Program Director
Why you want to work here...
GRID Alternatives is a national leader in making clean, affordable solar power and solar jobs accessible to low-income communities and communities of color. GRID is an entrepreneurial, high-growth non-profit organization that provides direct solar installation and project development; clean mobility options; workforce training and service learning opportunities; and low-income solar policy advocacy.
Our Vision: a rapid, equitable transition to a world powered by renewable energy that benefits everyone.
Our Mission: to build community-powered solutions to advance economic and environmental justice through renewable energy.
Based in Oakland, California, GRID has 8 regional offices and affiliates serving all of California, Colorado, Mid-Atlantic/Washington D.C. region, and Tribal Lands within the U.S. Additionally, GRID has international operations in Nicaragua, Mexico, and Nepal. GRID has a dedicated staff of 400 and growing!
What it's like at GRID…
At GRID, we care about each other and know that each employee has a whole self that includes life outside of work. Our culture supports learning, growth and well-being of all of our team members. Every member of GRID Alternatives must be dedicated to participating in the organization's equity, inclusion, and diversity (EID) work.
GRID Alternatives provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetics. Because we value EID at GRID Alternatives, we encourage folks from all backgrounds to apply, even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications.
**Hired CA candidates must be able to pass a screening for drugs that are illegal in the state of California, including: amphetamine, cocaine metabolite, opiates, and PCP.
About Solar Access for Nationwide Affordable Housing (SANAH), a Solar For All Program...
Funded and overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) via the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), GRID Alternatives leads a ten-organization team of America’s leading mission-driven nonprofit affordable housing providers and clean energy allies to develop and implement the Solar Access for Nationwide Affordable Housing Program (SANAH). SANAH is designed to maximize household and community benefits and advance justice while reducing unhealthy pollution and addressing climate change. By providing financial assistance in the form of grants and incentives and connecting larger scale projects to loans — along with technical assistance from organizations with deep experience in equitable deployment of residential-serving renewable energy — SANAH will support equitable solar deployment for over 35,000 households living in single- and multifamily affordable housing across 29 priority states and territories. Program benefits include expanded access to solar and energy storage for income-qualified households; energy savings and burden relief; energy efficiency and electrification co-benefits; job training and inclusive workforce development opportunities; support for American manufacturing; opportunities for small- and disadvantaged business enterprises; increased community and grid resilience; and community-centered engagement and participatory governance based on relationships of respect and trust. Based in California, GRID Alternatives' SANAH program is currently under development with partner organizations across the nation and the EPA and is slated to launch by May 1, 2025.
For more information, see GRID’s press release here and EPA’s press release here.
SANAH builds on GRID’s experience over the last 20 years as the nation’s largest nonprofit solar energy provider, and Solar For All is modeled, in part, on programs and initiatives that GRID has helped to pioneer through its Energy For All Program, which brings solar and its benefits, including nearly $700m in savings to income-qualified households and families in tandem with nation-leading workforce development programming.
About the Program Director role...
The Program Director for SANAH/SFA will lead the coordination of a large cross-departmental in-house team, along with nine partner organizations, to successfully design, launch, and implement the SANAH Program, which will run through April 30, 2029. As the day-to-day leader and responsible party, the Director will be strongly supported by and will collaborate closely with GRID’s VP of Policy & Programs and Program Management Officer, as well as many other key leaders and staff spanning GRID’s departments to ensure the success of this historic program.
With support from throughout the organization, the Director’s purview will be comprehensive of all the programmatic and administrative tasks related to the effective and efficient functioning of the program, including staff development and management; funder and partner management; contract and grant management and compliance; scope of work implementation and tracking; budgeting and invoicing; reporting and evaluation; and change management across the program’s functional areas over the program lifecycle. Program functional areas include administration; marketing, education, and outreach; technical and financial assistance; workforce development; contractor engagement; and project management.
The Opportunity...
Equity and inclusion
- Apply a strong equity lens to all aspects of the program lifecycle, ensuring alignment with GRID's mission and core values.
- Ensure the program is developed and designed to achieve equity outcomes by ensuring robust equity inputs, continuous evaluation, and change management when needed.
- Support the development of a positive, collaborative, and cohesive team culture—internally and with partners—fostering alignment and inclusion.
Strategic planning and coordination
- Collaborate with key stakeholders, including GRID staff spanning all departments, coalition partners, and other local and relevant stakeholders to strategically implement SANAH’s scope of work.
- Monitor and evaluate program progress, identify risks, and proactively source creative solutions to ensure program compliance and the achievement of stated program goals.
- Ensure that GRID’s relevant departments (including Policy & Programs, Construction, Outreach, Workforce Development, Operations, and Communications) and regional offices coordinate and communicate effectively and work in alignment to advance community and participant co-benefits across GRID’s relevant programs (for example, clean mobility).
Internal and external communication
- Maintain effective communication channels for collaboration across relevant GRID departments and regional offices to ensure clarity of roles and responsibilities and to promote a shared understanding of and support for current and emerging program priorities.
- Maintain and strengthen existing communication channels that promote relationship-building, alignment, and successful collaboration among SANAH partner organizations and stakeholders.
- Serve as the lead meeting facilitator for internal and coalition meetings.
- Effectively represent the program externally in coordination with GRID’s Communications Department, providing thought leadership and engaging stakeholders for program-relevant coordination and collaboration.
Program development and management
- Understand and conduct all program management activities in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including, but not limited to, 2 CFR 200 and EPA requirements.
- Apply best management practices and collaborate across internal and external teams to ensure the successful implementation of the SANAH workplan across the program lifecycle.
- Track and manage program budgets and support and oversee timely and complaint invoicing in collaboration with GRID’s Accounting Department.
- Actively participate in GRID’s Program Management Office, supporting knowledge and resource sharing across teams and our portfolio of programs to hone best management practices and ensure continuous improvement in program management and implementation.
- With support from the PgMO, develop and maintain a program management dashboard to interactively display key data and indicators, monitor project status, performance, and health, and help identify risks, challenges, and opportunities for improvement.
- Collaborate with subawardees, monitor their progress and challenges, and proactively support the attainment of shared goals.
Resource management and support
- Identify resource needs, and build and maintain a library of internal program resources, promoting efficient collaboration.
- Maintain working knowledge of relevant software technologies and create and maintain collaborative processes to secure tools when needed, socialize their importance and potential impact, oversee staff training on their effective use, and govern staff’s appropriate utilization of such tools on an ongoing basis.
- These include but may not be limited to: Microsoft Office and Google Suite, task management tools (such as Asana), customer relationship management (CRM) tools (such as Salesforce), application processing tools, file management systems, and other tools in common use for program administration and management.
What you need to bring to this role...
- Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity, with a strong understanding of the connection between the energy system and economic and environmental justice.
- Strong leadership and inclusive decision-making abilities, coupled with flexibility and adaptability in a dynamic environment.
- Proven program development and management expertise with a proven track record of success.
- Deep experience building and managing large, cross-departmental, and multifunctional teams.
- In-depth knowledge of the solar and/or the renewable energy sector in the US, including the policy drivers of market development, project finance, and the project lifecycle.
- Attention to detail and process orientation.
- Exemplary written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders;
- Demonstrated ability to inspire positive, collaborative, active, and proactive problem-solving amid diverse and ongoing challenges.
- Ability to assess team capacity and developmental needs and provide guidance and support accordingly.
- Experience in data collection, analysis, and evaluation.
- Proven experience developing and maintaining a large budget and tracking expenses across a large team and program.
It would be great if you also had...
- PMP certification
- Experience managing and implementing multi-partner federal grants
- Professional or lived experience with affordable housing and environmental justice
Where you will sit and the places you may go…
This position may rarely require up to 25% out-of-town travel to regional offices and special projects such as company-wide celebrations, team building exercises, etc. Availability to work nights and weekends may very rarely be required.
GRID Alternatives may provide vehicles for work travel and/or travel reimbursement for personal vehicle use. In this instance, applicants must hold a valid driver’s license and have a good driving record.
Let's Talk Money
This is a full-time, exempt position. Salary pay commensurate with experience within the pay band ($100k-$130k annually), plus the benefits below.
How we take care of you...
Medical, Dental, Vision/Eye Care insurance, 5 weeks paid time off (PTO),13 paid holidays, Commuter Checks, 403b Retirement Plan, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA), STD, LTD, and AD&D insurance
Ready to Apply?
Submit a resume describing your interest. Due to the high volume of inquiries, mailed and emailed applications are not accepted. Please do not call and/or email requesting an update.
Thank you for your interest in GRID Alternatives!
