Title: Sr. Resource Specialist
Employment Type: Contract
Compensation Range: $76.00 to $84.00 per hour
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Work Schedule: Hybrid; M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with alternating Fridays off (9/80 schedule)
Industry: Public Utility / Wholesale Energy Markets
Company Overview
This organization operates within a large public-sector utility environment and supports complex energy, water, resource planning, market operations, and infrastructure-related programs. The team is responsible for managing specialized technical, financial, regulatory, and operational work tied to wholesale energy markets and resource strategy.
Position Summary
The Senior Resource Specialist will support a busy, team-oriented power operating and planning function with a focus on energy markets, power trading, origination, and energy risk management. This role is responsible for identifying opportunities to transact physical and financial power and environmental products, supporting hedge strategy, and helping mitigate financial and operational risk across a wholesale power portfolio.
The ideal candidate brings deep knowledge of energy commodity markets, Western U.S. wholesale electricity markets, CAISO, and contracting structures for short- and long-term transactions. This position requires strong quantitative capability, market judgment, stakeholder communication, and experience supporting commercial decisions in a fast-paced energy environment.
Key Responsibilities
• Conduct market and regulatory research and provide in-depth market analysis to support strategic decision-making and hedge strategy development
• Collaborate with market operations and scheduling coordinators to support efficient energy trade execution and compliance with risk management limits
• Partner with energy analytics staff to contribute to energy market fundamentals models and portfolio analysis
• Evaluate opportunities involving physical and financial power and environmental products, including energy, resource adequacy, import allocations, renewable energy credits, carbon allowances, and transmission capacity
• Apply knowledge of ISO and RTO markets, especially CAISO, including spark spreads, heat rates, transmission rights, option valuation, day-ahead markets, real-time markets, scheduling mechanics, and CAISO settlements
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities with counterparties including independent power producers, municipal utilities, and large commercial or industrial customers
• Support or negotiate complex multi-year agreements including power purchase agreements, tolling agreements, and resource adequacy contracts
• Maintain energy industry market awareness and counterparty relationships to track upcoming requests for proposals and solicitation activity
• Use ETRM systems and analytical tools to evaluate long-term value, risk exposure, and portfolio impacts
• Exercise sound judgment, creative thinking, accountability, and professional communication across internal and external stakeholders
• Perform other related duties as required
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a related field and eight years of relevant experience, or an advanced degree from an accredited college or university in a related field and six years of relevant experience
• Minimum experience in power trading or origination
• Deep understanding of energy commodity markets including power, natural gas, renewables, and related market products
• Knowledge of retail and wholesale energy supply structures and markets, including CAISO expertise
• Experience navigating ETRM platforms such as Allegro, Endur, OATI, PCI, or comparable systems
• Extensive financial modeling and analytical skills
• Understanding of financial derivatives including swaps, options, futures, FTRs, and CRRs
• Deep experience in wholesale renewable energy and battery storage analytics and valuation
• Expert knowledge of power purchase agreements and associated contracting structures
• Expertise in valuation and risk management approaches for generation assets, including how plant-specific operational characteristics and constraints drive value and risk
• Deep knowledge of Western U.S. wholesale electricity markets, including regional trends, dynamics, and impacts on asset value and risk
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, charts, ad hoc data analysis, and report-quality visualizations
• Familiarity with Power BI or comparable reporting tools
• Ability to operate independently or within a close-knit team in a fast-paced, results-oriented professional environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including experience presenting to senior leadership and managing cross-functional stakeholder groups
• Experience managing or mentoring junior team members
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with CAISO settlements, scheduling mechanics, transmission capacity, resource adequacy, renewable energy credits, carbon allowances, and import allocations
• Experience negotiating or supporting power purchase agreements, tolling agreements, resource adequacy contracts, or similar commercial energy agreements
• Established network within the Western U.S. energy industry, including counterparties, independent power producers, municipal utilities, or commercial and industrial energy customers
• Local Southern California candidate availability
• Demonstrated ability to work in a personable, flexible, organized, and detail-oriented manner while managing pressure and competing priorities