Senior Grid & Interconnection Analyst

Solar Provider Group•Chicago, IL

About The Position

Solar Provider Group (SPG) is a global solar developer with offices in the United States, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands and active projects across North America and Europe. This role is part of the North American team, focused primarily on developing solar and battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the United States and Canada. The Senior Grid & Interconnection Analyst owns SPG’s grid and interconnection analytics across distributed-generation solar, front-of-meter BESS, and utility-scale storage. Working closely with Strategy and Development, the analyst builds and operates data, screening tools, and analyses to assess grid capacity, interconnection costs, and timelines, and carries this work through utility engagement and the interconnection process. The role supports strategic growth by identifying and prioritizing viable points of interconnection, securing queue positions, advancing applications, and translating costs, timelines, and operating limits into project valuation and business-case inputs. The position combines strong analytical and data skills, power-systems knowledge, and commercial judgment. It requires synthesizing hosting-capacity data, queue information, utility study results, and market dynamics into decision-ready recommendations, while leading utility and ISO/RTO engagement and managing applications from pre-application through executed agreement. Success in the first six months includes automated hosting-capacity and queue screens for priority utilities and current interconnection assessments for every active site. Within 12 months, the analyst is expected to establish cost and timeline benchmarks, develop a repeatable screening playbook for new markets, and assume full ownership of the interconnection process. Ongoing success means Strategy and Development can readily see each site’s interconnection status, cost range, and next milestone.

Requirements

Four to six years of experience in interconnection, distribution or transmission planning, or grid analytics for solar and/or BESS, with hands-on management of interconnection applications through study and agreement stages.
University degree in Electrical Engineering, Energy Systems, or a related quantitative field; power systems is preferred.
Demonstrated ability to combine analytical and technical competence with commercial acumen, interpret grid studies and interconnection data, and synthesize findings into clear business cases.
Working knowledge of state distribution interconnection rules and PJM and MISO interconnection processes under FERC rules.
Experience working closely with engineers and other technical teams, with an understanding of technical requirements and the project development cycle.
Understanding of hosting-capacity methods, cluster studies, flexible interconnection, curtailment, and generation shifting.
Thorough understanding of technical considerations and electrical theory, with strong social skills and the ability to explain complex technical matters to laypersons.
Proficiency with grid modeling and simulation tools such as CYME, Synergi, OpenDSS, PSS/E, PowerFactory, or similar.
Strong data skills, including Python and/or SQL and advanced Excel.
Ability to navigate utility interconnection portals and hosting-capacity maps, including working with underlying GIS data in QGIS or ArcGIS.
Ability to own a function with limited supervision, structure ambiguous problems, document and verify data sources, and use AI tools and automation to build repeatable analyses.
Willingness and ability to travel occasionally in the United States and Canada.

Nice To Haves

PE, P.Eng., or EIT designation.
Experience with ISO-NE and non-RTO markets, such as the Southeast.
Experience working with investor-owned utilities, cooperatives, municipal utilities, independent system operators, regional transmission operators, and public utility commissions in the United States.
Experience with BESS interconnection, including charging and import limits and operating modes, and utility-scale interconnection processes.
Experience with financial models for PV and BESS.
An established network of utility interconnection contacts in PJM and/or MISO.
Power BI or similar experience.

Responsibilities

Identify regions within utility territories with available hosting capacity, charging headroom, and favorable queue conditions for generation and coupled or standalone BESS.
Run screening-level power-flow and hosting-capacity analyses on distribution and sub-transmission networks; scope and manage utility or consultant studies as needed.
Analyze grid data and utility filings—including hosting-capacity maps, application throughput, queues, queue performance reports, pre-applications, and integrated resource plans—to identify suitable regions for solar and BESS development and land acquisition.
Screen candidate points of interconnection, including substations, feeders, and line taps; prepare and submit pre-applications and applications; advise Strategy, Project Development, and Land Acquisition on viability and provide go/no-go recommendations within site due-diligence periods.
Review and manage interconnection and study agreements, track deposits, milestones, and cost responsibility, and provide information to de-risk projects and reduce costs.
Identify and propose flexible interconnection arrangements, such as export or charging limits, curtailment, DC-coupled configurations, and adding storage to queued solar projects.
Build relationships with utility interconnection staff and work with them to develop solutions and secure favorable grid access.
Build and maintain interconnection analytics tools, including automated hosting-capacity and queue data pulls, GIS maps and displays, and interconnection inputs for SPG’s site scorecard and monday.com project-tracking boards.
Interpret utility technical studies and advise on potential project downsizing to secure faster and less expensive grid access.
Build and maintain interconnection cost and timeline benchmarks, including upgrade costs per kW, estimate accuracy by study stage, queue-to-agreement durations, and withdrawal rates; estimate contingent upgrade exposure and stage-based cost ranges.
Assess BESS interconnection requirements—including charging studies, import limits, operating modes, transfer trip, and protection—and quantify their impact on project business cases.
Translate interconnection costs, schedules, and design changes into financial-model inputs and assess project viability and value at NTP.
Advise on strategic decisions for interconnection projects and new-market entry, including cost allocation, congestion risks, and mitigation strategies.
Participate in utility and public utility commission interconnection working groups; track rule changes and proceedings, including state rules, PJM and MISO queue reforms, and net-metering dockets; summarize their implications for SPG strategy.
Maintain accurate interconnection data across SPG systems and provide regular project-specific reporting to inform schedules, budgets, and decisions.
Occasionally travel in the United States and Canada to support project development activities.