Senior Manager of Decarbonization Programs - Energy Department

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About the Department

San José Clean Energy, or SJCE, is San José’s local, not-for-profit electricity supplier operated by the City of San José’s Energy Department. Since 2019, our dedicated and motivated team has provided clean energy for residents and businesses at competitive rates, while also offering community programs, local benefits, and increased transparency and accessibility. SJCE serves more than 350,000 customer accounts, and has contracted for more than 1 GW of power.

Joining our team means that you will be making a big impact on the fight against climate change. SJCE plays an important role in meeting San José’s ambitious goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 and in implementing the City’s climate action plan, Climate Smart San José. Thanks to SJCE, San Jose has one of the cleanest energy mixes of any large city and offers a 60% renewable product and a 100% renewable product.

Serving our community with respect and integrity is at the core of what we do. We center equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging in our work. The department also hosts active staff-led Culture and Racial Equity committees, and has won awards for its education and outreach work with Spanish and Vietnamese-speaking communities.

For more information about San José Clean Energy, please visit: www.sanjosecleanenergy.org.

Position Duties

SJCE launched service to residents and businesses in February 2019 and now serves more than 350,000 residential and commercial customer accounts. The Department’s Customer Programs Division implements a portfolio of 13 decarbonization programs with a $10M annual budget spanning building, transportation, distributed energy resources, and affordability, with a focus on ensuring equitable access and benefits for all customers.

The Department is seeking a Senior Manager of Decarbonization Programs to lead the development, implementation, continuous improvement, and evaluation of SJCE’s customer programs. This role will oversee delivery of programs that support customer adoption of clean energy technologies, shape load to reduce system costs, and improve the customer experience, while advancing the City’s climate goals and ensuring programs are accessible and beneficial to environmental justice communities. The role will also support the development of programs and strategies that serve commercial customers, strengthen key account relationships, and support long-term customer retention and load growth, including emerging large-load customers such as data centers.

This position reports to the Deputy Director of Account Management, Marketing, and Customer Programs in the Energy Department.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Lead the Customer Programs Team, overseeing day-to-day program implementation, performance, and continuous improvement across SJCE’s portfolio;

• Oversee implementation of the SJCE Programs Roadmap, ensuring programs are delivered effectively, aligned with market conditions, and responsive to customer needs;

• Oversee all aspects of program delivery, including contracts, budgets, timelines, and coordination with implementers, while identifying opportunities to streamline processes and improve operational efficiency;

• Improve the customer journey across programs by reducing barriers to participation, simplifying processes, and coordinating closely with other teams including Marketing, Account Services, Finance, Legislative Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs;

• Incorporate demand flexibility and load management strategies into program design and implementation to grow SJCE’s demand side resource;

• Oversee program performance and evaluation, including development of metrics, tracking of participation and outcomes, and analysis of customer savings, greenhouse gas reductions, and load impacts;

•Oversee the management of consultant and implementer performance, ensuring accountability, compliance, and high-quality service delivery;

• Oversee compliance with regulatory and funding requirements, including CPUC-funded programs;

• Partner with internal teams and City departments to align programs with broader City priorities, including Climate Smart San José, building electrification, and transportation electrification;

• Collaborate with marketing and community engagement team members to develop and implement outreach strategies that build awareness, foster trust, and incorporate community feedback into program design and delivery;

• Lead engagement with community organizations, industry partners, utilities, and other CCAs to support program implementation and innovation;

• Serve as a subject matter expert on customer programs, including participation in regulatory proceedings and development of policy recommendations;

• Prepare reports and presentations for City Council, executive leadership, and external stakeholders;

• Effectively manage a team of staff, consultants, and partners.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in implementing and managing customer-facing energy programs, with a focus on delivering measurable results and improving the customer experience. They have a deep understanding of electrification and demand-side management programs and are skilled at translating program design into effective, scalable implementation. navigating large, complex organizations. They are also adept at navigating large, complex organizations and can effectively navigate complex stakeholder environments, build alignment across teams and partners, and advance initiatives within public sector processes.

This candidate is a systems thinker who can manage complex programs while identifying opportunities to improve processes, reduce customer friction, and increase participation. They are comfortable working across functions, aligning program design, marketing, and operations to deliver a seamless customer experience.

The ideal candidate has experience incorporating load flexibility and demand-side strategies into programs, and understands how customer programs can support grid reliability, reduce costs, and advance climate goals. They bring strong analytical skills, are data-driven in evaluating program performance, and are able to adapt programs based on market conditions and customer behavior.

This role requires a collaborative and pragmatic leader who can manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast-paced environment with high visibility and evolving priorities.

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies, federal/state rules and regulations. Demonstrates knowledge and experience with community energy programs, energy markets, renewable energy contracts and technologies.

• Leadership - Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.

• Collaboration - Develops networks and builds alliances; engages in cross-functional activities.

• Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

• Fiscal Management - Understands the relationship of the budget and resources to the strategic plan; complies with administrative controls over funds, contracts, and procurements.

• Planning - Acts to align own unit's goals with the strategic direction of the organization; defines tasks and milestones to achieve objectives, while ensuring the optimal use of resources to meet those objectives.

• Analytical Thinking - Approaches problems or situations using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

• Project Management - Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

• Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills, displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in environmental sciences, public or business administration, or a closely related field.

Experience
Six (6) years of increasingly responsible experience in overseeing and administering complex environmental programs, including three (3) years of progressively responsible supervisory experience.

Other Qualifications

Form 700 requirement
This position requires a disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an “Assuming Office Form 700” with the City Clerk’s Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.

THIS IS A HYBRID POSITION, REQUIRING PART OF THE WORK WEEK TO BE ONSITE IN THE DOWNTOWN SAN JOSE OFFICE. The hybrid work schedule may change due to the department’s business needs in the future.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 4/20/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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