Principal, Emerging Technology & Innovations

Position Description

The Emerging Technologies & Innovation (ET&I) Prinicpal combines technical expertise and innovative thinking to implement and pilot new technologies within TEP/UNS, ensuring scalability, cost optimization and alignment with customer needs, business growth, grid operations, and resource planning. This role is pivotal in driving the company's strategic goals, managing the innovation process from identifying opportunities to executing scalable projects.

Curiosity and a passion for solving complex problems are at the heart of this role, requiring collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders to successfully pilot new technologies. This position supports the utility in innovating within a changing environment.  The ideal candidate will leverage one or more of the following areas of subject matter expertise within the energy sector to support UNS’s path to the future:transmission, distribution, utility-scale or distributed generation, planning, network operations, AI, data management, or customer experiences.

This position thrives by living the UNS mission and values. Success is built on strong leadership, business acumen, and doing the right thing. Collaboration across the company and a willingness to share knowledge create an environment of operational excellence. We embrace continuous learning, respect, and active engagement, knowing that our diverse perspectives make us stronger.

Join a growing ET&I team within UNS’s Corporate Strategy Group focused on securing a safe and prosperous future for employees, customers, and the communities we serve through a future-focused, data-driven implementation of innovation and technology.
 

Position-Related Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of UNS innovation utilizing a methodology of effectively and efficiently drive the successful completion of innovation initiatives.
• Develop and manage a process to solicit, identify and define specific innovation ideas that address key company challenges.
• Direct and provide  applied research, and complex analyses, to screen innovation opportunities and develop business cases for identified opportunities.
• Provide thought leadership across business functions by leading and executing market research, technology scouting, identifying, and understanding competitive landscapes, market trends, insights, and themes, finding potential collaborators or partners, and providing generally valuable and unique insights to the business.
• Apply analytical skills and logic to areas of significant ambiguity using data (when/where available and often self-sourced) to generate actionable analysis easily understood by others without the same background or expertise.
• Prioritize innovation opportunities continually and ruthlessly.
• Identify key hypotheses to be tested in a pilot program, design test plans to address identified hypotheses as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, execute leveraging the ACC approved DSM sand box. 
• Within the Fortis Innovation model, challenge and improve existing business processes based on market insights and learnings from innovation projects and partners for the benefit of our customers.  
• Demonstrate excellent project management skills by assuming project manager role, as appropriate, and ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget, and with strategic impact.
• Lead and support the organization through change management to foster a culture of solution-based thinking, acceptance, openness, and collaboration.
• Communicate - written, oral, and presentation -  scope and objectives of innovation-related work to various internal and external stakeholders including senior management.
• Support the effort, as appropriate, to identify and cultivate external relationships and partnerships to understand and bring best practices, leading concepts, and ideas to UNS.
• Empower, coach, support, and champion individual innovators across all business functions.
• Develop and monitor innovation metrics to drive accountability and measure success.
• Travel required.
• Flexibility to work outside traditional business hours.
• This position may provide services to affiliates of the Company subject to the UNS Energy Code of Conduct and the related Policies and Procedures.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge in one or more key areas related to innovation, product development, product management, project management, or business case development.
• Must have the ability to build and maintain strong relationships across all company departments.
• Must have the ability to understand customer trends and related energy needs.
• Must have the ability to understand complex regulatory and policy issues.
• Must be willing to advocate for change across the organization.
• Must be able to think critically to identify innovative opportunities that support business initiatives and are in line with industry trends.
• Must be an agile thinker and be able to adapt quickly to change and ambiguity.
• Must identify opportunities to leverage technology to support and/or provide efficiencies in the business.
• Must be able to manage multiple projects and respond to competing priorities.
• Must have strong mathematical and financial analytical skills.
• Must be a creative and innovative thinker with good business acumen.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Must have experience developing business plans and business proposals.
• Must be able to present to senior leadership and enjoy public speaking.
• Must have the skills to successfully advocate, persuade, and negotiate for your recommendations.
• Must be able to work independently, as well as collaborate in a team environment.

Minimum Qualifications (Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.):

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, operations, information technology or related field.
• 5 years of work experience related to the duties and responsibilities of this position is required.
• Related experience including working in innovation, research, product development or project management.
• Demonstrated ability to work, and build alignment with, a range of external stakeholders and internally across different functional teams.
• Analytical capabilities, including the ability to problem solve, identify and develop hypothesis, structure thinking, and find, use and apply data.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, oral and communication skills with the ability to conceive, craft, and deliver presentations to diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in related field of study.
• Current professional certifications related to this position.
• Knowledge of the energy/utility industry.
• Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, or previous experiences managing or deploying energy transition related technology.
• Working knowledge of potential innovative areas (e.g., distributed energy technologies, wearable devices, robotics, automation and AI, etc.) and approaches (E.g., design thinking, lean startup, etc.) preferred.