontechnical audiences.
- Sound judgment, intellectual honesty, political awareness, and ability to work constructively with people and organizations that have different roles or perspectives.
- A commitment to rigorous, evidence-based, non-partisan analysis.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience with state public utility commissions, including integrated resource plans, certificates, rate cases, procurement, fuel-cost proceedings, tariff design, or expert testimony.
- Knowledge of NEE’s program priorities and the economics of electric generation resources, battery storage, demand-side management, utility finance, and/or large-load growth.
- Established relationships with clean energy advocates, consumer organizations, technical experts, funders, business and customer groups, or regulatory decision makers.
- Experience working in one or more of NEE’s priority states (currently Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and North Carolina) or in comparable vertically integrated utility markets.
- An advanced degree in economics, law, public policy, energy systems, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Compensation and Location
Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. NEE does not have physical offices and all staff work remotely. Location is flexible.
How to Apply
Candidates should submit a résumé and cover letter describing their interest in NEE to Steven Levitas at [email protected].