Key Accounts Manager

Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority•Sunnyvale, CA

14h•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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.
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.
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 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.
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.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s Degree or building trades experience is highly desirable.
Prior experience as a relationship manager, account executive, or business development manager within the above fields is highly desirable.
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.

Responsibilities

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.
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.
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.
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).