About GRID Alternatives

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.

What it's like to work at GRID…

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. 

Summary of the role:

The Director, Strategic Initiatives is part of the Strategic Development & Initiatives team in GRID Alternatives’ national Policy & Programs department. This team is responsible for developing a rolling portfolio of new strategic initiatives for expanded impact under GRID’s overall strategic plan. The Director works in close partnership with the Strategic Impact Officer and key collaborators across the organization. Current strategic initiatives include, but are not limited to:

• Expanding GRID’s work and programming with the national affordable housing industry, including finding alternative mechanisms to fund projects that had been slated for implementation under the EPA Solar for All program;
• Developing new offerings to support long-term operations & maintenance of solar and other clean energy assets at multifamily affordable housing developments and other nonprofit facilities;
• Building expanded programming to deploy solar-related home upgrades for income-qualified homeowners, including unlocking virtual power plants (VPPs) to help pair solar with home battery storage, and developing scalable programming to bundle rooftop solar with roof replacement, roof repair, and/or electrical service upgrades;
• Developing scalable strategies for deploying emerging plug-in solar technologies in conjunction with GRID’s core competencies and existing solar installation, program administration, and workforce development programming.

This role is ideal for a collaborative, highly motivated social entrepreneur with experience in the equitable deployment of clean energy technologies, who enjoys working with a diverse range of colleagues, partner organizations, and funders to drive impact for GRID’s mission to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy. This position is remote and can be based anywhere in the US, with some light travel expected.

What you will be doing (essential responsibilities):

• Help develop, socialize and secure initial funding for our rolling portfolio of new strategic initiatives for expanded impact under GRID’s overall strategic plan, in close partnership with GRID’s philanthropy team and relevant programmatic leads
• Create, expand, and maintain strategic relationships and strategic partnerships with both national and place-based mission-aligned nonprofit organizations to guide, advance and fund these initiatives;
• Create, expand, and maintain strategic relationships and strategic partnerships with mission-aligned businesses who can help GRID implement these initiatives; 
• Serve as a targeted consultant for internal teams and departments who want support and thought partnership around program development and funding opportunities to implement these strategic initiatives in the flow of existing programming;
• Collaborate with GRID’s policy team to identify opportunities to advance policies that would unlock and fund these strategic initiatives in key markets, and to support them in advocacy efforts as needed; 
• Engage in proactive thought leadership work around key aspects of these strategic initiatives, both externally and internally, in partnership with the communications team;
• Work with, and in some cases supervise, project-specific contractors providing time-delimited support to advance one of our strategic initiatives; and
• Work on occasional ad-hoc time-delimited projects within the overall scope of the Strategic Development & Initiatives team and Policy & Programs Department as needed.

Your areas of knowledge and expertise... 

• At least five years of directly relevant experience deploying clean energy technologies with underserved communities;
• Demonstrated skills and successful track record with securing large-scale governmental and/or philanthropic funding, ideally for deploying clean energy technologies with underserved communities;
• Professional knowledge/experience with specific markets and technologies relevant to GRID’s current strategic initiatives;
• Knowledge of/relationships with key individuals and organizations in the equitable clean energy deployment sector;
• Professional knowledge/experience with key governmental policies and publicly-funded programs for deploying clean energy technologies with underserved communities;
• Excellent persuasive and explanatory communication skills across a diverse range of formats - concept notes, presentations, emails, in-person, funding proposals, etc.

Benefits and how we take care of you:

Compensation:

The compensation range for this fulltime, exempt position is $110K-$120K. The base pay that will actually be offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location, experience and take into account internal equity. 

Benefits:

Medical, Dental, Vision/Eye Care insurance, 5 weeks paid time off (PTO),13 paid holidays, Commuter Checks, 403b Retirement Plan, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), STD, LTD, and AD&D insurance 

Where you will sit & the places you may go…

The ideal candidate will sit in a Remote Location within the United States, preferably the west coast. This position may require up to 25% out-of-town travel to regional offices and special projects such as org-wide celebrations, team building exercises, etc. Availability to work nights and weekends may very rarely be required. GRID Alternatives may provide vehicles for work travel and/or travel reimbursement for personal vehicle use. In this instance, applicants must hold a valid driver’s license and have a good driving record.   

Important to note for California applicants:

 **Hired CA candidates must be able to pass a screening for drugs that are illegal in the state of California, including: amphetamine, cocaine metabolite, opiates, and PCP. 

Reasonable Accommodation for Job Seekers with a Disability:

 If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: RECRUITING@GRIDALTERNATIVES.ORG 

Ready to Apply?

Submit a resume describing your interest. Due to the high volume of inquiries, mailed and emailed applications are not accepted.   

GRID Alternatives provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics. Because we value EID at GRID Alternatives, we encourage folks from all backgrounds to apply, even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications. Every member of GRID Alternatives must be dedicated to participating in the organization's equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) work.