Expert Product Manager - Grid R&D

Requisition ID # 158074 

Job Category: Customer Support / Operations 

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit: Engineering, Planning & Strategy

Work Type: Hybrid

Job Location: Oakland

Department Overview

Join the R&D Operations team within PG&E’s Grid Research Innovation & Development (GRID) department and help us change the electric utility industry from the inside!

In 2022, PG&E articulated its True North Strategy (TNS), a bold breakthrough vision that charts a course toward achieving our purpose and climate commitments over the next 10 years. The mission of R&D Operations, where this role sits, is to ensure that PG&E can bring the technologies that support the TNS vision of a resilient, decarbonized, optimized energy system from conception to reality through a rigorous R&D practice. To do so, R&D Operations leads efforts like the creation of PG&E’s R&D Strategy Report, PG&E’s Innovation Summit and Innovation Pitch Fest.  

Our team also administers PG&E’s participation in California’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program. EPIC enables PG&E and other California organizations to test and pilot novel technology solutions to meet emerging grid needs. PG&E is currently running its 4th EPIC cycle and preparing for the 5th.

Finally, in addition to articulating what needs to be solved through the R&D Strategy Report and EPIC, R&D Operations is chartered with building PG&E’s capacity to identify, test, and deploy novel solutions and technologies to address these gaps. R&D Operations is developing an end-to-end R&D management practice (“R&D Playbook”) attuned to the nuances of early-stage product development to guide R&D efforts across the utility. 

Position Summary

The R&D Operations team is seeking a curious, tenacious professional to support the implementation and continuous improvement of the R&D Playbook, and to support matrixed teams across PG&E with the execution of R&D projects. See the “Responsibilities” section below for a summary of the expected scope of the role.

A strong applicant will be organized, motivated, and empathetic, with a strong track record of successfully driving implementation of complex projects. This position is best suited for someone who is customer- and operations-minded, can translate complex discussions into a checklist of clear next steps, and is enthusiastic about the rapidly evolving electric and gas grid technology landscape.

This position is based out of PG&E’s General Office in downtown Oakland, CA. The team has a hybrid work model primarily working remotely with the expectation of working from Oakland office several days per month based on business needs. In-person activities will focus on synchronous collaboration, affinity building, ideation, and planning activities. The role will require regular travel throughout PG&E’s service territory for go-sees and meetings.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. 

Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed between the entry point and the middle of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.​ This job is also eligible to participate in PG&E’s discretionary incentive compensation programs.  

A reasonable salary range is:​

Bay Area Minimum: $122,000

Bay Area Maximum: $194,000

Job Responsibilities

• Support rollout and continuous improvement of new “R&D Playbook” across PG&E: Provide excellent internal customer service to PG&E’s R&D practitioners as they begin using the practices laid out in the R&D Playbook.
  • Interface with and support teams as they submit R&D project ideas and route those ideas through a refinement and selection process.
  • Support ongoing change management, including training, as the Playbook is rolled out across PG&E.
  • Track metrics measuring the effectiveness of the Playbook, including feedback from R&D practitioners.
  • Propose and implement improvements to the Playbook over time.

• Lead execution of high-priority R&D efforts: Act as an internal consultant to PG&E’s R&D practitioners who would like additional support with their R&D projects. Engagements will vary, and may include the following:
  • Provide strategic advising to help teams refine their R&D product vision and value hypotheses.
  • Lead teams through iterative problem statement refinement and requirements gathering.
  • Support teams as they navigate the requirements of other critical project support functions at PG&E, including Sourcing and Standards.
  • Estimate expected costs and benefits of R&D projects, and work with teams to develop an appropriate testing and measurement plan.
  • Write and manage planning documents for R&D projects that clearly outline objectives, intended outcomes, key hypotheses, and scope.
  • Coach teams to better track project progress through visual management (e.g. tactical implementation plans), and lead regular operating reviews and problem-solving sessions to identify and remove obstacles.
  • Synthesize in-flight findings into actionable recommendations and facilitate stage-gate decisions in a timely, resource-responsible fashion, harvesting learnings along the way.
  • Translate highly detailed and technical project strategies and updates into summaries that foster enterprise- and leadership-level awareness.

• General R&D Operations support and problem solving: The R&D Execution Lead will flexibly jump in to collaborate with other R&D Operations team members and support emerging priorities within R&D Operations’ scope.

Qualifications

Minimum:

• Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Business, Economics, Marketing, Psychology, or equivalent experience.
• 8 years of experience

Desired:

• Project management and implementation experience, 2+ years
• Product management and/or product development experience, 1+ year
• Experience in utility setting, 2+ years
• Certification(s) or experience with Lean, Six Sigma, Agile, and/or Design Thinking
• Strong verbal and written communication and presentation skills
• Advanced degree (e.g. Master of Business Administration, Engineering, or other)

Desired Characteristics

• Ability to build momentum and facilitate decisions without authority in a matrixed environment.
• Ability to coach and inspire teams.
• Ability to communicate complex information.
• Ability to adapt to change and quickly pivot, with a strong bias for action and results.
• Ability to be creative, versatile, efficient, and productive in the face of ambiguity and change.
• Ability to lead large and complex product initiatives that impact multiple lines of businesses in different ways.
• Strong change management skills.
• Ability to rigorously define and enforce prioritization of feature development, defeating scope creep and delivering the most impactful iterative results.