Senior Analyst / Principal Analyst (SmartBidder)
About The Position
SmartBidder analysts manage and advise on the trading strategy and wholesale market operations for 5+ GW of battery energy storage assets. This cross-functional role spans trading analytics, customer success, engineering, product, operations, and sales. We're looking for someone who brings industry expertise, opinions about power trading, and a desire to make an impact. The ideal candidate has excellent communication skills, a strong background in economics, finance, or engineering, and exhibits high levels of leadership and professionalism. SmartBidder provides custom bid optimization for battery storage in power markets through a suite of probabilistic and AI-assisted models, incorporating forecasted nodal price dynamics, asset-specific constraints, and risk-based optimization. From fully managed to self-service, SmartBidder customers have unparalleled control and flexibility to use built-in strategies based on profit and risk tolerance or integrate their own models into the platform. At Ascend Analytics, our mission centers on creating sustainable economic value for energy buyers and producers to transform the power industry. Our team combines advanced analytics, cloud-based technology, and deep market expertise to help our clients solve complex challenges across grid reliability, power market volatility, renewable integration, infrastructure development, and energy investment strategy. As a high-growth, private equity–backed company, Ascend continues to expand its market leadership while investing in innovation, talent, and scalable solutions for an increasingly dynamic energy market.
Requirements
- Bachelors degree in engineering, data science, economics or other relevant field.
- 4+ years of professional experience in wholesale power markets, energy trading, or market analytics; relevant experience at a utility, IPP, trading firm, energy software company, strongly preferred.
- Familiarity with energy modeling systems and methods, including price forecasting, dispatch optimization, or related analytical frameworks; knowledge of market rules in ERCOT, CAISO, and PJM preferred.
- Experience with and proclivity to using AI tools for research, coding and workflow automation.
- Strong quantitative and analytical skills; proficiency in Python preferred.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; able to explain complex market dynamics clearly to both technical teams and executive audiences, and to produce polished customer-facing materials.
- Experience in customer-facing, consulting, or advisory roles with demonstrated ability to build trust with clients and manage relationships effectively.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor junior team members and contribute to a collaborative, high-performance team culture.
- Self-directed and highly organized; able to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and maintain rigor in a fast-paced operational environment.
Nice To Haves
- Graduate degree in economics, engineering, finance, business, with concentration in energy.
- 10+ years of professional experience in wholesale power markets, energy trading, or market analytics; relevant experience at a utility, IPP, trading firm, energy software company, strongly preferred.
- Electricity trading experience specifically in CAISO and/or ERCOT.
- Project management experience is a plus.
Responsibilities
- Provide expertise in wholesale electricity commodity and derivatives trading, wholesale market fundamentals, and market operations.
- Serve as a trusted advisor on SmartBidder performance and operations.
- Provide leadership on the analyst team to scope and conduct quantitative analysis aimed at improving algorithmic trading performance and results.
- Act as liaison between clients, third-party providers, and internal engineering teams to ensure smooth operations and resolve issues efficiently.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Data Science, and Product to advance SmartBidder features and improve bidding performance.
- Monitor regulatory and market design changes across ISOs and assess their impact on customer operations and strategies.
- Participate in customer-facing webinars and newsletters covering market trends, operational best practices, and platform updates.
- Support Sales through product demos, trials, and demonstrating subject matter expertise.
- Provide direct or indirect/informal mentorship to other junior analysts.
- Participate in on-call rotations to support real-time market operations, including occasional evenings or weekends.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Life and disability insurance.
- Parental leave for growing families.
- FSA, HSA, and dependent care accounts.
- 401(k) with 3% non-elective contribution.
- Flexible PTO to take time when you need it.
- Flexible work hours
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
