Entrepreneur In Residence, Principal

PG&E•Oakland, CA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

PG&E’s Innovation Accelerator is seeking an Entrepreneur-in-Residence to guide internal teams through the ideation, incubation, and acceleration of strategic initiatives. The role combines mentorship, strategic guidance, and hands-on collaboration, supporting teams from initial concepts and customer validation through product-solution testing and the development of business and operational models. The EIR helps translate ideas into actionable initiatives and builds teams’ capabilities so internal leaders can eventually take over as initiatives mature. The position reports to the Innovation Accelerator Director. It is hybrid, with work performed from a remote office and an assigned work location based on business need; Oakland, California is the preferred work location. The role is part of PG&E’s Grid Research, Innovation and Development organization, whose Innovation Accelerator identifies and advances opportunities across areas including distributed energy resources, grid resilience, wildfire risk reduction, customer affordability, electrification, artificial intelligence, digital tools, and operational excellence. The stated Bay Area salary range is $151,000 to $257,000, with a midpoint of $204,000. PG&E says the actual pay decision depends on factors such as internal equity, skills, education, credentials, experience, market value, and geographic location, and that the expected range is from the minimum to the midpoint. The position is also eligible to participate in PG&E’s discretionary incentive compensation programs.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
At least 7 years of job-related experience.
Demonstrated experience in customer-centered innovation, product ideation, and market analysis.
Deep understanding of the entrepreneurial process from ideation through market entry and scaling.
Experience with qualitative market research, customer development, or customer-led innovation.
Demonstrated ability to use AI across innovation, product development, research, operations, and strategy work.
Strong leadership and mentorship skills, including guiding teams through complex challenges.
Ability to work across corporate stakeholders to build, design, negotiate, launch, and scale new initiatives.
Ability to influence executives, cross-functional stakeholders, and initiative teams without formal authority.
Strong background in forming and coaching high-performance, cross-functional teams.
Ability to collaborate in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Strong problem-solving skills and a pragmatic approach to overcoming obstacles.
Excellent presentation skills, including verbal and writing capabilities.
Strong listening skills and ability to manage through influence.
Self-initiative and ability to work well independently.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree or MBA preferred.
Six or more years of experience in an entrepreneurial Operations Lead, Product Management, or Technical Lead role at a startup or an internal innovation team within a larger company.
Experience in the energy sector and with challenges relevant to PG&E’s portfolio direction.
Familiarity with design thinking, lean startup methodologies, and agile development practices.

Responsibilities

Provide hands-on expert advice, mentorship, and strategic guidance to initiative teams as they develop and execute business strategies during early innovation phases.
Participate in ideation, facilitate workshops and brainstorming sessions, and help teams validate ideas and identify viable opportunities.
Support internal discovery to identify stakeholders, related initiatives, and resources that may enable or block progress.
Support project-team formation, including identifying and recruiting team members.
Plan and execute customer-centered research, including preparing research materials and interview scripts, conducting interviews, synthesizing feedback, and validating or refining solutions.
Help teams identify promising solution concepts, operating models, and strategic approaches through iterative prototyping informed by customer insights.
Drive initiatives toward measurable evidence of desirability, feasibility, viability, and strategic alignment.
Help teams identify and retire critical risks through experimentation and customer validation.
Mentor teams developing products, services, operational models, customer programs, and business innovations.
Assist teams in developing business models, operational plans, and go-to-market strategies.
Guide teams in creating check-in and pitch decks for PG&E leadership and executive sponsors.
Use AI tools to improve team capabilities and accelerate the quality and pace of thinking and work.
Contribute hands-on to product development, customer acquisition, and hypothesis testing as operational needs arise.
Take on interim leadership roles or specific functional responsibilities when needed to maintain progress.
Collaborate on recruiting, onboarding, and developing high-performing innovation team members.
Conduct workshops and sessions on lean startup methods, solution-design practices, and PG&E’s innovation methodology.
Build the long-term capabilities of initiative General Managers and team members by coaching through venture-building activities rather than serving as a permanent initiative owner.
Transition leadership responsibility to internal initiative leaders as teams mature and become proficient in the Accelerator methodology.
Further PG&E’s innovation methodology through thoughtful adoption of AI tools and approaches.
Collaborate with internal teams and stakeholders to define problems, align on initiative progress, and develop business and operating plans for scaling initiatives.
Provide regular initiative status updates and reports, highlighting milestones and areas for improvement.
Identify others’ developmental needs and coach and mentor them to improve their knowledge and skills.