Rates and Contracts Strategist

Maple Grove, MN

Applications due by August 7, 2018

Feel the Energy. When you work for an organization that appreciates your contributions, respects your abilities, and rewards your achievements, you’ll feel energized as you’ve never felt before. That’s why you owe it to yourself to explore a future with Great River Energy. As Minnesota’s second largest utility, based on generating capacity, we have satisfying opportunities for highly motivated professionals.

Great River Energy (GRE) is seeking a rates and contracts strategist to create and implement wholesale rates and rate design initiatives in alignment with GRE’s strategic imperatives. Foster strategic load growth opportunities through development of contracts and relationships with GRE member cooperatives. Provide thought leadership and expertise and deliver clear and effective communication, both internally and externally, on contract terms, rate strategies, and public policy issues.

Responsibilities

• Synthesize and implement wholesale rate design principles and structures that integrate: contractual requirements, effective price signals, recovery of costs and member cooperative priorities.
• Lead and coordinate analyses and development of cost allocation methodologies, rate design methodologies and wholesale rates. Communicate rate theories and drivers to members and foster member support for new rate design initiatives
• Prepare cost-of-service studies and market cost estimates and develop complex economic and financial models to inform rate recommendations, strategy and other related power supply decisions.
• Develop rates for GRE’s load management programs fostering growth, while ensuring cost recovery, efficient signals and competitiveness with other fuels and technologies. Coordinate on load evaluations and development of load management strategies that foster growth while reducing costs.
• Understand, evaluate and communicate impacts of wholesale rate design on member-owners and implications for retail-oriented rate structures.
• Provide assistance to member cooperatives with analysis and modeling of pricing and other economic issues as assigned.
• Anticipate, evaluate and communicate rate impacts of emerging new technologies, advent of distributed generation and renewable energy and grid modernization efforts.
• Perform economic analyses of pricing and other business issues as assigned.
• Develop innovative and competitive customer specific rates to attract and retain eligible customer loads. Conduct wholesale rate comparisons of other utilities to help evaluate the competitiveness of GRE’s rates.
• Standby tariff – design, maintenance and administration of standby rates for distributed generation.
• Establish and maintain integrated spreadsheet/database applications necessary to support proposed rate structures and incentive programs.
• Update GRE tariffs, rate schedules, program guides, and appendices to support annual budget process and as required.
• Develop structure, terms and conditions of power supply contracts for member cooperatives, large loads, renewable supply and competitive markets.
• Provide support in the review, interpretation, negotiation and implementation of member wholesale contracts.
• Formulate and compose memorandum of understandings, letters of intent, letter agreements, and customer specific contracts for member load opportunities.
• Analyze and provide recommendations on contract terms and conditions to support GRE and its member cooperatives in competitive markets.
• Analyze, review and provide recommendations on current statutes and rules, proposed legislation and policies, and industry practices and trends related to wholesale and retail load service obligations, special programs and rates.
• Anticipate, analyze and communicate potential impacts of policy proposals.
• Represent GRE and its member’s interests with external entities on rate topics, including regulation and competitive rates, green pricing programs and renewables, distributed generation and standby rates and demand side management.
• Lead task forces and cross-functional initiatives to analyze wholesale rate related issues.
• Serve as a liaison and an expert on relevant rate and contract topics.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in economics, business, finance, data analytics, engineering, law or related field. An advanced degree in economics, business, finance and/or certification as a Certified Energy Manager (CEM) is preferred. Five or more years of experience working with electric cooperatives or within the electric utility industry, and an additional 3+ years business analysis and/or strategy experience; or a combination of education and experience providing equivalent knowledge.

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