Program Manager - Grid Resilience

Full Job Description

This mission of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and consumer energy costs by advancing clean energy, energy efficiency and zero emission vehicles to benefit all Coloradans.

The Colorado Energy Office is a great place to work, with collaborative and talented employees who are passionate about our mission and a flexible hybrid (work from home/work from office) atmosphere.

Employees report high satisfaction with their work, their colleagues and manager, and CEO leadership. Join us!

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.Governor’s Office staff should demonstrate a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) in the workplace to fulfill the promise of a Colorado For All.

Staff are expected to participate in learning opportunities and training to increase their knowledge around EDIA, have a growth mindset, and embed new learnings and skills into daily business practices.

Creating inaccessible digital content such as web pages, emails, presentations, or documents leaves the state open to fines up to $3,500 based on the language in House Bill 21-110. Staff should strive to make all digital content accessible using provided accessibility resources.

Requirements

This announcement is open only to eligible individuals currently employed within the Office of the Governor.

The announcement is for transparency purposes only to comply with the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

Only applications from eligible individuals currently employed within the Office of the Governor will be accepted.

Starting Salary Range: $70,012.80 - $90,001.60 Annually

*This position is eligible for a hybrid and/or remote working arrangement. Hybrid positions are expected to be present at the office location for no less than one day per work week.

The Strategic Initiatives and Finance (SIFI) team is primarily responsible for the development and deployment of new clean energy markets and technologies. SIFI focuses on providing the technical and financing resources to achieve market deployment, and uses data-driven decision-making to maximize and track program efficiency and impact. Some of our main focus areas, in addition to grid resiliency, include geothermal, Industrial decarbonization, beneficial electrification, carbon management, hydrogen, Sustainable aviation fuels, and a suite of innovative financing solutions.

Grid Resiliency Program

The Grid Resiliency Program is tasked with administering the Grid Resilience Formula Funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 section 40101(d) for the State of Colorado.

CEO is the prime recipient of $25 million in federal funding and an additional $1.5 million of state matching funds.

These funds support three programs: Grid Hardening for Small and Rural Communities, Advanced Grid Monitoring, and Microgrids for Community Resilience (MCR).

The MCR program is conducted through an interagency partnership between CEO and the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), who allocate and manage the grants, primarily to electric utilities and resilience hubs.

Candidates for this position should demonstrate the ability to perform with a high degree of autonomy, work collaboratively across teams, and have demonstrated success in navigating complex programs with competing priorities.

They should provide program managers with risk mitigation actions that consider the larger programmatic strategy.

Candidates should understand and implement procedures that identify issues, errors, and compliance inconsistencies while staying informed on current federal regulations and grant program requirements.

Responsibilities:

Program Administration

• Develop functional, working knowledge of the Grid Resilience program and the US Department of Energy Special Terms and Conditions

• Develop understanding of the ongoing projects in the Grid Hardening for Small and Rural Communities and the Advanced Grid Monitoring Programs, including their points of contact, budgets, implementation phase, and reporting needs.

• Work with the Senior Program Manager and Compliance Specialist to create and update grant management strategy and procedures to intake, organize, and process documents to ensure subrecipients and subcontractors are compliant with state and federal requirements.

• Work with the CEO Operations team to process reimbursement requests.

• Work with the CEO Procurement team to develop, review, update, monitor, and amend project contracts as needed with all subrecipients.

• Assist with award management, allowable cost reconciliation, fiscal monitoring, budgeting, reporting, and closeout of externally funded projects

• Support the application process for future rounds of Grid Resilience funding, including updating budgets and interagency agreements with DOLA

Subrecipient Management

• Participate in monthly meetings with all subrecipients, manage documentation and communications log, identify topics for follow-up, and ensure these topics are addressed in a timely manner.

• Manage the program shared email inbox by saving the messages in the appropriate tabs, saving the documents in the appropriate folders, updating the communications log, responding, and alerting colleagues for necessary follow-up.

• Participate in bimonthly meetings with DOLA Microgrids for Community Resilience (MCR) program staff, identify areas for follow-up, and support interagency collaboration and partnership in implementing Colorado’s Grid Resilience Formula Funding (from IIJA section 40101(d)) and associated state matching funds.

• Work with program staff to develop and implement subrecipient monitoring plans and systems.

• Prepare for and conduct financial reviews, desk audits, and site visits as necessary.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• At least 2 years of experience in grant management.

• At least 3 years of experience developing, managing, and refining programs.

• Strong time management and organizational skills.

• Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with federal or state grants and procuring and managing vendors or grantees is strongly preferred.

• Experience working with grant recipients or subrecipients, state agencies, local governments, and/or electric utilities is strongly preferred.

• Preferred experience working with stakeholder groups, including local governments and utilities.

• Preferred experience working in the energy sector.

Additional Information

To Apply:

A cover letter and resume must be submitted with the application for consideration.

Your cover letter and resume must provide sufficient detail about your background and experience to allow the screening panel to properly assess your experience in the required elements, including your experience and achievements.

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers a generous benefits package including:

• Annual leave accrued at 13.33 hours per month (4 weeks a year)

• Sick leave accrued at 6.66 hours a month (10 days a year)

• 11 paid holidays per year

• Medical and dental plans

• State paid life insurance policy of $50,000

• Choice of 2 retirement plans

• 401K and 457 plans

• State paid Short Term Disability coverage

• Additional optional life and disability plans

• Credit Union Membership

• RTD pass

• Training and professional development

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them.

Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

ADAAA Accommodations

The Office of the Governor is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.

As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Staffing Coordinator (the Director of Human Resources) at gov_hr@state.co.us.

Conditions of Employment

Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.