Job Details
About Us
Established in 1998, PowerOptions is New England’s largest not-for-profit, energy-buying consortium that empowers other nonprofits and public entities to reduce their carbon footprint, energy complexities and cost with our suite of offerings. PowerOptions’ vision is to create a future of affordable, sustainable and reliable energy for all nonprofits! We do this by acting as a trusted advisor and resource to nearly 500 Member organizations across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
PowerOptions brings our Members a comprehensive suite of offerings to meet their energy needs including, but not limited to:
- Electricity and natural gas supply
- Cleaner energy alternatives
- Electric transportation equipment and services
- Energy efficiency projects and financing, and
- Energy sustainability planning
As a nonprofit ourselves, we are a mission-driven and deeply committed team that is passionate about meeting our Members’ energy sustainability needs. Our Members, in turn, can put more focus on their missions and communities, which often include supporting low-income and disadvantaged populations.
Overview
PowerOptions is seeking a Director of Commodity & Member Relations. This newly created position will have a key role in the team, overseeing the implementation and delivery of the electricity and gas commodity programs. The Director of Commodity & Member Relations will report to the SVP, Programs and Services and will work closely with the commodity program suppliers, large PowerOptions members as well as the internal Member Management Team.
Responsibilities of the Director, Commodity & Member Relations position include but are not limited to:
General Responsibilities
- Manage the core functions of commodity programs, including existing and new member relations, ensuring alignment with PowerOptions’ strategic plan.
- Serve as the Member Manager for approximately 25 of PowerOptions’ largest members (cities, towns, hospitals, and universities) across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
- Oversee the effective implementation and delivery of Commodity programs, monitoring performance and making necessary adjustments.
- Serve as the main point of contact with the energy suppliers for the commodity programs, meeting regularly and troubleshooting as necessary to ensure a successful delivery of the programs.
- Oversee development and implementation of budgets, forecasts and strategic plans for Commodity programs.
- Ensure Commodity programs comply with relevant regulations and guidelines.
- Prepare regular reports for internal and external stakeholders, demonstrating Commodity program impact and effectiveness.
- Manage team of Member Relationship Managers, Business Development and Energy Markets professionals.
- Be a key member of the leadership team, contributing to business success and growth.
Account Management and Strategic Development Responsibilities
- Develop, in conjunction with leadership, a strategic plan for the Member Relationship Management team, including hiring, productivity targets, etc.
- Assess existing sales and outreach processes and assist with the establishment of improved processes and development of training and documentation materials to best support the team.
- Assess and further develop existing client account profiles, account mapping, and retention plans for the existing Member base.
- Build a prescriptive, scalable strategy to expand opportunities with Members that is in alignment with their needs.
- Develop and deliver accurate forecast details during weekly and quarterly business reviews.
- Maintain positive and dedicated line of communication between the lines of business, as well as with senior leadership.
Business Goals
- Assess pipeline, activity & forecasts to determine progress & areas for refinement/improvement.
- Establish and achieve cross sell, growth and retention targets along with Member satisfaction levels.
- Plan and direct Account Management activities to agreed targets; achieve and exceed assigned quotas/ targets.
- Report on Account Management activity, pipeline development, and forecast to Leadership.
- Build and nurture C-level relationships across accounts to solidify our partnership and commitment to our Members.
Team Management
- Provide leadership and manage a high-performing team of Member Relationship and Business Development Managers, each with their own client pools, as well as an Energy Markets professional, to drive retention and growth.
- Coordinate with Energy Markets professional to ensure Members have access to relevant data and information.
- Become the resident expert on the Commodity contracts with suppliers for both Members and PowerOptions staff.
- Foster an inclusive, collaborative, productive and innovative work environment to support successful program and service execution in alignment with PowerOptions’ mission-driven culture.
- Support team members with one-on-one meetings. Coach team members through development of key skills, including forecasting & sales planning, prospecting/pipelining within account base, complex deal negotiations, as well as CRM/reporting accuracy. Guide team on portfolio management and account prioritization, with emphasis on building long-term partnerships.
- Work alongside Member Relationship Managers by supporting deal strategy and client meeting preparation to ensure pipeline coverage, retention, and growth of existing Members. Serve as an escalation point for the team on all deals.
- Communicate and establish expectations for weekly activities, pipelines, forecasts and closed deals. Monitor activity of the team, tracking results, and leading weekly forecast and pipeline review meetings.
- Lead by example, modeling best practices for managing the customer journey.
- Embody PowerOptions mission and values, demonstrate ownership and leading with empathy in all Member interactions
Qualifications and Experience:
While no candidate will embody all qualifications, the ideal candidate will possess the following:
- Bachelor’s degree with a major or minor in business, economics, engineering, sustainability, or a related field preferred.
- Master’s degree preferred in business, economics, engineering, sustainability, or a related field.
- Experience in energy field, business program management, contracting, and account management.
- Outstanding relationship building and effective communications skills to gain trust and rapport with members, clients and other stakeholders.
- Demonstrated experience managing relationships with external vendors and stakeholders.
- Advanced Excel skills, including proficiency with developing and managing spreadsheets.
- Extensive experience with Salesforce or similar CRM platform.
- Demonstrated experience in thinking creatively and independently to resolve conflict and tackle challenges.
- Analytical skills with the ability to drive the business and support programs using data.
- Experience with nonprofit organizations and the public sector.
- Professional experience and/or knowledge of energy commodities.
- 10+ years of sales/account management experience, with 5+ years demonstrated success leading a team of sales/account management professionals with a track record of values-based leadership and building high impact, high integrity teams.
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and staff to create results-driven, team-oriented environment; track record of leading teams against specific KPIs.
- Demonstrated success in account management and team leadership
- Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective business, sales, and vertical market plans as well as success in negotiating and closing complex deals.
- Demonstrated success of consistently generating revenue and exceeding quotas by managing process for identifying, qualifying, and closing new business as well as growing opportunities within existing customer base.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills – includes excellent reporting, forecasting and presentation skills
- Responsibility for Managing Programs/contracts of $5M/year or more in revenue.
- Outstanding consultative selling abilities and excellent interpersonal skills with executive-level customers and partners.
- Recent experience managing and closing complex sales-cycles with large corporations or non-profits with annual operating budgets of up to $7 Billion or more.
Requires a willingness to work a flexible schedule. Some travel within New England may be required.
Benefits of Joining our Team:
- Competitive and equitable salary and performance incentive compensation
- Robust health & dental coverage with high deductible reimbursement
- Plentiful PTO
- Generous 401k/IRA retirement plan employer contributions
- Paid parental leave
- Professional development annual stipend
- Work with passionate, collaborative, dedicated and supportive coworkers
- Regular outings and team events
- Rewarding mission-driven work
- Hybrid work environment
Commitment to Diversity:
PowerOptions was founded in order to serve the needs of under-resourced communities and is proud to be a woman-led, small nonprofit organization. We are committed to equity and inclusion, not just in the work we do to foster energy justice, but in how we grow as an organization and as an industry. We seek to have a diverse team to ensure we incorporate all perspectives, while offering opportunities for marginalized communities in the energy industry.
PowerOptions is an equal opportunity employer. We hire, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, national origin, genetics, veteran status, or any of the other characteristics that give each of us a unique perspective and capacities.
How to Apply:
Applications will be accepted until May 17, 2024. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Complete applications must include a cover letter and a current resume with link to your LinkedIn profile. Send your application to: jobs@poweroptions.org with the subject heading: Director, Commodity & Member Relations.
E-Verify
PowerOptions participates in the federal E-Verify program. For information on E-Verify, visit www.e-verify.gov.