Director Energy & Procurement at Vicinity in Boston, Massachusetts

Job Description:

With 19 networks in 13 major cities, Vicinity Energy is North America’s largest provider of district energy solutions, offering energy investment, infrastructure and management to municipal, commercial and institutional customers with mission-critical energy needs. Our 450+ skilled engineers, operators and energy experts have a singular dedication to our customers’ success and a relentless focus on delivering efficient energy, resilient management and operation of cooling and heating networks, the production of green energy and carbon footprint reductions for the customers and communities in which we serve.

Summary




The Director Procurement and Energy Commodities Director will play a core role in identifying 





and driving initiatives that result in EBITDA improvement and risk management strategies for Vicinity’s portfolio.   The position will have dual responsibilities for both leading energy markets contracting and analytics activities and for the corporate ownership of the procurement group. This is a full-time exempt position and reports to our Chief Technical Officer. This position is located in Boston, MA. 





Responsibilities




Energy Market: 

• Lead Vicinity’s energy market analysis and strategy by developing and executing commodity procurement and risk management strategies.


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  Manage the company’s hedging strategy for natural gas and power from design to execution to settlement for both physical (fixed price purchases) and financial transactions (swaps and heat rate call options).


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  Conduct RFPs for fuel supply and electricity for Vicinity’s steam and chilled water plants  


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  Support regional teams when needed related to management of energy contracts and gas and/or electric rate cases.   


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  Develop and execute short and long-term sales strategy for Renewable Energy Credits (e.g., Massachusetts Alternative Energy Credits).  


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  Manage the company’s participation in regional cap-and-trade carbon markets (e.g. RGGI and MA Carbon).  


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  Explore term options for de-risking merchant power portfolio including evaluation of long-term PPAs and other alternatives. 


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  Partner with government relations to pursue local, state and federal regulatory initiatives that reduce Vicinity’s costs and promote cogeneration and district energy in the jurisdictions in which it operates.  


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  Assist Chief Technical Officer in exploring a range of de-carbonization strategies including, biofuels, renewable natural gas, carbon offsets, electrification, etc. 


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  Stay informed / engaged on natural gas, power, carbon, REC market developments and incorporate into the overall corporate strategy.  


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  Develop monthly reports and ad hoc analysis related to timely energy market events for the executive leadership team and board of directors.   

• Plan and execute strategic procurement activities for major purchasing categories (e.g. chemicals) including conducting RFPs and negotiating framework agreements with key suppliers to achieve savings through regional and/or national purchasing agreements. 


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  Coordinate with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) to leverage their buying power to drive down Vicinity’s costs. 


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  Work with regional procurement personal and provide guidance as they look to identify local savings opportunities. 


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  Analyze data, produce reports, monitor KPI’s and determine compliance with procurement policies to guide priorities, measure progress and communicate results to management.  

Qualifications and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree required.


• 10 + years’ experience in the energy industry that includes a mix of strategic and tactical roles   


• Understanding of current trends within natural gas industry, power markets (ISO NE and PJM), REC and Carbon markets, and ESG space. 


• Experience with wholesale natural gas and power contracts (e.g., NAESB and ISDAs) 


• Ability to take complex and detailed issues and synthesize them into manageable topics that can be translated into definable actions.


• Experience and comfort in presenting to and collaborating with senior leadership and stakeholders.


• Experience of familiarity with corporate procurement and supply chain function.


• Strong MS Office skills including advanced Excel functions (e.g., lookups, pivot tables, etc.).