Principal Product Manager

Requisition ID # 168548 

Job Category: Customer Support / Operations 

Job Level: Manager/Principal

Business Unit: Engineering, Planning & Strategy

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland

Department Overview

Join the Innovation Strategy & Programs (IS&P) team within PG&E’s Grid Research Innovation & Development (GRID) department and help us change the electric utility industry from the inside!

In 2022, PG&E articulated its True North Strategy (TNS), a bold breakthrough vision that charts a course toward achieving our purpose and climate commitments over the next 10 years. The mission of Innovation Strategy & Programs (IS&P), where this role sits, is to ensure that PG&E can bring the technologies that support the TNS vision of a resilient, decarbonized, optimized energy system from conception to reality through a rigorous R&D practice. To do so, IS&P leads PG&E’s R&D Strategy, by maintaining an R&D Strategy Report in line with our TNS objectives and conducting large scale Innovation Summit and Innovation Pitch Fest events to bring our strategy to life and build coalitions with external stakeholders.

Our team also leads PG&E’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program which is funded at around $19M/year and represents one of the nation’s biggest and most advanced utility R&D programs.  EPIC enables PG&E and other California organizations to demonstrate novel technology solutions to meet emerging grid needs and achieve the state’s ambitious energy policy goals. PG&E is currently running its 4th multi-year EPIC cycle and preparing for the 5th.

Position Summary

The Principal Product Manager on the IS&P team will be responsible for leading PG&E’s EPIC program. The successful candidate will be responsible for coordinating the development of PG&E’s investment plan for the next multi-year EPIC funding cycle. They will serve as the primary point of coordination with our regulators and other internal and external stakeholders, ensure PG&E’s compliance with a myriad of program compliance requirements, drive the overall execution of our EPIC portfolio, and directly support and oversee a subset of the portfolio’s projects.  The Principal Product Manager will also be responsible for developing and implementing process improvements that support the transition of successful R&D projects into scalable technology roadmaps and investment plans for broader technology integration and deployment.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location is in Oakland, CA. The team has an expectation of working from Oakland office up to several days per month. 

PG&E is providing the salary range that can reasonably be expected for this position at the time of the job posting. This salary range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, internal equity, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, and geographic location. The decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.​ This job is also eligible to participate in PG&E’s discretionary incentive compensation programs.  

A reasonable salary range is:

Bay Area: $140,000.00 to $207,900.00

Job Responsibilities

Portfolio Planning

• Facilitates EPIC R&D project ideation, prioritization, project selection, and strategic alignment
• Supports EPIC project teams in creating robust project concept proposals and business plans including documentation of scope, timeline, budget, benefits, risks/mitigations, and programmatic compliance requirements. This also includes performing benchmarking, vendor, and technology due diligence, and facilitating alignment on project objectives, scope, use-cases, etc.

Regulatory & External Coordination

• Serves as the primary point of coordination with the CPUC for the EPIC R&D program
• Leads the preparation for, and facilitation of, program deep dives and other meetings with the CPUC
• Represents PG&E at formal workshops with the general public
• Leads the development of content for formal regulatory filings such as PG&E’s upcoming EPIC 5 investment plan, leads quarterly and annual reporting to the CPUC, and manages data requests.
• Ensures compliance with the myriad of CPUC requirements over the EPIC program, including Disadvantaged Community (DAC) and Low-Income fund allocation requirements.
• Coordinates with the CEC and other California utilities to maintain alignment across EPIC portfolios and identifies and acts on any opportunities for collaboration and portfolio synergies during program execution.

Project Oversight

• Directly oversees 2-3 projects within PG&E’s electric EPIC R&D program
• Enables project teams to successfully develop and implement R&D projects through strong, client-oriented support service and centralized governance.
• Embeds in program team to drive business value by developing and applying a sound technical understanding of projects, awareness of technology landscape/benchmarking, stakeholder and organizational dynamics, and program requirements.
• Facilitates alignment of all internal (and external where appropriate) stakeholders including senior leadership throughout the project lifecycle.
• Facilitates the process for identifying, evaluating, and approving material changes to scope, schedule or budget identified by project teams.
• Facilitates closure/completion of projects including production of project closeout documentation.

Process Alignment & Improvement

• Establishes and oversees improved processes that support compliance with any new regulatory requirements, such as DAC and Low-Income fund allocation and community engagement requirements
• Establishes and oversees improved processes that support the transition of successful R&D projects into technology roadmaps and investment plans for broader technology integration and deployment
• Identifies opportunities to improve and streamline R&D governance processes and procedures and leads teams to implement changes.  Develops documentation outlining procedures and guidelines for the department and for project teams. 

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Business, Economics, Marketing, Psychology, or related.
• Job-related experience, 10 years

Desired:

• Master in Business Administration, Public Policy, Engineering or other advanced degree
• Utility experience and/or understanding of electric system operations, including familiarity with utility information and operational technology systems (e.g., DMS, OMS, DERMS, etc.)
• Familiarity with program management including governance, compliance, roles & responsibilities, methodologies, processes and procedures
• Project/program management experience or exposure to project management in technology, new product/project launch or utility industry
• Track record in executing grant applications and managing grant-funded programs
• Consulting experience
• Strong demonstrated capability in constructing business cases for executive leadership
• Demonstrated strong work ethic and exceptional levels of accountability, self-drive, and business judgment
• Strong oral and written communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Strong analytical and technical skills in Excel, PowerPoint, Word
• Familiarity with information technology implementation and or systems development and implementation lifecycles from both a technical (IT) and functional (business) perspective