In PersonPosition is in the greater Detroit or Chicagoland area; travel up to 25%, including overnight travel.
Business & StrategyBusiness Operations
About the job
Requirements
A bachelor's degree in Energy, Engineering, Business, or another related field, or equivalent experience with at least 7 years of managerial experience.
At least 10 years of proven success in the energy efficiency industry.
At least 7 years of utility energy efficiency program management experience.
At least 7 years of experience managing and expanding utility and business partner relationships.
Demonstrated experience leading teams of varying sizes and experience levels, motivating employees, and generating results in a multi-state environment that encourages collaboration and a core-values culture.
Demonstrated experience managing multi-million-dollar contracts, key account client relationships, business development, staff and resources, and profit and loss.
Experience managing and building high-level utility and stakeholder relationships.
Strategic, hands-on leadership, organizational, communication, and people-management skills.
Ability to communicate, present, and influence credibly and effectively at all organizational levels, including executive and C-level.
Listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
Ability to thrive in a results-driven environment.
Critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
Valid driver's license.
Responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the design, implementation, and performance of the company's energy efficiency program portfolio.
Lead and develop Directors, Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, field teams, and Engineering teams to achieve operational excellence and client success.
Ensure programs meet contractual requirements, regulatory obligations, energy savings targets, client priorities, and performance metrics.
Build and maintain trusted-advisor relationships with assigned client leadership, partners, key stakeholders, and industry organizations as the primary relationship leader.
Drive accountability and portfolio performance through governance, KPI management, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement, including improving program effectiveness, innovation, customer experience, operational efficiency, and market impact.
Maintain portfolio profit-and-loss accountability, including revenue, expenses, gross margin, forecasting, and profitability.
Develop and execute annual operating plans, budgets, resource strategies, and growth objectives.
Oversee engineering functions supporting program delivery, technical compliance, and energy savings calculations; ensure engineering methodologies, savings estimates, and reporting processes align with utility requirements, evaluation standards, and regulatory changes.
Lead the startup, transition, and launch of new and existing energy efficiency programs for existing and new clients while minimizing operational disruption and client risk.
Ensure organizational readiness for new program implementations, including staffing, systems, processes, training, and partner coordination.
Partner with Business Development and contribute industry expertise to support new business pursuits, rebids, contract extensions, expansions, and portfolio growth opportunities.
Contribute to proposal development, solution design, pricing strategies, client presentations, and contract negotiations.
Identify opportunities to expand client relationships, enhance program offerings, and increase portfolio value.
Foster accountability, collaboration, operational discipline, safety, innovation, continuous improvement, and client service excellence.
Develop high-performing leaders and teams, including 5–6 direct reports, through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and professional development within a core-values-driven culture.
Provide executive reporting and strategic recommendations to senior leadership on portfolio performance, financial results, client satisfaction, and organizational growth.
Serve on the Operations leadership team and partner with executive leadership to establish strategic priorities and drive enterprise growth and performance.
Desired Qualifications
Advanced degree.
Certified Energy Manager certification.
Project Management Professional certification.
Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Company Overview:
Founded in 2000, Walker-Miller Energy Services is a core-values driven company committed to changing lives through energy efficiency. We create and manage customized energy waste reduction programs that help electric and gas utilities meet mandated energy savings goals.
Our experience driven philosophy of energy efficiency as economic development helps families and businesses save energy and save money. Through innovative, inclusive initiatives, we help build communities by creating local jobs, producing equitable energy savings for all rate payers, and spurring the growth of diverse local businesses.
Our operating philosophy is reflected in our core values. We refer to them as BEHIVE:
B - Boldly Go
E- Embrace Equity
H - Humble Confidence
I - Inclusive Stewardship
V - Value Reputation
E - Extraordinary Experience
Position Summary:
The Vice President of Energy Efficiency provides leadership and operational oversight for the company's portfolio of energy efficiency (EE) programs. Reporting to the Executive Vice President of Operations & Business Development, this role is responsible for program strategy, client satisfaction, financial performance, and achievement of contractual energy savings and performance metrics across multiple utility clients and territories.
The Vice President leads the EE program delivery and Engineering teams responsible for program design, implementation, technical compliance, and delivery excellence. This role also serves as a key executive partner to clients and key partners, oversees the successful launch of new programs and territories, and collaborates with Business Development to support growth, rebid, and new contract opportunities. Success in this role is measured by client retention and growth, portfolio profitability, operational excellence, client goal achievement, and the development of high-performing teams.
Essential Responsibilities: This list of responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as management may deem necessary from time to time.
Embrace, operate and lead within the core values.
Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the design, implementation, and performance of the company's energy efficiency program portfolio.
Lead and develop Directors, Portfolio Managers, Program Managers, field and Engineering teams to achieve operational excellence and client success.
Ensure all programs meet contractual requirements, regulatory obligations, energy savings targets, client priorities and performance metrics.
Serve as the primary relationship leader to build and maintain trusted advisor relationships with assigned client leadership, partners, key stakeholders and industry organizations.
Drive accountability and portfolio performance through effective governance, KPI management, risk mitigation, and continuous improvement, including opportunities to enhance program effectiveness, innovation, customer experience, operational efficiency, and market impact.
Maintain full portfolio P&L accountability, including revenue, expenses, gross margin, forecasting, and profitability.
Develop and execute annual operating plans, budgets, resource strategies, and growth objectives.
Oversee engineering functions supporting program delivery, technical compliance, and energy savings calculations and ensure engineering methodologies, savings estimates, and reporting processes align with utility requirements, evaluation standards, and regulatory changes.
Lead the successful startup, transition, and launch of new and existing energy efficiency programs for both existing and new clients while minimizing operational disruption and client risk.
Ensure organizational readiness for new program implementations, including staffing, systems, processes, training, and partner coordination.
Partner with Business Development and contribute industry expertise to support new business pursuits, rebids, contract extensions, expansions and portfolio growth opportunities.
Contribute to proposal development, solution design, pricing strategies, client presentations, and contract negotiations.
Identify opportunities to expand client relationships, enhance program offerings, and increase portfolio value.
Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, operational discipline, safety, innovation, continuous improvement, and client service excellence.
Develop high-performing leaders and teams, including 5-6 direct reports, through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and professional development based on a core value driven culture that encourages top performance with compassion.
Provide executive reporting and strategic recommendations to senior leadership regarding portfolio performance, financial results, client satisfaction, and organizational growth.
Serve as a member of the Operations leadership team, partnering with executive leadership to establish strategic priorities and drive enterprise growth and performance.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree required in Energy, Engineering, Business or other related fields, or equivalent experience with a minimum of 7 years managerial experience.
10+ years proven success in the energy efficiency industry.
7+ years of utility energy efficiency program management experience.
7+ years experience in managing and expanding utility and business partner relationships.
Demonstrated experience leading teams of various sizes, experience and leadership; motivating employees and generating results in a multiple state environment that encourages a collaborative work environment and core values culture for all team members.
Demonstrated experience in managing multi-million-dollar contracts, key account client relationships, business development, and staff and resource management and P&L management.
Experience in managing and building high level utility and stakeholder relationships.
Strategic, hands-on leadership with exceptional organizational, communications, and people management skills.
Demonstrated ability to communicate, present and influence credibly and effectively at all levels of the organization, including executive and C-level.
Excellent listening, negotiation, and presentation skills.
Self-motivated and able to thrive in a results-driven environment.
Excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
Preferred Qualifications:
Advanced Degree
Licenses & Certifications
Valid Driver’s License
CEM (Certified Energy Manager) preferred
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred
Six Sigma Greenbelt preferred
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Frequent stationary desk work at a computer
Required to sit, stand, walk; talk and hear.
Noise level is typically low to moderate
Position located in the greater Detroit or Chicagoland area
Willingness to travel up to 25%, including overnight travel
Note: Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.
The above information describes the general duties and requirements necessary to perform the principle functions of the position. This shall not be construed as a detailed description of all the duties and requirements that may be necessary in this position.
Pay Transparency: This compensation range is provided as a reasonable estimate of the current starting salary range for this role. If this opportunity includes multiple job levels, the salary information represents the job level minimum and the job level maximum. There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.
A team member may be eligible for additional pay, premiums, or bonus potential. Walker-Miller Energy Services offers eligible employees health, vision and dental insurance, retirement, and tuition reimbursement.
Compensation Range: $207,825-$262,837.50 annually
Walker-Miller Energy Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer
At Walker-Miller Energy Services, we Embrace Equity by encouraging qualified candidates from all backgrounds and identities to apply for open positions! We have several optional questions about candidates’ demographics, but they do not impact hiring decisions. In fact, all candidate demographic data is anonymized for compliance purposes and to reduce unconscious bias in the hiring process, so none of the information collected here will be attached to your individual application. We ask for this information because Walker-Miller is committed to inclusive recruitment practices, so we hold ourselves to a high standard in developing a candidate pool that is diverse in background, experience, and perspective.
Walker-Miller Energy Services participates in E-Verify. Which confirms employment authorization of all newly hired employees and most existing employees through an electronic database maintained by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. For new hires, the E-Verify process is completed in conjunction with the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification on or before the first day of work. E-Verify is not used as a tool to pre-screen candidates. For up-to-date information on E-Verify, go to www.uscis.gov and click on 'E-Verify' located near the bottom of the page.