Managing Consultant/Sr. Managing Consultant

Why You Should Join the E3 Team

When you join the E3 team, you will be working on some of the most important energy issues with some of the top minds in the industry. We help shape energy and climate policy, play vital roles in regulatory proceedings, advise executives, and inform investment and planning selections. At E3, you will be challenged and inspired.

Who We Are

Founded in 1989, Energy + Environmental Economics (E3) is a growing energy consulting firm that helps utilities, regulators, policy makers, developers, and investors make the most educated strategic decisions possible as they implement new public policies, deploy and develop new technologies, and address customers’ shifting expectations. We have offices in San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Denver, and Calgary.

Because E3 works with customers from all sectors of the electricity industry, we provide a 360‑degree knowledge of markets, planning, policy, regulation, and environmental factors. Just as important, we are driven to deliver clear, unbiased evaluations that help customers make informed decisions.

E3 works on high‑profile, high‑impact projects in jurisdictions that spearhead the implementation of clean energy policy. In California, Hawaii, and New York, we are advising state agencies and regulators about how to implement clean energy policies with an emphasis on customer incentives and markets. We are also increasingly working in regions all across North America, with utilities, regulators, developers and investors from Florida to Alberta and many places in between.

Practice Area

This position is based in our Distribution Technology & Planning practice area.

About The Role

Hours : Full Time

Travel : 0‑10%

Office location : Remote or hybrid work schedule from one of our E3 offices; travel to local client site may be required for the San Francisco office

Work Environment

E3 has adopted a hybrid and flexible work environment that adapts to changing needs of projects and safety requirements. Because E3 thrives in a strong collaborative office‑based working environment, in addition to work at client sites as project needs require, we encourage employees to work from the office at least 2‑3 days per week, while also welcoming those who prefer to come in more regularly. Must be able to work for extended hours in front of a computer screen and conduct meetings on the telephone and virtually.

The Role

E3 is seeking Managing Consultants for our Distribution Technology and Planning team to lead on technical and strategic engagements that help utilities and regulators transition to a more flexible, decarbonized, and distributed grid. This role combines business development, client engagement, regulatory support, and technical contributions – ideal for a utility consultant with experience in grid modernization, distributed system planning, and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) integration.

You will help develop and grow E3’s work in distribution planning, grid modernization strategy, distribution systems planning and integration, and DER program evaluation including flexible load integration while helping clients navigate the technical, operational, and regulatory challenges of electrification, DER, and system planning reform. Your background should include leading multidisciplinary teams, developing trusted client relationships, and delivering high‑impact advisory services at the intersection of engineering, policy and operations.

This role also includes direct support for utility distribution planning teams, where you will help refine analytical frameworks, implement advanced modeling tools, and align planning practices with emerging regulatory expectations. In addition to project leadership, you will contribute to E3’s business development, thought leadership, and strategic partnerships in power systems planning and engineering.

You will also support strategic work with utilities to prioritize distribution capital investments across competing objectives including reliability, resilience, affordability and enabling electrification and DER adoption. You will develop and apply rigorous, transparent modeling and investment prioritization frameworks that help utilities direct capital to investments delivering the greatest system and customer value, while clearly articulating trade‑offs among cost, performance, and risk. This analytical rigor is central to building stakeholder confidence and securing regulatory approval for timely investments in utility distribution systems.

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Client Engagement

Lead and contribute to consulting engagements focused on distribution systems planning, grid modernization, DER integration, and integrated grid strategy for utilities, regulators, and public agencies

Serve as a trusted advisor to utility clients on distribution planning, grid modernization, DER integration, electrification, non‑wired alternatives (NWAs), flexible interconnection and resilience planning

Partner with utility planning, operations, and customer program teams to improve internal workflows, adopt advanced modeling tools, and align distribution planning with operational practices and regulatory expectations

Support E3 in high‑profile industry proceedings, rulemakings, and technical working groups, offering technical clarity and policy‑aligned insights

Technical Leadership

Lead analytics and reports development for consulting engagements focused on distribution systems planning, grid modernization, DER integration, and integrated grid strategy for utilities, regulators, and public agencies

Lead distribution planning projects with analyses including steady‑state, dynamic, and quasi‑static time‑series simulations for planning, reliability and hosting capacity assessments

Guide the development of grid modernization roadmaps, use cases, and systems architecture while accounting for cybersecurity considerations

Guide the development of models, simulations, and forecasts exploring electrification impact, NWAs including flexible load potential, and distribution automation for system and substation‑level planning

Lead the development of interconnection studies and strategies that accommodate DERs beyond hosting capacity through coordination with storage and NWAs with dispatchable flexibility

Manage power systems modeling efforts using tools such as CYME, Synergi, ASPEN, PowerFlow and LoadSEER and scripting with tools such as Python

Provide guidance to improve practices, tool enhancements, and refine architecture to improve analytical capabilities and efficiency

Business Development & Practice Growth

Build and maintain strong, long‑term relationships with utilities, commissions, and energy agencies

Lead proposal development for projects related to distribution planning, grid modernization and planning or operational technology integration

Identify project opportunities related to distribution planning, grid modernization and DER integration

Identify emerging opportunities in areas such as electrification, distributed operations, climate resilience and advanced distribution analytics

Contribute to E3’s thought leadership through white papers, presentations, and conference participation

Collaborate across E3’s practice areas to deliver integrated solutions

Project Oversight and Team Management

Oversee and contribute to the delivery of complex technical and strategic projects, ensuring high quality, technical rigor and alignment with client needs

Review major deliverables to ensure actionable outcomes across technical, regulatory, and business dimensions

Manage budgets, schedules and client expectations to meet performance and growth goals

Cross‑train with your peers and mentor colleagues and junior staff to develop technical, business, and soft skills while expanding knowledge of the electric power industry

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or related field

4‑8+ years of experience in utility consulting, distribution planning or grid modernization

Deep understanding of utility planning practices, distribution modeling, and DER applications

Proven ability to engage with clients at all levels, including executives, regulators, and technical staff

Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including report writing and public speaking

Things that Set You Apart

M.S. or Ph.D. in Engineering, Business, or related field

Experience with California regulatory processes

Technical leadership in developing : Flexible load roadmaps and end‑use disaggregation, DERMS business integration frameworks and cost‑benefit analysis, flexible interconnection protocols where DERs exceed hosting capacity and / or grid modernization filings and DSIPs

Understanding of non‑wires alternatives, demand response strategy and climate resilience planning

Recognized contributions to industry standards, technical committees or national grid modernization initiatives

PMP certification or experience managing large, interdisciplinary consulting teams

Benefits

Base and bonus commensurate with experience and performance

Wellness stipend

Flexible Paid Time Off plus standard company holidays

Fitness and wellness corporate discounts

Professional Development annual stipend

Hiring Process and Timeline

Finding new team members that are a good fit is important to us, so we spend significant time in our recruiting process evaluating candidates. Qualified candidates can expect a phone interview, to engage in a technical exercise and associated interview, and a final set of interviews. Our process takes around 6‑8 weeks to complete. E3 is seeking to hire consultants throughout the year and are prepared to make offers to candidates months in advance of their start date.

EEO Non‑Discrimination and ADA Reasonable Accommodation Statement

Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or partnership status, disability, military status, veteran status, pregnancy or predisposing genetic characteristics. Willdan does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability where the essential functions of the job can be reasonably accommodated. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case‑by‑case basis. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.

Willdan Group Inc. participates in E‑Verify

Annual Total Compensation Range for Managing Consultant / Sr. Managing Consultant

Minimum : $126,000

Maximum : $174,000

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