Utah Clean Energy Deputy Director - Utah Clean Energy

About Us

Utah Clean Energy is a solution-based, non-partisan nonprofit organization that has been blazing the path to a healthy climate for over 20 years. Our multi-disciplinary team includes experts in the decarbonization of our buildings, electricity sector, transportation, and climate policy. We have spearheaded impactful and far-reaching clean energy and climate policies, programs, and utility regulatory outcomes, cementing us as Utah’s foremost experts on win-win climate solutions. Our success is predicated on not only our expertise, but the strength of our partnerships, and our position that failure on climate solutions is not an option. We are committed to creating a future that ensures healthy, thriving communities for all, empowered and sustained by clean energies.

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah. We work hybrid work schedules in our new zero emission office headquarters, the Climate Innovation Center.

Position Overview

Utah Clean Energy is seeking a Deputy Director to support the Chief Executive Officer in providing leadership and support for the organization’s strategic initiatives to ensure their cohesive and impactful implementation. Utah Clean Energy’s strategic imperatives focus on achieving four outcomes: decarbonizing our energy sector, transportation sector, and built environment, as well as moving beyond partisanship to make Utah a national leader on climate solutions.

The Deputy Director will also ensure strong operations that promote an environment in which Utah Clean Energy’s team can thrive, including a positive organizational culture and strategic human resources. The scope of this role is both ambitious and pragmatic and builds on the strength of Utah Clean Energy’s reputation as a high performing team. This position is part advisor and mentor, part problem-solver, and overall all-round strategic partner in advancing Utah Clean Energy’s mission. This is a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of transformative change by steering our organization’s strategic initiatives and implementing bold solutions to reduce pollution and champion climate leadership.

Who You Are

You are passionate:The opportunity for creating big change energizes you! You understand the work we are doing to address climate change requires resiliency and a steadfast commitment to the mission.  

You are a doer and planner: You excel at laying out the possibilities. Planning and program design are second nature to you.

You are a problem-solver: You are able think ahead to identify possible obstacles, to search for and propose solutions, and help others pivot when necessary.

You are a relationship builder: You understand that implementation of high-impact initiatives requires strong stakeholder engagement. You have talents of collaboration and persuasive influence.

You invest in people: You recognize you are part of a whole. You learn from others, enjoy collaborating, teach those around you, and truly care about the people you work with.   

You inspire: You are an inspiring visionary, a trusted broker, and an expert in moving climate and clean energy policy in partnership with others.

You are unyielding: Your determination to address climate change is unwavering, driven by a conviction that we can overcome the obstacles in our path.

Candidate Profile

The incoming Deputy Director is driven by a belief in and commitment to Utah Clean Energy’s vision and mission. You champion ambitious climate actions that demand an accelerated pace of clean energy development while understanding the complexity of advancing climate solutions in a politically conservative state. Through a track record as a clean energy advocate and nonprofit leader, the successful candidate drives Utah Clean Energy’s organizational development and programmatic management with a spirit of possibility and dogged determination. You know what it takes to influence the development and implementation of state and local policy that deals with climate change and clean energy, possessing a strong grasp of the economic, social, and political forces that shape clean energy policy

A successful candidate builds authentic and lasting relationships inside and outside the organization while contributing significantly to the organization’s ambitious goals. You are self-directed, highly organized with a level-headed presence, an inspiring visionary, a trusted broker, and an expert in moving climate and clean energy policy forward in partnership with community leaders and other advocates. The successful candidate has a proven commitment to the principles of equitable access to clean energy. You understand that an organization’s strongest asset is its team. The Deputy Director plays a pivotal role in inspiring high ambition and supporting individual development and collaborative success among Utah Clean Energy’s team.

Specific Responsibilities

Programmatic Strategy & Implementation (40%)

• Work with the CEO, staff, and board to organize strategic planning, implement action plans, and work to ensure key performance indicators and milestones are achieved.
• Collaborate with staff and Development Director in identifying, connecting, and nurturing potential and existing funding relationships and opportunities.
  
  
• Partner with programmatic team leads to oversee the development of annual workplans, and develop systems/practices for regular evaluation, reinforcing the continual development, learning, and impact.
  
  
• Proactively elevate issues that could impact the successful execution of the organization’s commitments and work with senior leadership to resolve them.
• Build relationships with community and business leaders, policymakers, and philanthropists to enroll them in the mission and activities of Utah Clean Energy.

Team Leadership & Management (25%)

• Serve as a member of the leadership team, facilitating strong communication, cross-team collaboration, and the co-creation of a positive organizational culture.
  
  
• Serve as a spokesperson for Utah Clean Energy, including representing the organization externally, and as a proxy for the CEO as appropriate.
  
  
• Supervise five members of the team, including establishing annual objectives, providing regular feedback and appropriate recognition, conducting annual performance reviews, and supporting ongoing professional development.

Internal Strategy & People Operations (25%)

• In partnership with the CEO, work to position Utah Clean Energy as one of the most impactful, well-run organizations with an engaged and empowered team.
  
  
• Work with CEO to ensure internal policies are equitable and transparent, up-to-date, and meeting the needs of the organization, the mission, and the team, ensuring long-term organizational health and sustainability.
  
  
• Review, design, and execute improvements to organizational structure; identify knowledge, resource, and skills gaps and build strategies to address them.
  
  
• Serve as liaison and facilitate information flow between staff, senior leadership, and CEO regarding company climate, employee well-being, engagement with mission, and workflows.
  
  
• Lead strategic human resources functions, including organizational culture, recruitment, talent management, and professional development.
  
  
• Support the CEO and senior leadership in conducting annual staff reviews and ensuring regular bi-lateral feedback.
  
  
• Lead in the development and contribute to an inclusive and cohesive organizational culture that inspires strong commitment and work-life harmony.

Board Engagement (10%)

• Coordinate with the CEO and Finance Director as an additional liaison with the Board of Directors to support their fiduciary duties and deepen their engagement in Utah Clean Energy’s mission.
  
  
• Partner with the CEO and board to recruit and onboard new board members.
  
  
• Ensure annual conflict of interest statements, board calendar, and annual compliance report summary for board members are completed.
  
  
• Support the Governance & Board Recruitment Committee in meeting annual objectives.
  
  
• Coordinate with senior leadership and team leads to provide regular updates to the board on program outcomes and strategy.

Qualifications

• A strong commitment to the mission and goals of Utah Clean Energy and a passion for solving the climate crisis through policy advocacy and community engagement.
  
  
• At least 10 years of increasing responsibility in program design and implementation and/or policy design and advocacy, with a proven track record of accomplishments designing and executing strategies that generate strong results in climate and clean energy.
  
  
• At least four years of experience as an organizational leader and manager who advances organizational goals with and through others by diligent daily practice and long-term vision.
  
  
• A strong grasp of the challenges of climate change, including the economic, social, and political forces that shape environmental policy related to clean energy in Utah.
  
  
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in a discipline that supports policy and regulatory issues for clean energy development, such as law, political science, engineering, environmental science or business.
  
  
• Experience in planning and leading strategic initiatives with the ability to enroll others in an inspiring vision.
  
  
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate organizational priorities to internal and external audiences.
  
  
• Proven self-starter who thinks strategically and achieves results in a fast-paced, highly collaborative team environment.
  
  
• Exceptional project management skills and a high degree of emotional intelligence to support consensus building and collaboration among diverse stakeholders who may possess divergent viewpoints.
  
  
• Outstanding relationship-building skills with range of internal and external constituencies, bringing a highly collaborative style.
  
  
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO and subject matter experts to help operationalize strategy.
  
  
• Experience inside or working with government agencies, utilities, or state legislature(s).
  
  
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams, as well as project management software.

  ---

Our Commitment to Equity

Utah Clean Energy understands that working towards equity and social justice is an ongoing, dynamic, and complicated process. To that end, we are committed to learning and adapting in order to embed equity into our daily work, programs, and office environment. To achieve these things, we focus on the following priorities: including and uplifting diverse voices, building relationships, staff engagement and awareness, and incorporating equity into our work.

Our goal is to have a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to a policy of nondiscrimination with regard to race, sex, color, age, religion, creed, class, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and disability in recruitment, hiring, and promotion. We strongly encourage candidates with diverse backgrounds to apply. If you’ve read this job announcement but do not meet 100% of the qualifications but are inspired by our vision and mission, we hope you will apply.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $130,000 - $150,000 and is a full-time exempt position. Salary is dependent on relevant and demonstrated experience, with most candidates starting under or close to the mid-point of the salary range. Utah Clean Energy’s benefits package includes company-paid health insurance, 403(b) retirement plan contributions, life & long- term disability insurance coverage, paid vacation leave, sick leave, holiday leave, and parental leave and a hybrid work environment that supports strong work-life harmony.

Timeline & Application Process

Open until filled with an initial application deadline September 30. To apply, please submit your resume, cover letter, and responses to the two below candidate questions in the application form.

Q1) What motivates you to spend your time and talent on climate and clean energy?

Q2) Briefly share a successful program or policy you played a leadership role in developing. How did you work with internal and external stakeholders to achieve the desired impact? What did you learn from the experience that you would bring to Utah Clean Energy?