Senior Advisor Program Performance

INDEPENDENT ELECTRICITY SYSTEM OPERATOR (IESO)

Why join us? 

You’ve got great skills. And you want to use them in an organization where you know what you do every day matters. We get that.
We also know that ensuring Ontarians have access to affordable and reliable power doesn’t happen by accident. So we give you the tools, flexibility and support you need to achieve your goals, and development opportunities to help you grow. You’ll thrive in a collaborative, team-based environment that values your unique skills and experiences – and recognizes that when you do better, we become even better too.  

Who we are 

The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) works at the centre of the province’s power system, ensuring Ontarians have access to reliable and cost-effective electricity when and where they need it. We operate the province’s electricity grid 24/7, design, run and oversee the wholesale electricity markets, and plan and prepare to meet Ontario’s electricity needs – now and into the future.

 

The opportunity

The Senior Advisor, Program Performance, under the direction of the Supervisor, Program Performance, is responsible for key aspects of the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of demand side management programs for the IESO, including Save on Energy programs, to address the needs of Ontario’s power system and electricity consumers. This individual is responsible for providing project leadership and subject matter expertise on activities that may include program design, procurement, program delivery, contract management of program delivery agents, business development, technical review and measurement and verification of savings, communications and other types of support to achieve program energy and demand savings targets within established budgets.

This individual will lead a cross-functional project team collaborating to implement the Green Industrial Facilities and Manufacturing Program (GIFMP) in partnership with Natural Resources Canada to expand and enhance the IESO's Strategic Energy Management Program. This individual will also oversee the day-to-day operations of the GIFMP including supporting participant recruitment to ensure the successful delivery of the program.

What you will do

Leadership

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge and awareness of innovation, technological developments, best practices and market transformation activities in the industry and make recommendations to support the continuous improvement and evolution of demand side management programs.
• Positively influence the achievements and work output of junior staff through providing project guidance to more junior team members.
• Provide expert technical and strategic advice to the leadership team
• Act as project leader on new program development, and continuous improvement activities for existing programs including directing the work of external vendors and consultants.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the program performance team to effectively implement the long-term goals of the team within the context of the broader corporate strategy

Design

• Lead analysis, programs or projects that have significant impact to Demand Side Management initiatives and/or the IESO. Scope of recommendations developed include: program design, including program concepts, measures and behavior, customer and market characteristics, barriers and opportunities, incentive setting, participation forecasting, cost effectiveness tests and business case development.
• Provide IESO staff with subject matter expert guidance to inform analysis to recommend and establish incentive levels for various energy saving measures, as well as to establish appropriate budgets for programs.
• Assess and link short-term analysis to long term strategies; consider whether short-term goals will meet long term strategic objectives. Examine the big picture when considering possible opportunities or projections.
• Lead the review of existing processes and recommend changes to processes, systems, procedures and market facing documents and qualify new opportunities, emerging technologies and delivery models for inclusion in program design, as necessary

Delivery

• Provide other IESO staff with program management guidance, including administration and evolution of program rules, participant contracts, calculation spreadsheets, partner contracts, budget management and related information system content.
• Lead the RFP process for procurement of external service providers, contribute to evaluation of RFP submissions, and manage the development of contracts with third party vendors.
• Lead program launch activities and implementation of program improvements (i.e., change management requests) with staff input from other business units across the IESO, including Legal and Procurement.
• Ensure contract compliance, including review of performance deliverables for payment purposes. Manage counterparty negotiations with external vendors for purposes of extracting fair value for the IESO.
• Resolve issues that arise with tact and diplomacy, consulting others as needed and maintaining good long-term relations and value

Technical

• Demonstrated technical or professional expertise – as a subject matter expert with unique skillsets.
• Responsible for the maintenance of the IESO’s library of prescriptive and quasi-prescriptive conservation measures, and the IESO’s library of end-use load profiles.
• Lead necessary research and analysis to recommend and establish end-use performance targets, as well as recommend technologies to be adopted in demand-side management programs including technical research for the assumptions used for estimating the energy and demand savings for energy conservation measures and assessing their cost-effectiveness.
• Lead the development of technical specifications for new energy conservation measures including requirements for eligibility and measurement and verification processes; manage development of appropriate tools to support program administration including technical guidelines and spreadsheets.
• Lead peer review of technical work performed by both internal IESO staff, program delivery partners, and external consultants, including the review and approval of technical work and recommendations.
• Review the current tools and provide guidance and support regarding the associated development of new tools.

Business and Stakeholder Advisory

• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including other IESO business units, Save-On-Energy customers, market participants, channel partners, local distribution companies and industry associations to optimize participation in demand-side initiatives.
• Provide strategic guidance relating to issues management, working with customers and internal stakeholders to bring forward and resolve issues and enhance programs.
• Organize, lead, influence and participate in public stakeholder engagement of demand side management recommendations and reports prior to developing final recommendations
• Review and present external communications materials to train, educate and advise customers and stakeholder groups (e.g., public information sessions, webinars, training material, market notices, program launches and improvements, etc.).
• Represent the IESO on cross functional internal and external teams including relevant industry associations where appropriate.

Occasional travel within Ontario

And other duties or responsibilities as may be assigned.

What you need to succeed

• The education required to complete the responsibilities associated with the position is typically obtained through successful completion of a university degree and/or post graduate degree in business, engineering, public administration and/or professional designation (e.g. professional engineer).
• Requires a strong background in energy industry to become familiar with the factors and problems influencing the sector.
• A period of at least 10 years is considered necessary to gain this experience.

Preferred experience

• Leadership experience with demonstrated ability to delivery on strategic initiatives;
• Demonstrated ability to design, deliver and manage demand-side management programs; and,
• Proven sales experience and success managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

What’s in it for you

• A comprehensive total rewards program, including best-in-class benefits and a flexible workplace 
• A challenging, fast-paced and collaborative team environment, where your perspectives and experiences matter 
• Leaders who support your growth and success through regular feedback and coaching 
• The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the industry 
   

Deadline: October 23, 2024

For future reference, please ensure to save a copy of the job description as it will no longer be available once the posting closes.

At the IESO, we know that achieving great results depends on embracing diversity by attracting, developing and retaining people from a wide variety of backgrounds. We do this by ensuring our recruitment and advancement policies are fair and equitable, and by creating an accessible and inclusive environment – one that values every team member’s unique skills and experiences and ensures they have the support they need to achieve their potential. If you require accommodation during the recruitment process, please let us know. 

We thank you for your interest in a career at the IESO, but we will only contact those candidates selected for an interview. 

Note: The successful candidate must be eligible to work in Canada and will be subject to a background check.

The IESO offers a hybrid work model program to most of our employees, based on business needs. Individuals participating in the program can work an average of three days per week remotely within Ontario. It also offers three flex weeks when individuals can work remotely within Ontario . When working in the office, you will be located at our Toronto location.

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