August 2009 Archives

In the interest of promoting US economic health and finding someone a decent job in the energy industry, I'm passing along a job posting that I think might be of interest to some of my readers. If you're not interested in smart grid applied research positions in Portland, Oregon, you can stop reading now.

If you're a researcher and expert in demand response and have been looking for a full-time position (I'm not), this might be right up your alley. Check out the job description below. By letting me know you are interested, you gain the advantage that I can personally deliver your resume and cover letter to the person responsible for hiring. If you get hired, I make a little cash in the form of a referral bonus. Have I mentioned recently that Portland is perhaps the United States' premier alt.energy commerce hub? Geez, apply for this job already and get moved to Portland!

Indirectly, this job represents federal ARRA money hitting the street. And for a white collar job, no less. Guess the whole economic stimulus thing is working.

Full disclosure: my wife works at Portland Energy Conservation Inc. (PECI), but has nothing to do with hiring for the position listed below.

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Engineer Lead - Demand Response and Performance Monitoring
Location:	Oregon - Portland Office
Position Code:	12414
# of openings:	1
Description
PECI seeks a Lead Engineer with deep experience in implementing demand response and performance monitoring strategies for commercial and/or residential buildings to join our Technical Research Group. This group serves PECI's cross-cutting technical needs, focusing on the following key areas: technical training for all PECI staff, directing and advising research projects, developing and communicating PECI's point of view on key technical issues in industry venues, guiding technical consistency within PECI's projects and programs, evaluating industry strategies and emerging technologies, and developing a technical knowledge management system.  Technical Research Group engineers will work with PECI's technical leadership to promote forward-looking applied research and provide technical support across the company.    Key Competencies: Identification and analysis of demand reduction measures in buildings, including scoping studies/audits, diagnostic techniques, in-depth systems analysis, statistics and demand reduction calculationsProficiency with spreadsheets is required Understanding of utility priorities and programs around system impacts related to peak and critical events, demand response, time of day pricing, and critical event pricing. Creative development of new or improved approaches to demand response and integration with energy efficiency programs Strong technical writing and presentation skills including reports, supporting documentation to calculations, conference papers, and guides Effective management of project objectives, scope, budget and schedule. Works productively in a consulting environment, communicates proactively, and mentors technical and non-technical staff Existing history of industry leadership in area of expertise, with a strong understanding of underlying market influences on technical issues  Key Responsibilities: Develop strategy and assist teams in incorporating demand response/demand reduction and performance monitoring approaches into utility program designs Lead and perform technical research to support advancement of demand management and performance monitoring system applications Support the development of tools to improve and streamline demand reduction estimates Train staff and disseminate technical knowledge through PECI's internal training program  Requirements: Manual or automated demand response/demand reduction program research or implementation, including understanding of building control system techniques for demand response Development of demand reduction calculation methodologies, cost effectiveness, and supporting documentation Building performance monitoring system hardware, software, and analysis techniques B.S. in Engineering preferred; individuals with a related technical degree coupled with directly relevant professional experience will be considered Minimum 7 years experience in the areas above