Associate Director (Transmission)

About the Role

When you join the E3 team, you will work on some of the most important energy issues alongside top minds in the electricity industry. You will help shape energy and climate policy, play vital roles in regulatory proceedings, advise executives, and inform investment and planning decisions. At E3 you will be challenged and inspired. The Associate Director (Transmission) will lead strategy engagements for utilities and their transmission businesses, structuring problems, owning day‑to‑day client leadership, and coordinating cross‑functional teams across planning, engineering, regulatory, finance, and delivery. Focus areas include business case development, portfolio prioritization, KPI tracking, partnership strategy, and organizational governance. E3 offers a hybrid, flexible work environment, encouraging office presence 2‑3 days per week, typically Tuesdays and Thursdays, with occasional travel up to 10%. • Lead delivery of client work, including modeling, presentations, writing, and managing report sections • Conduct independent research, make assumptions, and develop solutions with incomplete information • Fulfill end-to-end project obligations • Deliver presentations to customers and respond to questions • Develop proficiency with flagship modeling tool, gather data, and validate results • Oversee management of existing tools as needed • Implement major revisions to toolkits • Apply core QA/QC best practices • Lead proposal writing for various projects • Translate research results into clear visual representations • Create or edit client-ready spreadsheets and develop tools for customer solutions • Proactively track personal work performance against plan and communicate with project team • Track and manage project team performance against plan with ongoing communication • Capture project learnings and reusable products per knowledge-management processes • Establish and run a Transmission Strategy PMO: set cadence, RACI, decision rights, steering committee, maintain scope and schedule across work‑streams • Map current operating model and recommend changes to resource plan, capability gaps, governance, and stakeholder interfaces • Build KPI framework for transmission buildout and design dashboards and routines • Translate engineering and modeling outputs into business cases and executive-ready roadmaps with milestones and owners • Lead stakeholder alignment across utilities, ISO/RTO, regulators, communities, and partners; design strategies to unblock issues and drive decisions • Assist with internal initiatives as needed

Key Responsibilities

• ▸modeling
• ▸tool development
• ▸data validation
• ▸dashboard design
• ▸stakeholder alignment
• ▸pmo management

What You Bring

E3 looks for people who combine strong analytical dexterity or policy experience with integrity and a passion for energy. Associate Directors take the reins on project work, driving creative solutions to complex energy issues, and must bring subject‑matter depth in electric transmission, including ISO/RTO planning, interconnection, corridor/ROW permitting, and capital planning. They also need management‑consulting skills to structure ambiguous problems, mitigate risks, coach teams, and possess executive presence to navigate senior‑level stakeholder dynamics. • Occasional travel (up to 10%) • Master's degree or PhD in engineering, economics, computer science, public policy, or related field (or Bachelor's with equivalent experience) • Demonstrated hands‑on experience or extensive knowledge relevant to practice areas • 7+ years of experience in energy, focused on electric power sector • Significant expertise in electric transmission development or planning (interconnection, deliverability, corridor/ROW, permitting, capital planning, utility regulation) • Extensive project management experience leading collaborative efforts • Strong written and verbal communication skills • Ability to craft clear, compelling messages in writing and presentations • Proven experience working directly with clients, stakeholders, or customers • Track record of guiding ideas, people, and projects • High fluency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; quantitative modeling or programming knowledge valued • Deep expertise in energy, economics, finance, and climate change issues • Significant project management and leadership experience in technical/analytical settings • Experience with utility transmission modeling platforms (e.g., PLEXOS, Gridview, PROMOD, PSSE, TARA) preferred • Extensive experience coordinating regularly with customers • Collaborative style that helps team members perform their best • Ability to translate technical concepts for broader audiences • Ownership mindset, proactively seeking answers and creative solutions

Requirements

• ▸master's
• ▸transmission
• ▸project management
• ▸excel
• ▸plexos
• ▸consulting

Benefits

• Full-time hours • Hybrid office location: San Francisco office or client site in Bay Area

Work Environment

Hybrid