Director – Argonne Grid Program

Argonne National Laboratory supports the US Department of Energy’s missions to ensure America’s security and prosperity by pursuing its energy, environmental, and economic opportunities and addressing challenges through transformative science and technology (S&T) solutions by leveraging its unique capabilities and facilities including its Aurora supercomputer, the Advanced Photon Course (APS), and the Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF). The Advanced Energy Technologies (AET) directorate at Argonne, one of five S&T directorates, seeks to enable a reliable, secure, affordable, and prosperous energy future for the U.S. AET comprises three Divisions and several cross-cutting initiatives that are focused on solving the most pressing grid, mobility, materials, and manufacturing challenges using the laboratory’s world-class scientific and engineering expertise and facilities. The AET team collaborates with internal and external partners on cutting-edge research, development, demonstration, and deployment of next-generation energy technologies.

Argonne National Laboratory is looking for a successful candidate that will provide vision and leadership for Argonne’s lab-wide grid program. The grid program director will work with leaders inside and outside the laboratory to cultivate and create new partnerships with industry, DOE, academia, and other stakeholders to build strategic collaborations and amplify the laboratory’s capabilities in ensuring grid reliability, resilience, and security for an affordable energy future.

The director will dually report to the Associate Laboratory Director of the Advanced Energy Technologies Directorate (AET) and the Associate Laboratory Director of the Nuclear Technologies and National Security Directorate (NTNS). The director will be a resource across the entire lab, with a core team assembled from all the directorates. Argonne’s grid program director will be responsible for performing business development and execution for Argonne’s science and engineering contributions across its grid and energy areas consistent with Argonne’s strategic goals and DOE’s priorities. The grid program director is responsible for developing, planning, and executing Argonne’s lab-wide power grid program. The responsibility includes business development for government offices and state agencies including U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE), Grid Deployment Office (GDO), Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Fossil Energy (FE), etc. and state and local organizations that represent the power and energy industry. The position includes developing multi-directorate program strategies, leading business development efforts, coordinating project execution, and partnering with other national laboratories on these described topics, with the ultimate goal to enhance our nation’s grid capacity, operation, and planning. Functions and aspects of the business development efforts can be delegated as needed. The position is expected to coordinate with other program directors and laboratory relationship managers to enable synergies where expertise is complimentary.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Defining strategies and plans for the Argonne-wide power grid program for developing and growing relevant research and development portfolios in the power grid and relevant areas to support DOE missions and industry needs.

• Developing and leading various grid initiatives and associated program development opportunities at Argonne.

• Serving as primary interface to grid-focused sponsors including various DOE offices (such as Office of Electricity) and programs (such grid integration programs for power plants, energy, storage, data centers, and large loads), in coordination with other Argonne Program Directors and Lab Relationship Managers.

• Serving as liaison with government agencies and offices, to ensure optimized, consistent engagement across research efforts, and managing deliverables to ensure projects goals are met on time and within established budget parameters.

• Developing, maintaining, and presenting plans and presentations to inform Argonne management of status and success action plans, including ad hoc updates as appropriate.

• Organize project or program review meetings with federal sponsors to promote and ensure success of research and development thrusts, including updates of project timelines and budget status.

• Representing Argonne signature strengths and related scientific capabilities related to these programs.

• Identifying gaps and/or shortfalls within Argonne’s mobility space and identify solutions to meet the needs of sponsors, to include potential partnerships with oth