[Hiring] Director, Customer Energy Solutions @E Source

Role Description

At E Source, we help utilities make sense of complexity in a rapidly changing landscape, and we’re looking for a Director, Customer Energy Solutions to help shape how that impact shows up in the world.

As a Director, you’ll lead large and complex research, evaluation, and advisory engagements for major utility clients. You’ll own strategic client relationships, direct multidisciplinary teams, guide research methods and service delivery, develop project managers and staff, and help translate company strategy into reliable execution. You’ll combine deep research expertise, industry knowledge, business acumen, and strong judgment to create client value and support the growth of the Customer Energy Solutions practice.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the largest and most complex research, evaluation, and advisory engagements for major clients independently, including those with multidisciplinary teams.
• Own and develop long-term client relationships by understanding strategic needs, anticipating risks and opportunities, and serving as a trusted advisor.
• Direct project managers and technical staff, providing strategic, methodological, analytical, and reporting guidance while ensuring clear accountability across teams.
• Ensure engagements deliver against defined objectives, scopes, schedules, budgets, quality standards, and contract requirements.
• Set direction for research and evaluation approaches by applying industry best practices and advancing innovative qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on project teams and in client conversations, translating complex research methods and findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Establish and improve quality assurance processes, review high-stakes analyses and deliverables, and ensure consistent, decision-ready work.
• Lead strategic client communications, including complex or high-stakes conversations involving trade-offs, decisions, risks, and next steps.
• Manage the financial performance of an assigned portfolio, including revenue and profitability, staffing and utilization, revenue and resource forecasting, subcontractor spending, and timely invoicing and collections, in partnership with project managers and Finance.
• Champion strategic proposals and lead selected business development opportunities, including solution development, proposal strategy, and finalist presentations.
• Support market development and external visibility through conference presentations, industry participation, partnerships, and thought leadership.
• Manage, coach, and develop mid-level staff and project leaders, building their judgment, client leadership, communication, and people-management skills.
• Partner with peers and senior leaders to improve work execution, prioritize resources, identify systemic issues, and implement company and practice-area strategy.

Qualifications

• Bring extensive experience leading qualitative and quantitative research, evaluation, and advisory work from strategy and design through delivery.
• Have a demonstrated record of managing major client engagements, developing long-term client relationships, and serving as a trusted senior advisor.
• Can direct multiple project managers, technical specialists, subcontractors, and cross-functional contributors toward shared outcomes.
• Make sound strategic decisions in ambiguous environments, and balance the big picture with the details required for reliable execution.
• Bring strong business acumen and understand how client value, project economics, staffing, risk, and business development connect.
• Can anticipate future problems, identify patterns and root causes, and lead teams toward practical solutions.
• Communicate complex ideas clearly in writing and verbally, and can lead high-impact discussions with technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Have deep knowledge of the utility or energy industry, including relevant best practices, trends, policies, regulatory contexts, or program environments.
• Demonstrate strong judgment in research design, data collection, qualitative and quantitative analysis, synthesis, and reporting.
• Have a track record of coaching managers and developing staff, teams, and future leaders.
• Model collaboration, integrity, customer focus, adaptability, accountability, and a consistent drive for results.

Requirements

• Approximately 9+ years of relevant professional experience, or commensurate experience demonstrating readiness for Director-level scope and accountability.
• An advanced degree in the social sciences, engineering, or a related field, or a bachelor’s degree with commensurate professional experience.
• Extensive experience applying qualitative and quantitative social science research methods, including research design, instrument development, data collection, analysis, interpretation, and reporting.
• Demonstrated success leading large or complex consulting engagements, managing project economics and risk, and delivering high-quality work for major clients.
• Demonstrated experience leading client relationships, developing managers and staff, and contributing to strategic proposals and business development.

Benefits

• Excellent insurance options, including medical, dental, and vision plans; company-paid life insurance; company-paid long- and short-term disability insurance; medical and dependent-care flexible spending plans, and paid parental leave.
• A flexible time off (FTO) policy that provides paid time away from work, approved by your manager, while ensuring business needs, workload commitments, and appropriate coverage are maintained.
• A 401(k) plan with a 3% employer match.
• The budgeted salary for this position is $145,000–$193,000 USD + annual bonus. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience.
• This role will be remote, with occasional travel (1–4 times a year).