Energy Director

First Quality • Home Office (SC), SC

4d

About The Position

First Quality is seeking an Energy Director to support its manufacturing facilities in the United States and Canada. The role partners with facilities, engineering, finance, operations, maintenance, and other site personnel to procure energy, reduce consumption, evaluate alternative energy opportunities, and ensure effective delivery of services by external vendors. The Energy Director provides information and recommendations to guide energy management, alternative energy, and sustainability decisions.

The position manages electricity and natural gas procurement, monitors utility regulations, develops and implements energy-reduction programs, evaluates alternative energy sources, analyzes and reports facility energy data, and supports greenhouse-gas tracking as a member of the Sustainability team. It also provides leadership on facilities optimization and efficiency, develops energy capabilities among personnel, and participates in facility start-up and expansion projects.

The Energy Director coordinates with utilities, service providers, public agencies, site teams, consultants, and contractors. The role develops project proposals, evaluates lifecycle costs and incentives, leads site energy teams, and supports energy and sustainability incentive applications. Travel in the United States and Canada is approximately 25%.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related discipline.
• At least five years of experience in alternative energy and/or energy management positions.
• Ability to foster a safe and cooperative work environment.
• Management experience with a record of safety excellence, sound judgment, decision-making, budget management, and environmental stewardship.
• Proven leadership and ability to create employee involvement and continuous improvement.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to motivate and influence others.
• Familiarity with demand response and curtailment, EPA Energy Star for buildings, and LEED Green Building certification programs.
• Experience with alternative power sources, energy conservation retrofits, and carbon offsets.
• Familiarity with regulations for power generation, power grids, and natural-gas delivery systems, and understanding of renewable energy opportunities such as wind, solar, and biomass.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize data and communicate strategies and proposals to senior leadership.
• Solid negotiation skills and ability to represent the organization professionally with vendors and consultants.
• Ability to travel approximately 25% in the United States and Canada.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with alternative-energy research, projects, and implementation planning.
• Leadership experience in alternative energy and/or energy management positions.

Responsibilities

• Manage electricity and natural gas procurement for First Quality manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada.
• Serve as a resource for sites on federal, state, provincial, and local utility regulations.
• Research, evaluate, recommend, and implement energy-reduction and conservation programs and related cost-saving measures.
• Develop and present alternative energy options to reduce future costs and reliance on traditional energy sources.
• Use energy markets to pursue short- and longer-term commercial advantages.
• Analyze site data and collaborate with manufacturing site teams to interpret findings.
• Track energy data for manufacturing facilities and publish regular efficiency reports.
• Participate in the Sustainability team and oversee greenhouse-gas tracking.
• Participate in new facility start-up and expansion planning and execution projects as needed.
• Lead facilities optimization efforts involving lighting, HVAC, and other energy systems.
• Develop energy-performance understanding among operating, engineering, and maintenance personnel.
• Work with facilities managers and engineers to maintain equipment and systems at practical optimal efficiency while maintaining facility environmental conditions.
• Serve as liaison among utilities, energy service providers, public agencies, and mill personnel.
• Write project proposals and requests for proposals, coordinate with consultants and contractors on technological developments, equipment design, and testing, and monitor work against scope and schedule.
• Analyze projects based on total lifecycle cost and available incentives and prepare proposals for teams and senior leaders.
• Lead site-based energy teams in developing and implementing energy-efficiency projects.
• Become familiar with facility layouts and energy-using building systems, including mechanical, plumbing, electrical, life-safety, emergency-generation, domestic-water, and irrigation systems.
• Collaborate with Operations, Planning, Engineering, Capital Program Management, and other Facilities Operations departments.
• Lead the application of energy-management principles and practices across the organization.
• Identify available energy and sustainability incentive programs and prepare and submit applications as appropriate.
• Develop methods to measure and record carbon footprint and work to reduce it through energy and conservation programs.
• Develop and implement organizational and operational policies, procedures, and goals for heat and power, utilities operations, and utilities engineering.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance through a dependent-care FSA with employer match up to $3,750
• Bundle of joy benefit: a year’s worth of free diapers for team members with a new baby
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director