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Job Description
Description
Are you driven to make a positive impact on the environment?
Join the Resource Management Division at City of Palo Alto Utilities (CPAU) and embark on a rewarding career!
Career Opportunity
As a Manager of Utilities Program Services, you will play an integral part in helping the Palo Alto community reach its ambitious goal to achieve 80% reductions in carbon emissions by 2030. Extraordinary effort will be required to help residents and businesses make the necessary changes for a sustainable future. Depending on the selected candidate’s background and organizational priorities, this position may take charge of one of several critical program areas:- Residential Programs - Lead the residential team focusing on single-family homes, promoting electrification, energy efficiency, and water use efficiency. You’ll support residents in transitioning to sustainable home systems that reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources.
- Multi-Family and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure - Drive decarbonization strategies for multi-family residential buildings and oversee initiatives to expand electric vehicle charging access. This includes integrating water and energy efficiency into building upgrades to maximize environmental benefits.
- Commercial and Industrial Programs - Lead the commercial team working with small and medium-sized businesses, as well as large commercial and industrial customers, to reduce energy and water use, advance electrification, and support sustainability practices tailored to each sector’s needs.
Utilities Program Services is well-resourced, with eight program administrators, two key account representatives, and support staff including a business analysist and administrative assistants. Additional analytical support is provided by Resource Planners. You will directly supervise 3-4 staff members and will manage teams working on cross-divisional projects.
Funding for programs includes $3.7 million per year from a Public Benefits surcharge, approximately $1.5 million per year from the Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, funding from the Electric and Gas Cap and Trade programs, and grant funding. Additional resources are being investigated to expand building electrification programs.
Ideal Candidate
CPAU is seeking a candidate with the vision and management skills to guide Utilities Program Services in an environment of rapid change within the utility industry. Traditional energy efficiency, while still critical, is now competing with community interest in reducing carbon in vehicles and buildings, interest in on-site generation and storage for resiliency, and the growing need to introduce more flexibility into the utility’s loads to manage the variability of the grid’s growing renewable fleet.
We are seeking a leader who is:- Excited to help the community achieve its goals by developing effective relationships and partnerships both inside and outside the organization;
- Experienced in supervising and managing employees;
- Proficient in creating and implementing customer-focused programs related to energy and/or sustainability, including negotiating contracts with 3rd party program operators;
- Well-versed in utility energy efficiency and/or energy technologies like electric vehicles, solar systems, energy storage, and demand response;
- Knowledgeable about marketing and communications; and,
- Comfortable with cost-effectiveness evaluation methodologies.
Benefits: The City offers a fantastic benefits package that includes affordable healthcare plans, generous retirement packages, paid parental leave, convenient commuter programs and more !
Compensation (UMPAPA): Comprehensive compensation plan. To learn more, click here .
Schedule: Hybrid, 9/80 work schedule (with every other Friday off) and up to 2 remote days per week.
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Develops and implements marketing plans to promote the efficient use of resources to the City of Palo Alto retail customers.
- Develops and implements programs to market utility services within the City of Palo Alto consistent with utilities’ goals and objectives.
- Promotes, implements, and coordinates demand-side management programs to fulfill City goals.
- Supervises the residential, commercial, institutional, industrial and Key Customer programs.
- Directs the daily activities of professionals and technical staff (plus agency or temporary staff) in the development, implementation, and operation of programs to market the Utilities’ services and to promote the efficient use of supply resources.
- Prepares and submits proposals appropriate to obtain grants and/or other funds to promote efficient resource use of utilities customers.
To review the full job description, click here .
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:- Possession of a bachelor's degree in engineering, economics, business, marketing or a closely-related field from an accredited college or university; and,
- Eight years of related experience in a utility or business organization including project management, public affairs, marketing and supervision.
Note: A Master’s degree in business, marketing or other related field
Special Requirement:- Valid California driver’s license
Supplemental Information
The Selection Process:- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 10/19/2025 11:59 PM Pacific - Residential Programs - Lead the residential team focusing on single-family homes, promoting electrification, energy efficiency, and water use efficiency. You’ll support residents in transitioning to sustainable home systems that reduce carbon emissions and conserve resources.
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ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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