Brief Job Description:

The Environment Department’s Municipal Energy Unit (MEU) is responsible for managing and reducing the City’s energy usage and serves as the leading team tasked with scoping and implementing policies and programs to decarbonize the City of Boston’s buildings and energy supply. The Renewable Energy & Finance Manager serves as the financial and procurement lead within the Municipal Energy Unit. As Boston accelerates its path to net zero carbon emissions, the Finance Manager will be charged with renewable energy procurement and will serve as the MEU’s point person on renewable energy. The MEU includes the Director, the Energy Analyst, the Energy Manager, the Boston Community Choice Electricity (BCCE) Program Manager, and the BCCE Engagement Assistant. The Energy Finance Manager is responsible for four critical functions that support Boston’s carbon neutrality and sustainability goals: 1) quantifying and communicating the financial implications of energy savings and carbon reduction measures past, present, and future, 2) identifying and structuring procurements and contracts for energy-savings projects, 3) identifying funding opportunities outside the City of Boston’s appropriations process that will expedite the City’s ability to meet its climate goals, and 4) expanding renewable energy procurements for the City’s supply and advising other Environment Department teams on renewable energy procurement for members of the Boston community.

The Energy Finance Manager will expand and lead the City’s search for opportunities to incorporate additional renewable energy generation into the City’s electric resource mix. The Energy Finance Manager will also continuously research and socialize financing options for alternative energy technologies, such as battery energy storage systems and energy-as-a-service models for climate action. The Manager will calculate project life cycle costs, develop budgets for the MEU using internal and external sources of funding, and support grant and utility incentive applications. Energy action within the context of municipal government operations requires attention to state-mandated procurement law as well as processes, terms, and conditions promulgated by the City of Boston. The Energy Finance Manager will execute, award, and monitor contracts in accordance with applicable regulations and the City’s software platforms.

Given the size and breadth of City operations and energy-related expenditures, the Energy Finance Manager must maintain productive working relationships with individuals across departments, state regulatory authorities, foundations, non-profits, and private industry vendors in order to successfully develop and implement policies and programs supporting the City’s energy and climate goals.

• Contributes to climate and energy policy development and supports climate and energy policy implementation under the direction of the Director of the Municipal Energy Unit (MEU).
• Supports the management of the City’s Enterprise Energy Management System (EEMS), which is supervised by the City’s Energy Manager and supported by the Energy Analyst.
• Identifies opportunities for and supports financial analysis of power purchase agreements for renewable energy generation, distributed energy resources, battery storage, microgrids, and other innovative energy strategies that will be crucial for the City to meet its immediate and long-term climate goals.
• Works with MEU staff on the City’s compliance with the Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO).
• Supports the Office of Budget Management’s (OBM) development of energy-related operating budgets for future fiscal years and the monitoring of actual expenditures during the current fiscal year.
• Collaborates with the Energy Manager to enroll and track the performance of City assets in demand response (DR) programs offered by the Independent System Operator of New England and the City’s local electric distribution company.
• Participates in and represents the City’s interest on regional working groups (i.e. those hosted by NEPOOL and NE-ISO) relevant to energy markets.
• Oversees the financial administration of the City’s Renew Boston Trust (RBT) energy efficiency program, including the management of project budgets, program accounting, bill payment, and reconciliation, processes all applications for energy efficiency incentives, and properly applies incentive revenues to established program budgets.
• Supports OBM in ensuring that energy savings from energy performance contracts support the debt service associated with financing the energy conservation measures.
• Coordinates the activities of OBM and the City’s Purchasing and Law departments relating to the periodic procurement of third-party electricity and natural gas supply requirements contracts.
• Drafts requests for proposal and requests for qualification and works with the Environment Department’s Grants and Contracts Administrator to publish RFPs/RFQs on the City’s financial management platform and in required public procurement publications, evaluates RFP/RFQ responses, and routes awarded contracts for execution and dispatch.
• Supports the City’s municipal aggregation, including the analysis of energy use data as directed.
• Supports the activities of the municipal aggregation consultant, OBM, and the City’s Purchasing and Law departments relating to the periodic procurement of electricity supply requirements contracts for municipal aggregation customers, and drafts RFQs/RFPs for services supporting the aggregation, publishes them on the City’s financial management platform and in required public procurement publications, evaluates responses to those procurements, and routes awarded aggregation contracts for execution and dispatch.
• Participates annually in the development of all Environment Department operating and capital budgets on behalf of the Municipal Energy Unit.
• Drafts applications for state and federal grants for energy related projects, and administers those grants upon award, including preparing and filing all required periodic reporting, completing procurements for services financed by the grants, and disbursing grant funds.
• Oversees the sale of the City’s renewable energy certificates (RECs) and alternative energy certificates (AECs) and the receipt of those revenues.
• Manages all transactions and internal reporting relating to the City’s distributed resources revolving fund.
• Assists City departments, upon request, in budgeting for, financing, and procuring energy conservation measures outside of RBT.
• Performs related work as required.

• Three (3) years of full-time experience in project finance and/or private/public financial management, including analyzing the financial aspects of energy projects, energy use, utility bills, and incentives, including tax-preferred investments.
• An undergraduate degree in economics, management, environmental science, environmental management, an applied science, or public policy. A graduate degree with a major in any of the previous fields is preferred.
• Demonstrated prior experience in energy management for a large municipal or state government or a federal government agency is preferred.
• Experience in renewable energy, such as governing regulatory structures, project financing, procurement, design, and grid interconnection.
• Familiarity with utility rate structures and tariffs, competitive energy markets, and/or renewable energy.
• Understanding of climate change issues and standard calculations and reporting protocols for greenhouse gas emissions.
• Familiarity with MassSave incentives and grant opportunities.
• General technical proficiency with specific familiarity with Google Office, Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to develop custom reports and develop new analytical tools.
• Ability to learn new systems and technologies.
• Ability to promote and implement continuous process improvements and document process management protocols.
• Strong, active listening capabilities and ability to identify stakeholder needs.
• Self-directed, motivated, and creative problem-solving skills.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts to diverse audiences.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership through influence without direct authority.
• Ability to maintain and promote departmental policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
• Ability to cultivate peer relationships and encourage a collaborative environment.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

BOSTON RESIDENCY REQUIRED

Terms:

Union/Salary Plan/Grade: Non-Union/ MO-13/ Full-time

Hours per week: 35