Vice President, Large Load Strategy and Member Solutions

Purpose of Job

Provides executive leadership and serves as the primary contact for ODEC members, transmission owners, and large load customers regarding connections and operations in member territories. Leads ODEC's customer-facing coordination with these stakeholders and oversees relationship management for large load products and processes, including member rates and financial forecasting, power portfolio management and trading operations, contract services, and transmission owner coordination. Ensures clear alignment among members, large load customers, transmission owners, ODEC departments, and senior management so recommendations, commitments, and communications support ODEC and member objectives.

Operates through cross-functional, dotted-line relationships with key ODEC departments, including Legal, Engineering, Member Rates and Financial Forecasting, and Power Supply, to coordinate large load activities while maintaining alignment with each department's functional responsibilities.

Establishes priorities, coordinates activities, and drives accountability for large load initiatives across these functions while maintaining alignment with each department's functional authority and responsibilities.

Essential Responsibilities

Lead Member and Stakeholder Engagement for Large Load Initiatives

• Lead ODEC's internal coordination and represent ODEC as the primary contact for member cooperatives on large load matters, including transmission owner coordination, power supply products and processes, member rates, financial forecasting, and related service issues.
• Build and maintain effective relationships among ODEC members, large load customers, transmission owners, PJM, regulators, consultants, and other counterparties.
• Establish clear communication protocols and serve as the primary point of coordination for the timely and consistent exchange of information among all parties.
• Plan and lead executive, project status, and issue-resolution meetings with members and external parties.
• Provide timely updates on large load project status, key developments, risks, and issues through established ODEC governance and leadership forums, including the monthly Risk Management Team meeting.

Lead Transmission Coordination and Large Load Service Delivery

• Lead cross-functional coordination with ODEC Engineering on technical and engineering activities related to member large load projects and initiatives.
• Oversee new service delivery point requests from initial submittal through energization, including transmission owners and member cooperatives on metering, billing, and ongoing service management.
• Develop and maintain strategic relationships with transmission owners to support reliable service for ODEC members and large load customers.
• Oversee the administration, negotiation, interpretation, and performance of Transmission Owner Interconnection Agreements.
• Coordinate ODEC and member participation in applicable transmission planning and reliability processes, including PJM planning activities and transmission owner processes.
• Provide executive direction for transmission technical, contractual, cost allocation, and service issues and support related regulatory proceedings.
• Support ODEC needs in any regulatory proceedings associated with our contractual and operating agreements with our transmission providers and with PJM.
• Support the Transmission Expansion Advisory Committee (TEAC) and planning process at PJM.

Lead Large Load Rate Development and Implementation Strategy

• Coordinate with Member Rates and Financial Forecasting to support rate design and financial management activities for member large load projects and initiatives.
• Lead communication of the large load rate structure and implementation procedures to member cooperatives.
• Oversee member rate collateral and billing communications related to large loads.
• Ensure rate, forecast, and financial analyses are accurate, coordinated with power supply and transmission assumptions, and clearly communicated to management, members, and governing bodies.
• Partner with Member Rates and Financial Forecasting on applicable filing strategies and processes with FERC and other regulatory bodies.

Lead Large Load Power Supply Strategy and Market Operations

• Collaborate with Power Supply to support requirements associated with member large loads.
• Oversee large load power supply portfolio hedging, capacity procurement, load forecasting, and trading operations supporting member large load projects and initiatives.
• Ensure large-load power supply strategies are aligned with approved policies and risk tolerances.
• Manage key counterparty relationships, transaction and contract execution controls, settlement, and invoice reconciliation, and required market or regulatory reporting with applicable ODEC departments.
• Coordinate the operational and financial implications of large load additions with power supply planning and trading functions.

Lead Contract Governance and Legal Coordination for Large Loads

• Collaborate with Legal to support member large load projects and initiatives.
• Ensure contracts supporting large load management are identified, initiated, and advanced through the appropriate Legal processes for timely development, review, negotiation, administration, and maintenance effectively.
• Coordinate with the Chief Legal Officer and assigned counsel regarding legal rights, responsibilities, risks, contract standards, disputes, and use of outside counsel or consultants.
• Establish and maintain consistent contract governance, documentation, data management, and accountability for large load activities.
• Integrate technical, commercial, financial, operational, regulatory, and legal considerations into recommendations and decision-making.

Lead Department Strategy, Resources, and Workforce Management

• Establish department priorities, goals, performance measures, staffing plans, work assignments, and employee development plans aligned with corporate strategy.
• Select and lead staff, fostering collaboration, accountability, sound judgment, and effective cross-department teamwork.
• Prepare and manage the department budget and resources, monitor expenditures, explain budget variances, and oversee consultants and external services.
• Participate in management, Board, Board committee, risk management, and other corporate meetings and present recommendations and status updates as needed.

Lead Compliance, Risk Oversight, and Policy Coordination

• Ensure team activities comply with applicable NERC, PJM, FERC, DOE, state and local regulatory requirements, ODEC policies, records management requirements, internal controls, and delegated authorities.
• Identify and escalate material commercial, financial, reliability, regulatory, legal, and execution risks.
• Recommend policies, procedures, controls, and strategic actions to strengthen the effectiveness, governance, and management of assigned functions.
• Maintain cross-functional alignment with Regulatory Affairs, Legal, Finance, Power Supply, Engineering, and other ODEC functions on matters related to large load activities.

Additional Responsibilities

• Perform other duties and special projects assigned in support of ODEC's business goals related to large load activities.
• No direct reports. This position provides cross-functional leadership through dotted-line relationships with subject matter expert departments and coordinates the work of large-load team members, including goals, work assignments, priorities, and schedules. Provides input into performance appraisals for team members consistent with the dotted-line reporting structure.
• Establish priorities, coordinate resources, and direct work across subject matter expert departments, including member interface, large load management, rates and forecasting, portfolio management, trading operations, and contract services.
• Determine approaches for managing relationships with member cooperatives, large load customers, and transmission owners and recommend or approve actions within delegated authority.
• Approve or recommend control processes, contract positions, rate and forecasting approaches, power portfolio strategies, and issue-resolution plans within delegated authority.
• Determine when risks, disputes, commitments, or policy matters require escalation to the SVP & COO, senior management, committees, or the Board.
• Make supervisory, budgetary, consultant, performance management, and employment recommendations consistent with ODEC policies and delegated authority.
• Establish priorities, coordinate resources, and direct work across subject matter expert departments, including member interface, large load management, rates and forecasting, portfolio management, trading operations, and contract services.
• Determine approaches for managing relationships with member cooperatives, large load customers, and transmission owners and recommend or approve actions within delegated authority.
• Approve or recommend control processes, contract positions, rate and forecasting approaches, power portfolio strategies, and issue-resolution plans within delegated authority.
• Determine when risks, disputes, commitments, or policy matters require escalation to the SVP & COO, senior management, committees, or the Board.
• Make supervisory, budgetary, consultant, performance management, and employment recommendations consistent with ODEC policies and delegated authority..

Work experience

• Minimum of 15 years of progressively responsible experience in the electric utility or energy industry, including substantial experience in at least two of the following areas: member or customer relations, large load development, transmission, power supply, rates and forecasting, trading operations, contracts, engineering, or regulatory matters.
• Minimum of 7 years of management or supervisory experience, including experience leading managers or multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience representing an organization with senior executives, boards, members or customer organizations, transmission owners, regulators, and other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives involving material commercial, financial, reliability, contractual, or regulatory considerations.

Critical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Working knowledge of transmission planning and operations, interconnection and service agreements, cost allocation, reliability requirements, and transmission owner processes.
• Working knowledge of wholesale power supply portfolios, hedging and procurement strategies, trading operations, settlements, and capacity products.
• Knowledge of wholesale rate design, financial forecasting, budgeting, variance analysis, economic development rates, accounting concepts, and financial decision support.
• Knowledge of commercial contracting, contract negotiation and administration, legal risk coordination, internal controls, records management, and regulatory filing processes.
• Knowledge of utility engineering concepts, substations, distribution and transmission systems, metering, communications, and large load project development sufficient to provide effective cross-functional leadership.
• Knowledge of PJM markets, planning processes, tariff requirements, FERC regulations, NERC requirements, state regulatory processes, and other applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
• Knowledge of the electric cooperative business model, member relationships, and service requirements associated with large load customers.
• Executive leadership, organizational design, staff development, delegation, and performance management skills.
• Exceptional relationship-building, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder management skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical, commercial, financial, regulatory, and legal matters for member cooperatives, large load customers, executives, committees, and boards.
• Strong strategic, analytical, financial, commercial, and risk-based decision-making skills.
• Ability to integrate multiple disciplines, establish priorities, manage concurrent high-impact initiatives, and drive timely issue resolution.
• Ability to build effective working relationships across internal departments and with member cooperatives, large load customers, transmission owners, legal counsel, PJM, and other industry organizations.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and relevant utility, planning, financial, contract management, and project management systems.
• Ability to travel and comply with applicable safety requirements.

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, business, economics, finance, accounting, or a related field required. An advanced degree or relevant professional certification is preferred.

Travel Details

Occasional travel may be required.

Compensation range: $259,430/yearly to $288,255/yearly

We offer a competitive salary, defined benefit retirement security (pension) plan, medical, dental, vision, 401(k) company match, vacation based on relevant years of experience, generous sick time accrual, and holiday pay in addition to many other benefits offerings. Please apply via this link www.odec.com/careers for consideration.