Policy Associate (West)

about 1 month ago
Full time role
Remote · Menlo Park, CA, US... more

Company Overview

Driven by our vision of the affordable, reliable, net-zero carbon grid of the future, Mainspring has developed a new category of power generation — the linear generator — that delivers local, scalable, and fuel-flexible power to help accelerate the transition to the net-zero carbon grid.

The unique combination of attributes offered by Mainspring’s linear generator enables applications on both the commercial and utility sides of the meter for the $816B global electricity equipment market. We serve a wide range of Fortune 500 customers across markets and industries as well as top-tier utilities and other gridside providers.

We are looking to build relationships with people who share our values:

  • Pragmatic Optimism. Building a new category of world-class power generation requires the optimism of ambition and creativity, balanced with practicality to solve problems efficiently. The challenges that arise are opportunities for growth.

  • Excellence without Ego. We bring expertise and commitment to creating the best customer experience, from sales to deployment and service, just as we apply deep technical rigor to building and delivering world-class products. We strive for excellence and behave as leaders with the humility to acknowledge our challenges, both collectively and as individual contributors.

  • Proactive Collaboration. The integration and cross-disciplinary nature of Mainspring’s business requires intentionally seeking out others who bring different skills, perspectives, and priorities. Our culture of inclusion and respect extends beyond our team to interactions with our partners and customers.

Mainspring is based in Menlo Park and has partnered with top-tier investors and utilities such as Khosla Ventures, Bill Gates, NextEra, and American Electric Power. More information can be found at www.mainspringenergy.com.

Position Overview

The Policy Associate role is part of Mainspring’s larger policy team that covers all federal, state & local policy issues including but not limited to legislative, regulatory, administrative, organized markets, permitting, interconnections, and general project support, among others.

This role requires a growing base of policy knowledge related to the electric industry, strong aptitude for policy analysis and a combination of strong business acumen, policy expertise, industry knowledge, advocacy skills, collaboration, and understanding of company strategy. It also requires excellent research, writing and oral presentation skills along with the ability to work collaboratively with a cross-functional team.
Responsibilities

We are seeking a highly motivated and engaging Policy Associate focusing mainly on west coast markets to join our policy team. You will primarily be responsible for analyzing pending policy matters, advocating for policy priorities, and collaborating with the commercial team. You will also be expected to actively grow your professional network including peers at other energy companies and key stakeholders at legislatures and regulatory agencies.

Key Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Policy Analysis and Evaluation: Monitor and stay abreast of evolving regulatory policies and legislative changes impacting Mainspring’s targeted grid and distributed scale markets. Evaluate proposed regulatory and legislative changes for potential opportunities and risks. Identify strategic regulatory and legislative changes that Mainspring could pursue. Track and share internally relevant regulatory and legislative topics.

  • Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy: Engage with industry stakeholders, including regulatory bodies, government agencies, market participants, and industry associations. Collaborate with these entities to influence policy decisions, advocate for policy enhancements, and drive Mainspring’s overall engagement in key proceedings related to business opportunities and goals.

  • Market Intelligence: Assist with conducting research and analysis on industry trends, competitors, technological advancements, and emerging market opportunities. Leverage traditional and social media to stay informed about customer and competitor activities.

Qualifications

  • 6-8 years of energy policy experience engaging with state regulatory bodies, legislatures, or RTOs in the midwest or east coast.

  • BS/BA in political science, economics, energy policy, engineering or a related field. Advanced or Master’s degree preferred.

  • Strong commitment to the energy transition from conventional energy to renewable energy coupled with clean fuels.

  • Prior experience working in similar roles for a renewable developer, IPP, utility, RTO, NGO, energy consulting company, or directly for a state legislature, regulatory body, or state energy agency.

  • Strong aptitude for staying abreast of policy changes across multiple regions, including major policy developments at the local, state and federal levels.

  • Effective communication and presentation skills to engage with internal and external audiences.

  • Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.

  • Comfort working in a fast-paced environment, thinking and moving quickly, with a proven ability to prioritize and juggle many different projects at once.

  • Strong grasp of communication tools such as Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Slack, Jira, etc.

  • Experience using AI as a tool to assist analysis of existing or proposed regulations and legislation.

  • Ability to travel as needed.

The Bay Area salary for this role is $110k-$125k base + pre-IPO stock options + benefits. This position is remote. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee.

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don’t meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we’d still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

In more traditional words, Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.