Manager / Senior Manager, Forecasting & Valuation (PowerVAL), Boulder, CO (Hybrid or Remote)

The Manager/Senior Manager, Forecasting & Valuation will lead the delivery and continued development of Ascend's forecasting and valuation advisory practice, powered by PowerVAL, Ascend's forecasting and asset valuation platform. This person will help utilities, developers, and other energy market participants make high-stakes decisions on asset development, financing, and risk management. The role sits at the intersection of technical analysis, client advisory, and team leadership, ensuring Ascend continues to deliver analytically rigorous, defensible forecasts and valuations grounded in deep power market expertise.

This role is critical to scaling Ascend's forecasting and valuation engagements as client demand grows, ensuring that market analysis, modeling rigor, and client service remain tightly integrated as the team expands. The role will lead complex client consulting engagements, guide production cost modeling and market analysis work using PowerVAL, and develop the analyst team supporting these efforts. This role requires close collaboration with clients, senior leadership, and cross-functional analyst teams to ensure forecasts and valuations reflect the latest market fundamentals and hold up under scrutiny.

Key Responsibilities

• Help clients make strategic decisions in the development and financing of their energy assets.

• Perform in-depth analysis of power market operations using both in-house software and commercially available production cost modeling tools.

• Provide clients with expertise in power markets and guidance for how market evolution impacts revenue forecasts, asset valuation, risk management, public policy, and renewable integration.

• Lead consulting activities for clients that require custom analyses.

• Develop analyst staff to their full potential and foster employee retention.

• Identify and eliminate efficiency constraints by advising on opportunities for systemization and automation.

• Adeptly and confidently handle client matters, even if difficult, quickly escalating as needed.

• Manage the progress of multiple projects simultaneously.

• Demonstrate high agility in response to shifting dynamics across the team and company priorities.

Key Qualifications

Required

• BS or MS in Engineering, Economics, Applied Mathematics, or a related quantitative field.

• 5+ years' experience in US power markets or other energy industry consulting and/or SaaS software environment.

• In depth knowledge of wholesale power market structures, deregulated electricity market operations, and power market fundamentals.

• Talent in managing customer relationships.

• Authentic, clear, and effective oral communication.

• Demonstrable history or ability in mentorship and leadership; Experience guiding/overseeing the work of junior colleagues.

• Highly organized and able to balance competing priorities with confidence and sense of urgency.

Preferred

• Master's Degree, preferably with a focus on Energy.

• Experience performing independent research.

• 2+ years managing 2+ persons.

• Experience in continuous improvement initiatives.

• Preferred: Experience with production cost modeling software (e.g., PROMOD, PLEXOS, Aurora, PSO).
• Preferred: Direct experience with long-term electricity price forecasting, power market design, or capacity expansion modeling.

Your Value @ Ascend

We offer competitive compensation - calibrated to your experience and structured to grow with you - along with a comprehensive benefits package:

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Parental leave for growing families.
• FSA, HSA, and dependent care accounts.
• 401(k) with 3% non-elective contribution.
• Flexible PTO to take time when you need it.

Join a team that values your work, supports your growth, and invests in your future!

We offer a competitive salary range of $140,000-$220,000 USD Annually. Compensation is flexible and will be tailored to your experience and background - we're proud to offer pay that is often above industry average. But the perks don't stop there - we're committed to creating a workplace where people can do meaningful work, grow their careers, and still have a life outside the office. You'll enjoy flexible work hours, a collaborative environment, and real opportunities for advancement.

Collaboration is in our DNA, and we thrive on the energy of working together - the spontaneous ideas, face-to-face teamwork, and culture you can only build in a room.

But we also value the focus and freedom that remote flexibility brings. That's why our Boulder, CO office runs on a hybrid schedule (3 days in-office, 2 days remote). We prefer candidates who can work from Boulder HQ, though we're open to strong remote candidates as well.