Job Details

Manage of Rates and Pricing

Work Authorization: US citizenship is required with no exceptions

Job Location: Hybrid - Candidates must be willing to commute the office in the central area of Washington state at least two days per week.

Salary: $115,960.00 - $202,904.00 (Typically, selected candidates are hired at a salary rate between the minimum and midpoint of the range.)

Position Summary

Rates and Pricing Manager is a senior-level responsible for leading the organization's retail and wholesale pricing strategies, rate design, and economic analysis. This position plays a critical role in supporting the utilities. This position manages the Rates and Pricing function, including staff supervisor and technical leadership. The individual plays a critical role in supporting the utility's Strategic Plan objectives to maintain financial strength, deliver long-term low rates, and enhance customer service. The role includes directing cross-function collaboration on customer rate design and development, financial modeling, and risk analysis. It serves as a key advisor to the Executive Team on rate-related decisions.

Essential Functions

Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The Manager Rates & Pricing leads the development of critical economic modeling and analysis for rate design, rate policy, load forecasting, and related policies and fees. This includes developing rate proposals, working closely with customers and team members to build complex economic and financial models, developing products and pricing that provide customer value, and performing cost of service and cost allocation analysis. Rates and Pricing is the technical authority of customer rates and provides analysis as needed to support wholesale power supply and transmission functions including supporting demand side management and the Integrated Resource Plan.
• The Manager Rates & Pricing will be responsible for developing rates, pricing, and contract strategies in a quickly changing retail and wholesale environment.
• The Manager Rates & Pricing must be able to both execute and manage analytical efforts while providing high quality, innovative utility rate and financial consulting to leadership and department staff. This position requires a high level of communication with internal and external stakeholders including customers and government officials. The Manager Rates & Pricing must balance a customer-driven focus with the organization's interests and performance metrics.
• The Manager Rates & Pricing is expected to champion a culture of safety excellence demonstrating Safety is the organization's paramount value.
• Manage the Rates & Pricing team including providing and participating in training and development as necessary to ensure adequate technical skills are in place for the group to meet its goals and objectives in support of the organization's Strategic Plan.
• Plans work in an efficient and effective manner including communication and collaboration with other departments.
• Develops department goals and metrics to support organizational objectives.
• Supports the preparation of load forecasts to determine future loads by rate class, sales, and revenues by means of time series, econometric, and end use modeling including variance analysis for actual loads and revenues compared to prior forecasts.
• Leads the ratemaking process and schedule, and the development of rate proposals and associated documentation:
• Leads and directs staff in the performance of the Cost-of-Service Study (COSS) to determine the revenue requirement, customer class cost allocations, and rate designs for each class.
• Develops, assesses, and maintains relevant rates and pricing metrics, data, and benchmarking statistics for the organization as well as participating in benchmarking efforts and various industry-wide surveys and collaboration.
• Designs and implements strategies around rates, policies, and fees for existing and new services in accordance with Washington statutes and guidelines including coordinating the public rate process and public outreach efforts.
• Oversees the evaluation, design, and implementation of product offerings and rate schedules in collaboration with accounting, finance, wholesale, engineering, and customer facing departments to evaluate opportunities and risks around customers, loads, pricing, and rate structures.
• Leads the rates component of economic analysis and modeling support for the financial forecast, Integrated Resource Plan, and company priorities.
• Communicates ideas and presents in public forums with a variety of audiences including the community stakeholders, customers and government officials.
• Provides role clarity and assigns near-term and mid-term work priorities for the department and to members of the Rates & Pricing team.
• Provides training, coaching, and feedback to Rates & Pricing team members. Provides input to leadership on team members' goals and annual performance review.
• Performs leadership administrative functions as needed including budgeting, budget variance reporting, and monthly budget monitoring, and leading recruiting and hiring efforts for the Rates & Pricing team.
• Actively participate in all aspects of our safety program, including but not limited to:
• Following all safety policies and procedures.
• Alerting supervisors and coworkers to unsafe or hazardous working conditions.
• Reporting any unsafe incidents or close calls within 24 hours to your supervisor; and
• Accepting feedback from supervisors and coworkers regarding your own safety performance.
• Actively support programs and actions that improve our Safety Culture by:
• Supporting the presence of safety in your department (e.g. include safety messages in business conversations; begin meetings as appropriate with a safety minute).
• Ensuring supervisors are monitoring the safety actions of their teams (such as completing safety training, reporting incidents timely, etc.).
• Being viewed as a safety champion by stopping work if necessary, promoting safety activities (Continuous improvement team processes, Safety & Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) activities, etc.).
• Acknowledging compliant safety behaviors and good safety performance from members of your team(s).
• Demonstrated commitment to the organization's mission, vision, values, strategic plan, and IBEW Local 77 Code of Excellence. The incumbent should be familiar with these organizational priorities and behave in a way that aligns with these expectations.
• Understand and adhere to compliance requirements for this position that may include laws, regulations, security guidelines, and organization policies & procedures.

Required Qualifications (Education, Experience, Licenses & Certifications):

• Bachelor's degree in economics, Math, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Science and/or an equivalent degree, or 2 additional years of relevant experience in lieu of degree.
• Seven or more years of experience in retail customer engagement, cost-of-service studies, cost allocation, rate design, and load forecasting.

Preferred Qualifications (Education, Experience, Licenses & Certifications):

• Master's Degree or PhD in Economics, Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, and/or an equivalent degree is desirable.
• Experience in electric power industry, wholesale rate making including transmission and ancillary services
• Experience in a comparable position

Other Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Knowledge of electric utility, generation, transmission, distribution, and customer operations.
• Knowledge of theories/principles used to develop retail power rates and contracts including an understanding of econometrics, load forecasting methods and cost of service allocation practices.
• Ability to work directly with regulatory bodies or retail customers and making the analytical connection between wholesale and retail customers and products on The organization's system.
• Ability to develop, design, and administer utility rate structures and communicate rate impacts to customers, staff, management team, etc.
• Advanced knowledge of financial modeling and economic analytical experience.
• Knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles.
• Ability to organize work and direct processes, procedures, and workflows to ensure maximum productivity, efficiency, and timeliness for multiple projects.
• Ability to promote and work in a team environment.
• Knowledge of financial planning procedures and practices, financial forecasting, accounting and FERC reporting, change management, and project management.
• Written and verbal communications abilities are essential including: ability to present material and to lead group and one on one discussions with a broad range of audiences including government officials, customers and stakeholders, senior management, and peers.
• Ability to solve problems, make sound decisions and implement effective delegation.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, schedule, communicate, and delegate to implement programs while working in a coordinated manner with numerous other departments.
• Ability to manage personnel, set priorities and support subordinate profession development.
• Ability in leadership, adaptability, flexibility, and conflict resolution.