Energy Program Manager - Transportation Infrastructure

Join the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) as we transform energy for the State of Maryland. Through the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, the Maryland Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, Greenhouse Emission Reduction Act, Inflation Reduction Act and the Climate Solutions Now Act you will have an opportunity to work on the cutting edge of shaping and implementing Maryland’s environmental and clean energy policies. The mission of the MEA is to promote clean, affordable, reliable energy and energy-related greenhouse gas emission reductions to benefit Marylanders in a just and equitable manner. MEA advances impactful energy policies and programs to help achieve Maryland’s clean energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

Position Responsibilities:

Energy Program Managers work to develop and implement initiatives that support the State’s energy and climate goals while also addressing equity and making the state more competitive. MEA’s programmatic offerings consist of technical assistance, loans, and/or grants designed to help achieve Maryland’s climate goals. MEA is seeking a Program Manager to lead the implementation of electric vehicle (EV) transportation infrastructure to meet the State’s transportation electrification goals, and drive the adoption of electric vehicles.

This position will manage programs that incentivize the installation of EV charging infrastructure across the state, contributing to a significant reduction in reliance on fossil fuels. Responsibilities include managing the full lifecycle of infrastructure grant programs, from development and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. This involves crafting grant guidelines, evaluating proposals, managing budgets, and fostering strong relationships with stakeholders.

Transportation Infrastructure programs include incentives designed to drive EV adoption through investments in charging that serves the commercial sector as well as individual Maryland residents. Specifically, this position will spearhead the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) Rebate Program, providing crucial financial support to individuals and businesses, and the Community EVSE Program, which strategically deploys charging stations at multi-family dwellings and key community locations.

The successful candidate will bring technical expertise on EV charging infrastructure with demonstrated history of driving and delivering large and complex programs. The successful candidate should also bring a passion for transportation electrification and the ability to communicate effectively, market programs, work with stakeholders, and lead processes and workflows across multi-functional teams.

The position will be responsible for the following:

Program Development and Management: Oversee all aspects of two programs, including program design, development, and implementation. Manage program budgets. Lead grant and rebate workflow and process management. Establish key clean transportation program goals, develop and deploy tasks and monitor and report on progress towards milestones and priorities. Monitor progress and conformance with program budget targets and performance goals where applicable. Monitor program performance, analyze data related to installed EV chargers, and create report findings for MEA management and external stakeholders. Resolve issues with grantees, agencies, private sector organizations. Manage grantees in assigned functional areas through the entire grant process: developing and overseeing applications processes; producing grant agreements; providing technical review of proposals; evaluating financial feasibility; visiting grant project sites to verify compliance and completion of grant requirements; and providing technical review for approval of project related reports and invoices. Work with MEA’s Attorney General’s office to ensure legal sufficiency of all documents.

Technical Expertise: Provide subject and technical expertise as needed to agency leadership, policy colleagues, other state agencies, and outside stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with stakeholders including electric utilities, EV charging equipment manufacturers, EV network providers, installers, and other industry stakeholders to improve program access and implementation for clean energy programs. Foster and maintain stakeholder relationships with multiple levels of property owners, government, community members, organizations, and the private sector.

Program Evaluation and Improvement: Continuously monitor program performance, analyze data related to EV charger installations, and utilize these insights to evaluate program effectiveness. Based on evaluation, recommend improvements to program design, implementation, and outreach strategies to optimize clean transportation initiatives (as assigned). Conduct routine compliance-related activities, including awardee project compliance evaluations, site visits, and monitoring, to include statutory, regulatory, and programmatic requirements; report program metrics, insights, and data to internal MEA senior management and external parties on a regular basis;

Other Tasks as assigned to support state and agency priorities.

Minimum Qualifications:

● Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in engineering, business administration, economics, finance, environmental policy or management, energy or an energy-related discipline, or a related field or equivalent experience.

● At least four (4) years of experience in administrative staff or professional work. One of those years must include direct experience with managing federal, state or local programs related to energy efficiency, clean energy, clean transportation grant administration, including application review, budget management, and reporting.

● Proficiency in the Microsoft Office (also known as “Microsoft 365”) Suite, with special emphasis on Excel, Google Sheets, or similar spreadsheet-based program(s). The successful candidate should not require instruction on these programs.

● Demonstrated proficiency in business and technical writing.

● Strong verbal and written communication skills.

● Demonstrated track-record of stakeholder engagement.

● Experience developing and managing complex programs or large-scale complicated projects, including establishing and communicating milestones, directing teams or workflows, and meeting deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications:

● At least two (2) years experience in a role directly related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

● Demonstrated technical knowledge or engineering experience, specifically related to EV charging infrastructure.

● Experience and comfort with meeting, interacting with, and providing information to, senior management teams, executive leadership, and government officials.

● Experience with Salesforce or similar customer relationship management (CRM) software.

● Experience working to develop draft legal agreements, such as but not limited to grant agreements, memorandums of understanding, financing agreements, and others.

● Experience and comfort with meeting and interacting with senior business and government officials.

● Current PMI Project Management Professional (PMP), Program Management Professional (PgMP), or equivalent certification.

● Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to environmental justice and equity principles or experience working with underserved communities.

Position Location:

A hybrid remote telework and in-office schedule is available per the policies of the Maryland Energy Administration and State of Maryland, which may change from time to time. Currently, this position requires the candidate to be present in the office several days per week. In addition, the individual must be available in person other times as needed to perform certain job functions. This position follows a hybrid work schedule, with mandatory in-office attendance at the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) office in Baltimore, MD, every Tuesday and Wednesday.

To Apply:

Send a cover letter, resume, writing sample, and salary requirements by email with “Energy Program Manager- Transportation Infrastructure” in the subject line to Jobs.MEA@maryland.gov. Candidates will receive notification of receipt; however, only the top candidates will be invited to interview for the position.

Salary:

This is a State PIN employee position. PIN employees are eligible for state employment benefits including health benefits and leave. Additional information about these benefits is available upon request. Salary commensurate with experience and is in the range of $102,996-$115,454 annually.