Director of Interconnection Engineering

New Leaf Energy is an experienced clean energy developer that partners with landowners, policymakers, and other stakeholders to accelerate the transition to a world powered by renewable energy. We identify high-value sites, work with landowners and local communities to develop them, and partner with long-term asset owners to bring the most impactful clean energy projects to life.

New Leaf Energy seeks a Director of Interconnection Engineering to lead our utility engineering team and facilitate the development of our solar, energy storage, and wind projects nationwide. Reporting to the Senior Director of Grid Integration, this challenging role requires a unique blend of experienced team leadership, power system expertise, creative problem-solving ability, and strong interpersonal and organizational skills.

Our preference is that this position is based in Lowell or Boston, MA, but could be based out of our Oakland, Troy, or Chicago office for the right candidate. We value in-person collaboration and offer a hybrid work environment. Hybrid employees work in the office at least two out of every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and are free to work from the office or from home on other days.

About The Role

This position will require successful leadership and development of our talented team of electrical engineers in order to deliver high quality engineering support and consulting services to multiple internal stakeholder groups throughout the project development lifecycle. You will also need to build and maintain strong relationships with your counterparts at electric utilities across New Leaf’s markets and negotiate the best outcomes possible for New Leaf’s projects when necessary.

In order to be successful in this role you must have a continuous improvement mindset and be able to effectively lead the engineering team to perform within our fast paced and constantly changing industry. Strong candidates should also be able to represent and advocate for New Leaf’s portfolio projects and proactively lead engagement and collaboration with electric utilities to solve engineering challenges where needed.

On a daily basis, you will be responsible for managing the engineering team operations and also assure timely execution of both short term and individual goals. You will need to collaborate across multiple company departments (Project Finance, Development, Design, etc) and ensure that team objectives and deliverables are well aligned with the goals of the broader organization.

In This Role You Will

• Lead and encourage your team to think outside the box and develop new and creative interconnection strategies that minimize cost and maximize hosting capacity of the electric grid;
• Lead weekly engineering team and individual team member check-in meetings to keep them on track and identify coaching opportunities;
• Participate in monthly regional interdepartmental report-outs;
• Develop and lead your team to execute on team goals that are also well aligned with those of the organization;
• Establish Key Performance Indicators that create team focus on the most important value-adding activities;
• Lead and participate in continuous improvement initiatives.

Desired Qualifications

While no one individual will possess them all, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and attributes. If you’re unsure of whether you meet enough of the qualifications below but believe that your experience and skill set is a good match for this position, we invite you to apply!

• A Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or relevant area of study is required (Master’s Degree or PE preferred). In addition, while no one individual will possess them all, the successful candidate will bring many of the following experiences, skills, and attributes:

• 10+ years of professional experience, which includes 5+ years of engineering experience and 5+ years of experience building and managing teams;
• Strong ability to lead and develop engineering team members;
• Operate with integrity and have the ability to build relationships both internally and externally based on trust and transparency;
• Ability to develop strategic goals for your team members that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound;
• Strong Financial Acumen and ability to understand team contribution to company goals;
• Familiarity with Lean business principles and experience designing new processes and standards;
• Strong technical writing, presentation, and communication skills;
• Experience creating and implementing new and innovative business practices;
• Track record of developing and implementing new standards and processes;
• Ability to lead advocacy and technical negotiations to facilitate advancement of New Leaf’s portfolio projects;
• Excitement about growing along with a fast-paced, dynamic company; comfort with ambiguity and a willingness to build, experiment, and iterate when the path forward is undefined;
• Track record of success in a team oriented, collaborative environment;
• Strong understanding of distribution system impacts associated with the interconnection of distributed energy resources (DER), as well as ability to leverage experience to develop creative solutions to solve comp techniques for mitigating common distribution system impacts;
• Strong understanding of various technical standards that relate to the interconnection of DERs including but not limited to: e.g. IEEE 1547-2018, IEEE 1547.1-2020, IEEE 1453-2015, IEEE C62.92.6, ANSI C84.1, IEEE 519-1992, NEC-Latest Edition;
• A passion for renewable energy, addressing the climate crisis, and accelerating the clean energy transformation.

Compensation

New Leaf Energy compensates all employees in three ways: market-competitive base salary, plus above-market variable compensation, plus an equity-like program such that all employees experience the benefits of ownership. We use a data-driven and transparent methodology to calibrate compensation that is externally competitive and internally equitable, guided by the New Leaf Energy compensation manual, which is available to all employees.

Under our compensation framework, the likely base salary range for this position in the Troy location is $158,880 – $183,570. The on-target annual cash bonus associated with this position is an additional 30% percent of base salary. Your actual salary may be above, in, or below this range, depending on your location and experience.

We value transparency and can share more during the interview process.

Benefits And Culture

New Leaf Energy’s success is driven by our collaborative, long-term relationships based on trust and transparency. We offer a flexible work environment that places significant responsibility in independent teams and creates opportunities for innovation and personal growth. New Leaf Energy’s benefits are designed to appropriately recognize our employees’ contributions and enable a reasonable work/life balance. Our benefits include:

• Competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental and vision;
• A 401k plan with immediate vesting and a company match (100% of the first three percent of your pay; 50% for the next two percent you contribute);
• An open and self-managed paid time-off policy;
• A hybrid work location policy that supports working from home for part of the week;
• A parental leave policy for both birthing and non-birthing parents, available immediately upon hire;
• Professional development and education assistance.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

New Leaf Energy values the diverse perspectives, skills, experiences, and contributions of all employees. We want all our employees to feel like they belong and are empowered to be their most authentic selves at work. We’re actively committed to fostering diversity and creating an inclusive environment not only within our own organization but also within the clean energy industry.

We seek a diverse candidate pool in this–and every–search. New Leaf Energy provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetics, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal and local laws. In addition to federal law requirements, New Leaf Energy complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. EEO M/F/D/V.

A Note to Third-Party Recruiters

New Leaf Energy’s People + Culture team coordinates all recruiting and hiring at our company. New Leaf Energy does not accept unsolicited resumes from third-party recruiters, staffing firms, or related agencies. Resumes are only accepted from third-party recruiters, staffing firms, or related agencies if a signed agreement is in place AND if external recruiting assistance is authorized by the People + Culture team for a specific position. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of New Leaf Energy. New Leaf Energy is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.