Utility Specialist - Risk Management & Business Analysis - Power Enterprise – SFPUC (5602) (164129) (EXEMPT)

City and County of San Francisco•San Francisco, CA

7h•Onsite

About The Position

The Power Enterprise is experiencing a growing number of high-impact electricity service requests from large and strategically important customers, including SFO, the Steam Loop system, Port electrification initiatives, and other major infrastructure projects. These opportunities require rigorous and defensible financial evaluation to manage capital investment, cost recovery, and long-term risk exposure. To address this surge in complex project activity and to build structured evaluation capability, this position will lead financial feasibility analysis for these large, complex electricity service requests and strategic electrification initiatives, including development of detailed business case evaluations, scenario and risk analysis, and coordination of cross-functional inputs to support executive decision-making. In addition to supporting active high-priority projects, the position will develop and document financial modeling tools and evaluation methodologies during the project term to enable transition of this capability into regular business functions.

Requirements

Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university preferably with major coursework in Law, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Natural Resources, Computer Science, Business Administration, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics or other field related to the utility business; AND
Four years of verifiable journey-level work experience in one or more of the following areas: planning, scheduling, cost estimating and resource projecting for mid to large scale projects; water supply/infrastructure management and planning; power operations planning and scheduling; analysis, interpretation and application of utility contracts and regulations in either water, power (electric and/or natural gas), telecommunications, or a wastewater/clean water program; utility market and environmental analysis and planning; power supply and transmission rates and contracts; generation, transmission or distribution planning and design; or long-term utility systems planning.
Specified positions may require possession of a valid California Class C driver's license.

Nice To Haves

Experience conducting complex financial feasibility, business case, and risk analyses for utility, energy, infrastructure, or other capital-intensive projects.
Advanced financial modeling skills, including NPV, IRR, cost recovery, sensitivity, and scenario analysis.
Knowledge of electric utility economics, rate design, power supply, and relevant energy market and regulatory frameworks.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to evaluate uncertainty, reconcile complex inputs, and develop well-supported recommendations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to collaborate across functions and communicate complex analysis to technical and executive audiences.
Strong project coordination and management skills, including managing multiple workstreams, stakeholders, and deliverables and developing documentation to support knowledge transfer.

Responsibilities

Lead financial feasibility evaluations for large load projects and strategic electrification initiatives, including development of comprehensive business cases and valuation analyses (NPV, IRR, payback, and cost recovery assessment).
Develop and enhance project financial models to evaluate capital investment, revenue sufficiency, rate impacts, and long-term financial exposure.
Conduct project sensitivity, scenario, and risk analyses to assess load uncertainty, market volatility, regulatory changes, and potential stranded asset risk.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Customer Engagement, Engineering, Retail Services, Reg/Leg, and Finance) to gather inputs, validate assumptions, and ensure analytical consistency.
Improve model structure and functionality by incorporating validation checks, documentation, and version control practices to enhance reliability and transparency.
Develop and document consistent project evaluation methodologies, including cost estimation, forecasting approaches, discounting assumptions, and performance metrics.
Prepare clear, concise executive-level reports, presentations, and decision memoranda summarizing findings, risks, trade-offs, and recommendations.
Organize and maintain centralized records of assumptions, models, and historical analyses to support transparency, continuity, and audit readiness.
Provide training and structured knowledge transfer to internal staff and support implementation of documented processes to enable transition of analytical capability into regular business functions.
Perform other related duties.