Posting Title

Demand Forecasting Lead Scientist

Location

CO - Golden

Position Type

Regular

Hours Per Week

40

Working at NLR

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description

NLR is seeking an accomplished demand forecasting specialist within the Strategic Energy Analysis and Decisions Sciences (SEADS) directorate. The SEADS directorate contributes to an exciting portfolio of energy analysis and grid futures studies, applying advanced modeling and simulation tools to optimally plan, design, and analyze distribution and bulk power systems.

You would join us in strategizing, supporting, and growing energy demand forecasting research such as the future of large load siting and interconnection, demand response value and opportunities, growth in next-generation energy carriers, as well as innovative approaches to analyze the impact of electrification of buildings and transportation.

Our work informs technology developers, policymakers, utilities and the wider energy industry by developing and analyzing future scenarios that answer critical questions about how the energy system is transforming. This position seeks an experienced and recognized energy expert who can strategize and grow demand forecasting research at NLR. This is a recent example of one of the tools NLR has developed: https://maps.nrel.gov/speed-to-power/?vL=6834e82591241decedd4ef8c%2C682746c9d58843cf7876093e%2C6838ae2891241decedd4ef8f%2C685c736d77a7c73f0a473a5d

What We Can Offer

• A collaborative, fast-paced, flexible, and fun work environment
• Endless opportunities to both mentor and learn from experienced professionals in renewable and efficient energy systems, as well as software development and computation
• Portfolios of research that facilitate a reliable, affordable, abundant energy future
• Fostering a life-long desire to understand, analyze, and plan the future energy system
• Leading-edge analysis and a broad suite of experts from supply-side and demand-side energy sectors

Job Responsibilities May Include

• Foster teams, projects, strategies, and relationships that establish and maintain NLR as a leader in demand-side research
• Strategize growth of a demand forecasting portfolio
• Develop projects and build teams for projects that contribute to the advancement of demand-side research including demand forecasting
• Build laboratory-wide teams and serve as a technical resource and mentor at a laboratory level
• Develop and respond to potential business development activities relating to demand-side industry needs
• Represent the laboratory to external agencies
• Forge relationships with DOE offices with focus on demand-side research and peer national labs
• Frequently interact with laboratory and/or governmental senior level management
• Serve as mentor/trainer for other workers (e.g., interns, postdocs, Research Technologists, Technicians) and begins to mentor other Researchers within their organization (e.g., group, center or directorate)
• Regularly seeks and secures project funding to cover self and others
• Collaborate with research experts from wide group of skillsets, and ensure coordination across relevant projects and programs lab-wide
• Communicate an inspiring vision of the future across the organization
• Empathize and actively learn about customers’ needs
• Be an externally facing champion and conduit for the research happening across NLR
• Write and publish results of analyses in peer-reviewed journals and/or technical reports and/or other publications
• Reinforces positive physical and behavioral safety culture within the laboratory

Researcher V-Model Engineering

All of the above in addition to the following:

• Advocates for research projects, programs, and strategies by communicating the impact, accomplishments, and needs to senior level stakeholders and partners internally and externally.
• Frequently serves as a technical leader, role model, and mentor in the laboratory and externally within their field of research.
• Provides technical direction to internal and external teams or organizations for diverse and/or uniquely complex projects.
• Coordinates and monitors the work of others in large and/or multi-institutional and interdisciplinary teams.
• Serves as a role model for effective and creative technical leadership at national and/or international levels.
• Consistently briefs senior-level laboratory and/or governmental managers.
• Builds national, multi-disciplinary, or intensely focused teams and serves as a technical resource and mentor to communities external to the laboratory.
• Represents and can negotiate laboratory participation in large, national and/or international projects.
• Consistently interacts with laboratory and/or governmental senior-level management.
• Mentors others within their organization. May mentor others outside organization (e.g., cross-directorate).

Basic Qualifications

This role can be hired at a level IV or a level V:

Researcher V

Relevant PhD and 9 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 12 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 14 or more years of experience . Apply advanced engineering technical principles, theories and concepts. Contributes to the development of new principles and concepts. Considered a national subject matter expert. Demonstrates leadership in a number of areas including all team, task and/or project lead responsibilities (works independently). Demonstrated management of complex and/or impactful projects. Excellent writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

Researcher IV

Relevant PhD and 4 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 7 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 9 or more years of experience . Applies extensive engineering technical expertise, and has full knowledge of other related disciplines. Considered a technical resource. Demonstrates leadership in several areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Excellent writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

• You have extensive experience with power system, transmission modeling, and/or energy systems planning tools, including load/energy forecasting
• You are a visionary thinker backed by a strong strategic and analytical framing
• You are an innovator and provide creative solutions to complex problems
• You pick up on new concepts quickly, synthesize information and generate insights

Preferred Qualifications

• You have a history of leading significant ($3M or more) and impactful projects funded by DOE and/or industry
• You have long-standing relationships with DOE offices and leadership of national labs and industry
• You have helped inform leadership decisions at DOE and align various stakeholders, with diverging opinions

Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Researcher V / Annual Salary Range: $120,400 - $216,700

Job Profile: Researcher IV / Annual Salary Range: $100,400 - $180,700

NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

• Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement

NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodations

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