Lead Market Design Engineer - Remote Eligible at Southwest Power Pool in Little Rock, Arkansas

Job Description:

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is about more than power. We’re about the power of relationships. Our employees have the opportunity to work together to ensure electricity is delivered reliably and affordably to the millions of people living in our service territory. We have been voted one of Arkansas’ Best Places to work by Arkansas Business and we are looking for a member of our team who is passionate about our mission to keep the lights on!

We have a core ideology here at SPP that we stand by: Do the right thing, for the right reason, in the right way.

We believe in supporting our employees through a fantastic benefits package:

• Competitive and transparent pay with bonus opportunities


• Excellent insurance package including three great medical plans to choose from, employer-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance


• Relocation bonus (if applicable)


• Hybrid working environment for positions that are eligible


• Fantastic contributions to your retirement through a 401(k) savings plan with employer-match benefits and a pension (defined benefit plan) fully funded by SPP

 

COMPENSATION INFORMATION

The salary range(s) represents our good faith estimate for the role at this time. While we strive to provide competitive and transparent compensation, there may be circumstances where an offer is above or outside of the listed range. We are open to discussing salary expectations with qualified candidates considering factors such as the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, experience and geographic location will all be considered during the hiring process.

Lead Engineer range - $135,000 - $158,625

 Join our team as a Lead Market Design Engineer!

The Lead Market Design Engineer will be responsible for understanding and recommending modifications to organized wholesale market designs, facilitating market design changes, and supporting the development of market design expertise within the organization. The ideal candidate will work closely with internal and external stakeholders—including SPP Markets, Operations, Legal, Regulatory, Settlements, and Congestion Hedging departments, as well as vendors, FERC, and other RTOs/ISOs—to ensure the integrity and consistency of market processes with the overall design.

The position requires a deep understanding of market design principles, the ability to analyze complex market data, and strong communication skills to facilitate discussions and lead teams in the analysis and execution of market design changes. This role will also involve working with various teams to recommend and implement changes, produce reports, and ensure ongoing market improvements.

 Key Responsibilities:

• 
  Market Design Understanding: Apply thorough knowledge of SPP’s market rules and design, ensuring the alignment of implemented software and processes with market policy and objectives.


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  Stakeholder Engagement: Coordinate with SPP market participants and member companies regarding market design issues and changes.


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  Market Design Modifications: Recommend and facilitate market design changes through the SPP stakeholder process and communicate proposed changes to management.


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  Market Analysis & Reporting: Conduct market analysis to identify weaknesses or improvement opportunities and develop ad-hoc analyses. Create and present detailed market reports, metrics, and recommendations.


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  Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with SPP Markets, Operations, Legal, Regulatory, Settlements, and Congestion Hedging departments to ensure consistency in market design and process development.


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  Technical Expertise: Provide technical market design expertise to internal SPP committees, working groups, and external stakeholders, including regulatory bodies.


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  FERC Filings Support: Assist in supporting FERC filings by providing relevant data and supporting the drafting of testimony and filing letters.


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  Research & Benchmarking: Research and analyze market designs of other RTOs/ISOs to identify potential improvements or innovative solutions.


• 
  Education & Development: Develop and deliver education materials on market design topics. Support the training and development of junior-level market design staff.


• 
  Facilitation & Communication: Facilitate internal and external discussions to drive consensus on business development and market design changes. Present market design changes to various stakeholder committees and working groups.

 To be successful as the Lead Market Design Engineer we're looking for:

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering, this degree should:
  
  
  
  • Be from a university that meets the requirements to sit for the Professional Engineering exam (in Arkansas, that is most typically a degree from an ABET accredited university or a graduate degree from a college that has an ABET accreditation),
  
  
  • Degree should be in a calculus-based engineering field and preferred degree programs are Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Systems Engineering
  
  
  
  


• 12 years’ of relevant Engineering experience; OR


• 11 years’ of relevant Engineering experience with a Master’s Degree in Electrical, Computer, Industrial, Mechanical or Systems Engineering OR


• 10 years’ of relevant Engineering experience with a Doctoral degree in Electrical, Computer, Industrial, Mechanical, or Systems Engineering


• A Professional Engineer license is required for this role; however, 12 years’ relevant experience may be considered in lieu of a Professional Engineer License

• Proficient at organizing and conducting technical and analytical studies


• Knowledge of electric market concepts and ability to apply understanding in unique analysis


• Ability to support diverse team members and manage complex analysis projects


• Strong facilitation skills


• Strong interpersonal and team-building skills


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills


• Competent working skills with communication and data handling software such as Microsoft Office, Excel and Access


• Demonstrate proficiency in business acumen and professional conduct


• Demonstrate the ability to function with constantly changing and multiple priorities


• Demonstrate strong organizational skills


• Understanding of and compliance with SPP Policies and Procedures


• Experience in power systems operations in the Western Interconnection


• Strong understanding of OATT framework and NERC functional model


• Ability to recognize and address strategic issues important to Market Design


• Proficient at organizing and conducting complex technical and analytical studies


• Skilled at analyzing complex issues and communicating results to diverse stakeholders


• Maintain full accountability in decision making and meeting deadlines


• Provide training and mentoring to other staff

Preferred:

• Advanced degree in economics, math or other related field of study


• Experience with RTO Market formulations and optimization techniques


• Experience with either prototyping market formulation changes or software used to study market formulation changes


• Experience in utility operations, RTO operations or energy trading


• Experience with data manipulation and analysis of large data sets


•  

 Position Type and Expected Hours of Work:

• This is a full-time position. Days and hours of the workweek are Monday through Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Working extended hours may be required.

Travel Requirement:

• This position requires moderate travel (approximately 10-15%)

SPP is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and is committed to excellence. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us at HR@spp.org and let us know the nature of your request. We will only respond to messages left that involve a request for a reasonable accommodation in the application process. We will accommodate the needs of any qualified candidate who requests a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

At SPP we believe in a culture of belonging. Learn more here: Culture of Belonging - Southwest Power Pool .

Full job descriptions will be made available to those selected for an interview.

Education

Required

• Bachelors or better

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

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