Key Accounts Manager

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The Key Accounts Manager position works under the general supervision of the Energy Services Manager and has responsibility for a wide range of customer service, business development, and technical support matters, particularly as they pertain to SVCE’s largest commercial, industrial, and strategically relevant customers. Responsibilities include general customer service, responding to customer inquiries, billing analysis, utility rate design, and preparing and delivering presentations to businesses related to SVCE offers and services. 

The Key Accounts Manager works directly with business customers, their primary stakeholders, and external solution providers via email and telephone, and through in-person meetings and interactions. Their primary goal will be the development and maintenance of working relationships with SVCE’s portfolio of commercial and industrial customers. They are expected to be highly knowledgeable about PG&E, Direct Access, and SVCE service offerings, commercial electricity rates, energy programs, and related organizational and operational mechanisms. 

To be effective, the Key Accounts Manager will develop and execute a communication and outreach calendar. The ideal candidate will combine deep utility/energy industry experience with the foundational principles of account management to create relationship-based pathways for SVCE to further its mission of decarbonization and electrification into the large commercial and industrial customer vertical. The Key Accounts Manager will be assigned tasks related to the development, implementation, and/or administration of various SVCE C&I segment-focused activities and offerings targeting customers with larger annual loads. 

Supervision Received and Exercised 

The Key Accounts Manager position reports to the Energy Services Manager and includes some supervision of consultants and contractors. This role may include internal supervisory responsibilities. 

About Silicon Valley Clean Energy

Formed in 2016, Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) is a Community Choice Energy provider serving approximately 280,000 residential and commercial customer accounts in thirteen Santa Clara County communities. The SVCE mission is to provide customers with electricity generated from renewable and carbon-free sources at competitive rates, and further accelerate decarbonization through deployment of innovative local programs. Key program areas include: building electrification, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure, supporting local policies that advance electrification, and demand management.

SVCE is a joint-powers agency governed by a Board of Directors comprised of an elected official from each of the thirteen SVCE member communities. By providing reliable and responsive electricity service at competitive rates, SVCE maintains a 96+% customer participation rate and a strong financial foundation. Access to clean electricity has helped our communities take a major step in fighting climate change by reducing local emissions. Yet, supplying clean electricity is just one part of the solutions needed to ensure a pollution-free future. It is essential that SVCE continues to proactively engage with our customers and community stakeholders in the electrification journey - helping to inspire, educate, and enable action in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity – in homes, buildings, and transportation.

The SVCE Culture

Achieving SVCE’s ambitious and urgent mission requires a team capable of meeting the tremendous challenges embedded in these goals. SVCE develops and fosters a diverse and talented team that thrives in a dynamic and fast-changing environment. As such, at SVCE we recruit and retain smart, passionate, innovative, and collaborative employees. Company employees contribute, as a team and as individuals, to continuously building and supporting a culture of collaboration and trust. SVCE employees encourage creativity and the free flow of ideas to spur innovation. The workplace environment is adaptable, and technology enabled to drive innovative solutions. SVCE emphasizes focus and prioritization across departments to achieve quality, rather than simply quantity of output. SVCE provides a rewarding workplace experience where productivity can be maintained across a variety of work environments. SVCE provides opportunities for growth, engagement, and support professional and personal development. SVCE offers opportunities that position their people, as well as SVCE, for success.

More information can be found at: www.svcleanenergy.org

Essential Functions 

Key Account Customer Relations 

• Establish relevant key account contacts across SVCE’s customer portfolio. 
• Establish a cadence for routine communication (calls, video calls, billing review, on-site meetings) with large commercial and industrial customers. 
• Develop and maintain key customer profiles consisting of sustainability goals, current and future SVCE mission-aligned projects, opportunities for deploying SVCE products and services, interest level in various services, etc. 
• Serve as the ‘face’ of SVCE, providing direct support for inquiries from key accounts, representing SVCE and its interests professionally through all interactions with key account customers. 
• Connect key account customers with appropriate internal subject matter experts in relation to their projects and goals. 
• Plan and host (currently biannual) gatherings of industry professionals around topics relevant to SVCE’s mission and the interests of key account customers (Watts For Lunch roundtable series). 
• Inform and influence SVCE’s engagement with these customers. 

Project Management 

• Lead operational design, deployment and administration of priority projects which may include custom electricity rate design, custom electricity product development, on-bill financing instruments, customer term commitments, and/or electrification and decarbonization equipment retrofits and qualifying rebates. 
• Vendor negotiations, contracting, and management. 
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert for the perspective of the ‘large key account’ as it pertains to program development, custom product development, SVCE planning, regulatory and policy discussions, etc. 

Customer Rates and Offerings 

• Inform and implement new PG&E /CPUC-initiated programs and rate structures for key accounts. 
• Own development of competitive customized energy service offerings for large commercial/industrial (C&I) customers. 
• Lead customer-specific analytics and modeling for custom offerings. 
• Identify, document, and support new business development opportunities. 

Customer Operations 

• Ownership of all customer service, billing, and programmatic interactions between SVCE and key customers, including: 
• Detailed utility bill inquiries, including complex NEM, storage, commercial and EV rates. 
• Call center operations, and customer escalations related to key accounts. 
• General energy, electrification, and decarbonization-related inquiries from key account customers. 
• Effectively utilize SVCE CRM and customer data analytics systems in support of customer interactions. 
• Engage effectively with SVCE billing services provider (Calpine), PG&E rep(s).   

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

Knowledge and experience with: 

• Principles of effective account management, marketing, communications, and salesmanship. 
• Electrification and decarbonization principles, programs, and best practices as they may relate to large offices, governmental buildings, manufacturing, and various other industries. 
• Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) commercial and industrial billing structures, bill presentment, and program operations. 
• Wholesale electricity markets, RECs, and renewable energy accounting methods. 
• Investor-owned utility (IOU), Direct Access (DA), and Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) programs; the interaction between CCAs and investor-owned utilities; SVCE programs and services. 
• Working knowledge in some combination of the following areas: Electric vehicles and EV charging systems; building systems, e.g., HVAC/mechanical, electrical, controls; Solar, NEM, and storage systems; demand management programs; building codes; facilities management. 
• Microsoft Excel, including familiarity with functions and advanced features. 
• Knowledge of database querying languages (SQL preferred). 
• Microsoft Office Suite, including Power Point and Word. 
• Use of CRM systems and customer data analytics. 
• Appropriate and professional in-person, telephone, and e-mail etiquette. 

Ability to: 

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with industrial, commercial, and governmental customers. 
• Communicate effectively with customers and co-workers at varying responsibility levels from junior level to decision-maker. 
• Take responsibility and work independently, as well as coordinate or participate in team efforts. 
• Develop effective and compelling presentations. 
• Effectively utilize data, estimation, heuristics, and reporting. 
• Demonstrate creative problem solving and commercial awareness. 
• Communicate effectively both verbally (by phone and in-person) and in written form. 
• Manage projects and time efficiently. 
• Manage multiple priorities and quickly adapt to changing priorities in a fast paced, dynamic environment. 

Required Qualifications 

Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be: 

Education:

• A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited university or college in engineering, environmental science, operations management, business/economics or closely related field, or other degrees with demonstrable and commensurate work experience that are directly relevant for this position. 
• A Master’s Degree or building trades experience is highly desirable. 
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Experience:

• A minimum of five years of progressively responsible customer-facing experience with clean energy-related products or services at: an energy services company, corporate/commercial facilities engineering, design, management or consulting company, electric utility, energy or buildings-related department of a public agency, energy products company, or a related organization. 
• Prior experience as a relationship manager, account executive, or business development manager within the above fields is highly desirable. 

License / Certifications

• One or more professional certifications, including, but not limited to Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Business Energy Professional (BEP), or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Preferred but not required. 

Work Location & Requirements

• SVCE is a Hybrid work location out of Sunnyvale, CA.
• Onsite attendance required as needed by the supervisor, team, and department.
• Required attendance for company Quarterly-In-Person-Days.
• Occasionally needed for Monthly Board Meetings – second Wednesday of the month; approximately 5:30 – 10:00 pm.
• Valid California Class C driver’s license required.
• Ability to perform standard office-based physical activities with reasonable accommodations.
• This Key Accounts Manager role has an additional expectation of being present in-territory for meetings with SVCE customers as part of the essential functions. Some conversations can be had by phone or online, but it is expected that part of the relationship-building and most effective ongoing engagement will necessitate some face-to-face time with key contacts as well. 

Physical and Working Conditions

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment

Work is performed in a typical office setting with exposure to computer screens and at public events (fairs, meeting rooms, farmers’ markets, etc.) with moderate noise and will require some evening and weekend work. The noise level in the work environment is usually typical of an office environment and public events.

Physical

While performing the duties of this class, employees are regularly required to sit, walk, and stand; talk or hear, in person and by telephone; reach with hands and arms. Employees are occasionally required to walk, and stand for prolonged periods; stoop, bend, kneel and twist; and may lift up to twenty pounds. Employees must be able to communicate in person, in writing, and by telephone with Board members, management, co-workers, vendors, consultants, and with the public in face-to-face, one-on-one, and group settings.

Vision

See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents; and operate assigned equipment.

Hearing

Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.

-----SVCE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER-----