Environmental Economist

Environmental Economist 

Non-Union Position
Strategic Planning Staff; Portland, Oregon (US-OR)  

Hybrid schedule available for Oregon & Washington residents. 
Regular FT 
Posting # 4702  

 

About Us:

 

At NW Natural, we offer more than rewarding career opportunities and a vibrant, inclusive work culture. We invite you to join us in providing safe and reliable utility services and renewable energy to better the lives of the communities we serve. Our vision is to be the leader in service excellence, innovation and environmental stewardship for our customers, while building on our strengths as a trusted energy provider and environmental leader for our industry.  

 

In addition to environmental stewardship, We’re also deeply committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at NW Natural. Our DEI Council started 21 years ago, and today we continue to foster a culture where all employees can experience a sense of belonging, shared purpose and possibility.
 

The Role:

 

This position plays a key role in shaping the transformation of NW Natural as the energy industry decarbonizes. The successful candidate can lead complex quantitative and qualitative analyses, evaluate policies and programs and develop strategic solutions in support of sustainability and resilience programs.  This position would work closely with Integrated Resource Team and participate in many cross-functional teams providing technical quantitative expertise. This position requires the ability to work closely with other departments whilst balancing multiple projects, and deadlines.  In this role, you would use your knowledge of various analyses including cost-effectiveness, benefit-cost statistics, total resource cost, utility cost, break-even, Triple-bottom line, financial, and regulatory impact analysis in addition to your risk modeling to help analyze trends, validate predictive models, and improve and inform strategic business decisions.  This position also would leverage your communication skills to be able to present and communicate complex analyses to nontechnical people in an effective manner.

Day to Day:

 

• Oversee or develop and maintain cutting-edge analytic models and integration of climate change to assist with both the load and emissions forecast.
• Perform technical and economic analyses of environmental compliance options including no/low carbon fuels, carbon allowances, and offsets including using simulation models to evaluate and identify the best mix of resources that support compliance requirements and applicable regulatory rules and guidelines
• Analyzes and forecasts the impact of various environmental policies on the company’s customers and assists with calculations/compilations for the Company’s ESG efforts
• Apply subject matter expertise and thought leadership on the costs and benefits of environmental policies and regulations affecting customers
• Develop and maintain thought leadership on key issues. Represent NW Natural in various forums.
• Contributes technical analyses to the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and other reports as needed including preparing graphics and presentations in Technical Working Groups and other public meetings
• Evaluates equity considerations and supports environmental justice initiatives with technical analyses
• Lead teams including outside consultants in conducting and publishing high-quality economic and applied policy analyses and research to inform policy and advocacy efforts
• Serves as a company-wide resource for strategic planning and analysis and provides recommendations on research insights and data analysis.
• Provides information for presentation to regulatory bodies.
• Communicates complex technical or statistical concepts to a nontechnical audience 
• Demonstrates appropriate leadership and decision-making behaviors; maintains technical job knowledge and personal skill development.

Come on your first day with:

 

• Master’s degree in a relevant technical discipline (Economics, Statistics, Math, Operations Research, Computer Science, or similar field) and 5+ years in relevant technical discipline.
• Highly proficient in SAS/Stata/R or other statistical programming applications.
• Proven ability to apply regression modeling, stationary and nonstationary time series analysis, data mining, Monte Carlo simulation, or other data analytical skills
• Experience in a regulated utility environment, utility demand forecasting, or energy system planning preferred.  
• Effective verbal communication skills on an individual and group presentation basis, including negotiation and facilitation skills and techniques.
• Experience creating compelling presentations using data visualization software a