Director Economic Forecasting

American Electric Power•Columbus, OH

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Economic & Large Load Forecasting serves as the primary coordinator and strategic advisor for AEP's growing portfolio of large-load opportunities, including data centers, advanced manufacturing, and other economic development projects. To succeed in the role, the Director will need to be an exceptional communicator with the ability to influence and align stakeholders across all levels of the organization. They will own the governance processes used to track and communicate large-load opportunities while ensuring leaders have the information necessary to make timely decisions and maintain speed-to-power. They will also provide leadership for economic and large-load forecasting activities while partnering with other stakeholders to ensure a clear understanding of emerging demand trends, customer commitments, infrastructure requirements, and associated business risks.

Requirements

Bachelor's in economics or business administration.
A minimum of ten years' relevant experience in load or fundamental forecast experience at a utility or for a consultant or association that does the same for the electric or gas utility industry as a whole.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in Economics, Finance, Engineering, Business, Energy Management, Public Policy, or related field preferred.
Significant experience in utility operations, strategic planning, forecasting, regulatory affairs, economic development, finance, or related disciplines.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
Strong executive presentation and communication skills.
Experience preparing materials for senior leadership or board-level audiences.
Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
Knowledge of electric utility planning, resource adequacy, transmission planning, load forecasting, and capital investment processes.
Experience working with RTOs or utility regulators is especially preferred.
Experience with economic development, or data center initiatives.
Experience developing and communicating forecasts used for strategic, financial, operational, or regulatory decision-making.
Background in enterprise governance, portfolio management, strategic planning, or business performance management.
Proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, Power BI, and data visualization tools.
Experience developing and communicating forecasts used for strategic, financial, operational, or regulatory decision-making.
A strong communicator capable of translating complexity into clear executive messages.
Highly organized and able to coordinate work across multiple organizations.
Comfortable interacting with vice presidents and senior executives.
Able to connect forecasting, regulatory, operational, customer, and financial perspectives into a single enterprise story.
Focused on execution, governance discipline, and decision quality.
Capable of balancing analytical rigor with practical business judgment in a rapidly evolving growth environment.

Responsibilities

Own the process of tracking and communicating large-load growth across AEP's various operating companies.
Act as a strategic business partner with operating company leadership around large loads and the planning and risks associated with those loads.
Partner with stakeholders throughout AEP to ensure consistent application of governance standards and decision frameworks.
Identify emerging issues and escalate risks that could impact customer commitments, capital plans, resource requirements, or regulatory outcomes.
Own enterprise-wide communications around the outlook for large loads at AEP.
Translate highly technical forecasting, engineering, commercial, and financial information into concise business recommendations.
Lead development of recurring and ad hoc large-load reporting for executive leadership, business plan updates, board materials, and enterprise scorecards.
Potentially serving as a witness in front of state regulatory bodies and supporting other witnesses as they do the same.
Ensure messaging remains consistent across organizations and reflects AEP's mission of putting the customer first.
Provide strategic leadership for AEP's economic and large-load forecasting activities, including economic impact analyses, forecast methodologies, and data governance policies.
Partner with load forecasting, planning, and strategy teams to ensure consistent integration of economic and large-load growth expectations.
Communicate forecast implications to executive leadership and support key enterprise decision-making processes.
Support scenario analysis and strategic planning activities associated with emerging large-load demand.