Careers

This position is an integral part of the CSE’s Transparency and Insights (T&I) team, which supports the organization’s policy development, program implementation, and marketing and outreach activities. The Research Associate will contribute to CSE’s analytical capacity, particularly in the areas of quantitative and qualitative analysis, statistical methods, data visualization and public reporting. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Depending on the services needed and the skill set of the Research Associate, responsibilities may include the following.

1. Research and Statistical Methods 

• Compile, read, and summarize existing literature to frame research efforts and inform policy.
• Program and test survey questions in online platforms.
• Interview EV market participants or other stakeholders and synthesize the responses.
• Assemble, manipulate, analyze and interpret data from various sources, potentially in coordination with external research partners.
• Perform statistical analysis, including multivariable linear regressions, GIS-based spatial analysis, time series modeling and forecasting.
• Perform quality control (QC) on data analysis conducted by research analysts.
• Document research procedures and help develop SOPs.
• Contribute to written reports and proposals describing completed or proposed model design, implementation and results.
• Work independently with the guidance of senior members of T&I team to achieve objectives.

1. Data Visualization and Reporting 

• Support the development and maintenance of web-based data visualizations, maps and reporting tools.
• Access and facilitate reporting from existing programs, customer relationship management (CRM) databases, and enterprise resource planning software databases.

1. CSE Program Support

• Support the development of analytical tools for program assessment, tracking and evaluation, including projections of budgets and participation rates.
• Support program staff in public reporting calls and committees.
• Support program staff in measurement and evaluation activities.
• Support program staff or senior members of T&I team in developing presentations.
• Maintain effective working relationships with internal clients and other stakeholders.

ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint
• Familiarity with one or more of the following:
  1. Data visualization software (e.g., Tableau, Plotly)
  2. Survey platforms (e.g., Alchemer)
  3. Statistical analysis tools (e.g., Python, R)
  4. Relational database development, maintenance and reporting
  5. GIS mapping (e.g., ESRI ArcMap 9+, QGIS)
  6. Python 
  7. JavaScript
• Extraordinary attention to detail, organizational and problem-solving skills
• Strong oral and written communication skills 
• Self-motivated to meet deadlines of multiple concurrent projects using project management tools
• The ability to implement quality assurance protocols
• Demonstrated propensity to communicate with teammates proactively in a remote environment and seek feedback on work
• Interest in working with data, research and sustainable energy initiatives

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Understanding of the energy sector or markets or policy related to electric vehicles, energy efficiency, distributed generation or energy storage

Required Education and Experience

• 0-2 years of related experience
• Bachelor's degree in statistics, economics, computer science, social science, environmental science, engineering or related field. Coursework should show substantial analytical content. 
• Additional work experience may be substituted to satisfy the education requirement.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS 

The physical demands described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.  

• Employee will work in an office environment or work from home. The employee may experience eye and muscle strain, backaches, headaches, and repetitive motion injuries as a result of using computers on a daily basis. Employee may have to sit for extended periods while reviewing detailed data.
• May work some evenings and weekends or work longer hours to meet deadlines.

Salary: $42,500 - $54,900

What you’ll be doing:

• Process clean vehicle rebate applications using a customized Salesforce.com CRM system and other computer systems

• Follow detailed, standard practices and operating procedures to review rebate applications and varied, complex supporting documents for accuracy and completeness

• Make quick, consistent decisions following detailed program terms and conditions to determine rebate applicant eligibility

• Provide technical support to applicants for the online application and document submission processes

• Explain complex project requirements to applicants on the phone and in writing

• Use good judgment when speaking with applicants about non-public personal information

• Handle highly-sensitive documents that contain non-public personal information, following mandatory security processes

• Use template-based and customized emails to communicate professionally and accurately with rebate applicants

• Prepare and mail rebate checks to rebate applicants

• Work effectively with fellow team members to complete rebate processing tasks, assisting others when opportunities arise

• Identify issues which may require deviation from standard practices and work with team leads to implement solutions

• Communicate with the CVRP operations team leads and operations managers to provide status updates, report concerns, and suggest solutions and improvements

The ideal candidate:

• Associate of Arts degree required

• Bachelor’s degree preferred

• Additional work experience may be substituted for a degree

• 2 years of experience in office/clerical work, customer support, application processing, or other areas related to the duties and responsibilities specified.

• A bachelor’s degree may be substituted for some work experience

• Extreme attention to detail

• Ability to organize tasks in a way that suits your work style accommodates your team members, and complies with required processes

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills

• Strong writing skills

• Ability to communicate facts and constraints effectively verbally and in writing, even during difficult conversations

• Ability to complete assigned work accurately and on time

• Ability to identify alternative solutions to assigned issues and recommend a course of action

• Intermediate ability to navigate in Adobe Acrobat PDF files

• Intermediate ability to follow processes and execute tasks in an internet browser-based system

• Intermediate ability to use Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and Windows 7

• Basic knowledge of customer service principles, project management and best practices with data entry and documentation.

• Experience working with online customer relationship management (CRM) systems (e.g., Salesforce.com) preferred.

• Income verification or mortgage processing experience a plus.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $17.50 per hour

Virtual interview process.

This position is CA/REMOTE eligible. 

Pay Range: $128,700 - $175,000

The Senior Director of Policy leads all CSE’s policy activities, including regulatory, governmental affairs, coalition building, and external relations, and serves on CSE’s Executive Leadership Team, which charts the strategic direction of the organization and manages its daily execution.

CSE’s policy group leverages CSE’s deep program operating experience and equally deep quantitative and qualitative data analytics capabilities to deliver unique, data-driven, operating experience-based policy recommendations to elected officials, regulators, and other clean energy stakeholders.  CSE regularly engages with state and local officials and the senior-most ranks of federal leadership.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Establish a strategic vision and implementation plan that aligns policy initiatives with existing and developing clean energy programs.
• Infuse policy communications with the data analytics and program operating experience that makes CSE’s policy engagement unique. 
• Oversee cross-department communication to ensure that CSE’s data analytics and program experience both inform and are informed by the policy team 
• Lead the Policy team in defining CSE positions, informed by CSE’s data analytics and program experience, on specific legislative and regulatory efforts in Distributed Energy Resources, Transportation, and Climate Change.
• Represent CSE, its programs, and its policy positions in public forums.
• Lead annual and multi-year resource planning and budgeting for the Policy team[LG1] .
• Oversee all aspects of Policy team success, including priority setting, budgeting, reporting, analysis, quality control, and employee development and performance.
• Lead a team of policy and subject-matter experts to ensure programs follow regulatory and legislative requirements for implementation and reporting.
• Build and maintain long-term relationships with partners and clients to position CSE for continued growth.
• Recruit, manage and mentor a team of policy specialists to support the development and execution of CSE’s policy objectives.
• Establish and monitor staff performance and development goals, assign accountabilities, set objectives, establish, and monitor priorities, and conduct annual performance appraisals.
• Promote a culture of respect, performance, continuous learning, and a commitment to the individual.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Required

• Deep familiarity with the California clean energy policy landscape at the state and local level and with a federal energy policy that affects California.
• Demonstrated ability to interact directly with key stakeholders in the California policy environment, including experience with CARB, CEC and CPUC. 
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining relationships with industry stakeholders and appointed and elected officials.
• Ability to create and identify policy opportunities, develop forward-looking strategies, build partnerships, and lead a cross-functional team to achieve organizational success.
• Ability to support the organization’s strategic planning process and help define potential opportunities.
• Significant experience writing and editing official reports, comments, and analyses, as well as developing new policy concepts in regulatory and legislative settings.
• Outstanding communication skills with the proven ability to utilize these skills across groups within and outside the organization, including as a public speaker and spokesperson.
• Management experience, including tactical decision-making, facilitation, communications, and the ability to develop and attain goals.
• Demonstrated experience growing and leading teams to success.
• Commitment to values of mutual respect and collaboration, teamwork and diversity.
• Motivated and inspirational, capable of mobilizing a large workforce around a shared mission.
• Self-directed, effective communicator, strong time management skills, and a creative problem solver.
• A proven track record demonstrating the ability to work in a fast-paced, forward-moving environment with the ability to quickly learn new policies, concepts, and technologies.

Preferred

• Demonstrated familiarity with the energy policy landscape and appointed and elected officials in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Florida, Ohio and/or Texas
• Experience with federal clean energy policy and regulatory stakeholders
• Demonstrated familiarity with the EV, EV charging, solar and storage ecosystems in the US.
• Understanding the multidisciplinary aspects of energy and transportation projects including planning, permitting, finance, and technology.
• Knowledge of state energy and transportation policies, priorities, and budgets and ability to identify opportunities for growth for CSE programs.
• Business/finance skills are sufficient to understand and develop budgets.
• Demonstrated success in drafting scopes of work, budgets, and complex proposals that result in contracts.

Education:

• Required: Bachelor’s degree
• Preferred: Master’s Degree, Juris Doctorate, or Ph.D.

Experience :

• 15+ years of direct experience or a combination of direct experience and relevant graduate-level education. Management level at nonprofit, state or federal agency, clean energy and/or utility company is preferred.

Licenses, Certificates or Registrations:

• None required.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work Environment:

• Works in an office environment or a home office
• California based