Willdan · 22 hours ago
Associate Director (Transmission)
San Francisco, CA, US
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$160K/yr - $270K/yr
7+ years expWilldan is a fast-growing energy consulting firm focused on helping utilities and stakeholders make informed decisions regarding energy and climate policy. The Associate Director (Transmission) will lead strategy engagements for utilities, manage project teams, and drive solutions in electric transmission planning and development.
Business Information SystemsCivil EngineeringConsultingManagement ConsultingTechnical Support
Responsibilities
Lead the delivery of customer work through modeling, developing presentations, writing, and preparing entire subsections of reports and papers, and owning customer requests
Conduct independent research using your ingenuity and curiosity to make reasonable assumptions and produce appropriate solutions, at times with incomplete information
Fulfill end-to-end project obligations
Deliver presentations to customers and reply to questions
Develop aptitude in using a flagship modeling tool, gathering relevant data, and vetting results
Oversee the management of existing tools as needed
Oversee/implement major revisions to toolkits
Apply core QA/QC best practices
Lead proposal writing on various projects
Translate results of research and evaluations into clear visual representations
Head the creation or editing of spreadsheets to be 'client-ready,' including developing tools for customer solutions
Proactively track actual performance of own work performed against the established plan with ongoing communication to project team members
Track and manage actual performance of project teams against the established plan, with ongoing communication to project team members
Capture project learnings and repeatable products and work samples for future use according to knowledge management processes
Stand up and run a Transmission Strategy PMO: establish cadence, RACI's, decision rights, and an executive steering committee, maintain scope, schedule and execute across work-streams
Map the current operating model (org structure, design rights/RACI, processes) and recommend changes: resource plan, capability gaps, governance, and interfaces with ISO/RTO, regulatory and community stakeholders
Build the KPI framework for transmission buildout (e.g., miles energized per year, permit lead times, ROW acquisition progress, deliverability milestones, cost and schedule variance); design dashboards and routines to use them
Translate engineering and modeling (production cost, power flow/deliverability) into options, business cases, and an executive-ready roadmap with milestones, owners and KPI's
Lead stakeholder alignment across utility executives, ISO/RTO, regulators, communities, and delivery partners, design strategies to unblock tough issues and drive to decision
Assist with internal initiatives as needed
Qualification
Required
Master's Degree or Ph.D. in engineering, economics, computer science, public policy or related field (or Bachelor's and equivalent work experience)
Demonstrated hands-on experience or extensive knowledge in, or related to our practice areas
7+ years of experience in an energy-related field with a specific focus on the electric power sector
Significant experience/subject matter expertise in electric transmission development or planning (e.g. interconnection and deliverability concepts, corridor/ROW and permitting basics, capital planning, utility regulation)
Extensive project management experience leading collaborative project efforts while helping each member of your team do their finest work
Aptitude to write and communicate clearly
Experience crafting a clear and compelling message both in writing and via presentations
Demonstrated experience working directly with clients, stakeholders or customers
Passionate about the transition to a low-carbon economy
Demonstrated success guiding ideas, people, and projects
High fluency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; quantitative modeling methods and/or programming knowledge and experience are also valued
Desire to work in a dynamic office environment with other staff
Preferred
Deep subject matter expertise specifically in energy, economics or finance, and climate change issues
Significant project management and leadership experience in a technical or analytical environment
Past experience working directly with utilities on electric transmission modeling platforms preferred, examples include PLEXOS, Gridview, PROMOD, PSSE, TARA
Extensive experience coordinating with customers on a regular basis
You believe it is essential to achieve a transition to a low-carbon economy and love thinking about the future of energy
You work collaboratively and help each member of your team to do their finest work, aware that each brings different experiences, techniques, and qualifications to the table
You enjoy translating technical concepts to a broader audience
You take ownership of your work, proactively seeking out answers to questions and enjoy finding creative solutions to issues you encounter
Company
Willdan
Willdan is a company selling professional technical and consulting services to public agencies at all levels.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Willdan has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2023 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$241.6MKey Investors
California Energy Commission
2025-05-06Post Ipo Debt· $200M
2017-12-15Grant· $6.3M
2017-01-24Post Ipo Debt· $35M
Leadership Team
Marc Tipermas
President of National Programs
Recent News
2026-01-03
Investor's Business Daily
2025-11-06
Company data provided by crunchbase