Program Specialist, Remote within the west coast of the United States

GRID ALTERNATIVES•Oakland, CA

21h•$68,000 - $74,000•Remote

About The Position

GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. GRID is an entrepreneurial, high-growth non-profit organization that provides direct solar installation and project development; clean mobility options; workforce training and service-learning opportunities; and low-income solar policy advocacy. Our Vision: a rapid, equitable transition to a world powered by renewable energy that benefits everyone. Our Mission: to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. At GRID, we care about each other and know that each employee has a whole self that includes life outside of work. Our culture supports learning, growth and well-being of all of our team members. The Program Specialist will support the Department’s Single-Family Solar & Storage program administration work, with a focus on utility interconnections, Charge Ready Home, project documentation review, regional support, process improvement, and program compliance. The Program Specialist will be expected to manage complex program workflows with a high degree of independence, serve as a subject matter resource for internal and regional staff, and help ensure projects move efficiently through required administrative, utility, incentive, and funding steps.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years' experience in power systems engineering, grid infrastructure, and renewable energy technologies
Experience with program and project management methodologies and process improvements
Strong written and verbal communication skills to liaise with technical and non-technical stakeholders
Familiarity with interconnection queues, compliance standards, and utility processes
Working experience with Google Suite, Salesforce, Asana
Valid driver’s license and a good driving record

Nice To Haves

Every member of GRID Alternatives must be dedicated to participating in the organization's equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) work.

Responsibilities

Review project documentation for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with applicable program, incentive, funding, and internal requirements at various points in the project lifecycle.
Review and approve project records at key milestones, including Application Review, Design Review, Contract Review, Install Review, Final Review, and other required approval steps.
Support timely project progression and ensure required documentation is complete for incentive invoicing, GRID-owned asset management, Investment Tax Credit documentation, and other funding or compliance needs.
Field and respond to program-related inquiries from Headquarters staff, regional offices, and cross-departmental partners.
Work cross-departmentally with GRID staff in Headquarters and regional offices to coordinate project logistics, identify and troubleshoot compliance issues, and provide guidance to staff as needed.
Track and resolve outstanding project issues, including documentation deficiencies, delayed approvals, utility issues, and program-specific requirements that may affect project completion or invoicing.
Support program administration for key solar, storage, and home upgrade programs, including DAC-SASH, SGIP, Charge Ready Home, GRID-owned systems, and other related program areas.
Collaborate with the Program Administration team to improve workflows, update internal resources, and adjust systems and processes in response to new program requirements, utility changes, or operational needs.
Coordinate and manage interconnection workflows across utility service territories, including PG&E, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, and other applicable utilities.
Support interconnection application submission, status tracking, deficiency resolution, Permission to Operate, and related utility approval steps for both PV-only and paired solar and storage projects.
Serve as a key point of contact for interconnection questions from internal team members, regional offices, and other GRID teams.
Serve as a liaison between GRID and utility staff, including following up on delayed applications, resolving utility deficiencies, escalating issues when needed, and communicating status updates to relevant stakeholders.
Manage and monitor centralized interconnection communications, including delegated or shared inboxes, to ensure timely responses, accurate tracking, and appropriate escalation of utility-related issues.
Maintain familiarity with interconnection requirements across utilities to support accurate, timely, and compliant submissions.
Develop, maintain, and update interconnection resources, including process documentation, utility-specific guidance, knowledge base materials, templates, trackers, and staff training resources.
Support complex interconnection issues, including paired solar and storage projects, transformer upgrades, meter socket adapter installations, utility deficiencies, and projects requiring additional coordination with utilities or regional staff.
Coordinate Charge Ready Home application, approval, deficiency resolution, incentive claim, and invoicing processes.
Monitor Charge Ready Home project pipelines, status reports, document requests, and outstanding issues to help ensure projects advance efficiently and funding opportunities are preserved.
Communicate with the Charge Ready Home program administrator regarding application status, deficiencies, program requirements, and other implementation issues.
Maintain Charge Ready Home process documentation, internal guidance, trackers, and staff resources.
Provide guidance to regional and internal staff on Charge Ready Home requirements, documentation needs, eligibility issues, and next steps.
Support coordination of main service panel upgrade-related program processes that affect GRID’s ability to complete solar and battery projects.
Serve as a resource for regional staff on project review, interconnection, Charge Ready Home, program compliance, and administrative requirements.
Coordinate with regional outreach, construction, and program staff to identify project barriers, resolve outstanding issues, and keep projects moving through the pipeline.
Provide regular updates to regional and internal stakeholders regarding project status, utility issues, documentation deficiencies, interconnection delays, and program-specific requirements.
Help ensure regional staff understand outstanding project issues and the steps needed for resolution.
Support or lead staff trainings, office hours, check-ins, or ad hoc guidance sessions related to interconnection, Charge Ready Home, project documentation, and program administration.
Identify recurring project, utility, documentation, or program administration issues and recommend process improvements.
Create, compile, update, and maintain internal process documents, knowledge base materials, templates, checklists, trackers, and training resources.
Translate complex utility, incentive, or program requirements into clear internal guidance for staff.
Support onboarding and training of team members or regional staff on interconnection, Charge Ready Home, project review, and related program workflows.
Help ensure internal resources remain current as utility requirements, incentive program rules, and GRID processes evolve.
Use project data, inbox trends, deficiency patterns, and staff feedback to improve workflows, reduce delays, and support timely project completion.