Grid Planning Impact Fellow

Washington D.C. – Full-Time Remote

ABOUT THE POSITION 

The FAS Talent Hub is seeking a fellow for a 1 year term (with potential opportunity to extend) to learn about the planning team within the Grid Deployment Office at the Department of Energy through embedding for a one-year term. The Fellow will support the team with developing a large-scale program for providing technical assistance to state agencies on grid and transmission planning.

The Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is seeking a mid-senior level Fellow to play a critical role in conducting technical assistance for states within the planning domain. This Fellow would support the development and execution of a technical assistance program that GDO could offer to states in response to FERC's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in April 2022. This rulemaking introduces new requirements for long-term transmission planning and cost allocation, emphasizing coordination between transmission providers and state regulators. As transmission is complex, both from a technical and policy standpoint, GD-20's goal is to assist states in their understanding, planning, and strategic goals around transmission.

Current federal employees are not eligible for this position. 

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING 

• Using your background and expertise to conduct technical assistance for state-level grid planning and supporting the development of a state planning technical assistance program. 
• Developing educational resources on basic transmission planning topics, including hosting training and office hours for states as requested.
• Assisting states with public utility compliance filings through:
  • Holding workshops and writing technical papers to help establish project selection criteria and understand benefits calculations;
  • Supporting developing regional transmission cost allocation methods and facilitating state agreements; and 
  • Creating databases of utility rate information, state policies, and other data that can support long-term planning. 
• Supporting implementation of long-term transmission plans through:
  • Developing scenario planning tools and databases to reflect state policies and data; 
  • Holding regular workshops to share best practices between stakeholders; and
  • Creating a national database of local transmission policies and decision-making factors to assess regional planning scenarios. 
• Helping enhance interregional coordination by developing continent-wide production cost model datasets to help satisfy long-term planning requirements and state policies.
• Conducting planning, modeling, and analysis research and convening stakeholders to explore challenges and opportunities of the development of interregional electricity and offshore wind transmission planning. 
• Collaborating with independent systems operators and regional transmission operators to improve planning capabilities. 
• Coordinating with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and other organizations on long-term reliability assessments. 
• Facilitating planning efforts with Power Marketing Administrations throughout the process. 

YOUR BACKGROUND AND ABILITIES 

• Background in energy, transmission planning, energy policy, or related fields. 
• Experience with energy planning efforts, especially at the state and regional level. 
• Skilled in research, analysis, and energy modeling. 
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and independently. 
• Strong relationship management skills, and ability to build and maintain cross-sector stakeholder relationships. 

EDUCATION & OTHER REQUIREMENTS 

Unfortunately, FAS is unable to consider current federal employees for the FAS Impact Fellowship. 

Stipend

The Fellowship will provide a stipend that accounts for the cost of benefits for the entirety of the fellowship duration at an annual rate of $128,000 per year. Additional information about the Fellowship can be found in our FAQ. 

HOW TO APPLY 

To apply, please submit your interest here. We strongly encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Early submission will ensure your application receives full consideration. 

ABOUT IMPACT FELLOWSHIPS 

The FAS Impact Fellowship is a selective fellowship program that supports the development and placement of emerging scientific and technical talent within high-impact roles across the federal government. From education to clean energy, immigration, wildfire resilience, national security, and fair housing, Impact Fellows are serving across a variety of federal agencies in roles that augment existing government teams as they confront some of the greatest scientific and social challenges of our time.