Associate Director - State Energy - NYC or Boston, MA

Job Family:

Travel Required:

Clearance Required:

What You Will Do:

Guidehouse is seeking an Associate Director to help lead and grow our State Energy practice across New York and the broader Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region. This role serves as a senior client advisor and business leader responsible for managing complex state energy engagements, developing market opportunities, leading proposal efforts, overseeing financial performance, and developing high-performing teams.

The successful candidate will bring deep energy-sector experience, strong knowledge of state energy policy and regulatory environments, and a proven ability to partner with public-sector clients to design and implement programs that advance grid modernization, clean energy, electrification, affordability, infrastructure, resiliency, and decarbonization objectives.

This role combines client delivery leadership, business development, proposal leadership, financial management, thought leadership, and talent development. The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable shaping opportunities before procurement, advising senior client stakeholders, leading multidisciplinary teams, developing market strategy, and delivering complex programs.

Essential Job Functions & Responsibilities:

Client Delivery & Account Leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to state energy agencies, public authorities, utilities, public utility commissions, and other public-sector stakeholders.
• Lead complex engagements from planning through execution, ensuring high-quality delivery, stakeholder alignment, and achievement of client objectives.
• Define engagement objectives, success measures, governance structures, workstream alignment, and delivery strategies to support successful client outcomes.
• Translate policy, legislative, regulatory, and program goals into actionable scopes, implementation plans, operating models, and governance frameworks.
• Break complex policy, regulatory, operational, and programmatic challenges into practical options and decision-ready recommendations.
• Manage project and portfolio performance, including budgets, staffing, schedules, risks, deliverables, and executive-level client communications.
• Lead senior client discussions regarding scope, quality, schedule, staffing, performance, financial management, stakeholder alignment, and risk.
• Identify and mitigate delivery, contractual, financial, reputational, and client relationship risks across engagements.
• Ensure consistent quality, strategic alignment, and client readiness across project workstreams and deliverables.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Identify, shape, and pursue growth opportunities across New York and other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic state energy markets.
• Build and maintain relationships with client leaders, procurement officials, utilities, regulators, industry partners, and key market stakeholders.
• Help shape client strategies and opportunities prior to procurement through trusted-advisor relationships, market insight, and strategic engagement.
• Monitor and assess market trends, legislation, regulatory proceedings, funding opportunities, and procurement activity to inform account and market strategies.
• Support account planning, opportunity qualification, pursuit prioritization, relationship mapping, and market positioning activities.
• Identify opportunities for account expansion, follow-on work, and strategic growth across existing and prospective clients.
• Coordinate with Guidehouse leadership and account teams to develop growth strategies and advance priority pursuits.

Proposal & Pursuit Leadership

• Lead or support complex proposals involving energy policy, program implementation, grid modernization, infrastructure, customer programs, advanced technologies, and related services.
• Develop winning solution strategies, staffing approaches, teaming structures, pricing models, and proposal content.
• Coordinate cross-functional Guidehouse teams and external partners throughout the pursuit lifecycle.
• Assess opportunities for strategic fit, competitive positioning, client value, staffing feasibility, delivery risk, and financial performance.
• Develop pricing strategies based on scope, staffing requirements, delivery risk, competitiveness, and expected margin.
• Support decision-making related to solution design, teaming approaches, pricing, staffing, and pursuit investments.
• Ensure alignment and continuity between proposal commitments and successful project execution.

Collaboration, Thought Leadership & Market Presence

• Collaborate across Guidehouse practices to deliver integrated solutions for State Energy clients.
• Connect clients with Guidehouse capabilities spanning policy and regulatory strategy, program implementation, program evaluation, infrastructure planning, customer programs, grid modernization, and emerging technologies.
• Develop and manage relationships with teaming partners and subcontractors to strengthen market positioning, delivery capabilities, technical expertise, and client outcomes.
• Develop market insights, client briefings, conference presentations, thought leadership, and reusable business development assets that support growth across the State Energy practice.
• Represent Guidehouse at industry events, conferences, stakeholder meetings, and client forums.
• Contribute to Guidehouse’s market presence and expertise in areas such as grid modernization, energy affordability, transportation electrification, distributed energy resources, transmission planning, renewable energy, nuclear energy, infrastructure planning, and emerging technologies.

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, coach, and develop consultants, project managers, and emerging leaders across multiple engagements.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, quality, and client-service excellence.
• Support recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, staffing, performance management, and workforce planning activities.
• Mentor staff through coaching, feedback, stretch assignments, and professional development opportunities.
• Partner with leadership to align staffing needs, staff development goals, utilization expectations, and client delivery requirements across engagements.
• Help build and sustain high-performing teams capable of delivering exceptional client outcomes while supporting individual career growth.

Financial & Operational Leadership

• Maintain accountability for engagement and portfolio financial performance, including forecasting, budgeting, revenue recognition, margin management, utilization, invoicing, collections, and risk mitigation.
• Monitor business performance and proactively address financial, staffing, or delivery challenges.
• Support portfolio planning and resource allocation decisions to balance client commitments, growth objectives, profitability, and staff development needs.
• Ensure strong financial discipline and operational excellence across client accounts and engagements.

 
What You Will Need:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Minimum of 7+ (SEVEN) years of professional experience in consulting, public-sector advisory, utility operations, regulatory affairs, program management, or related energy-sector fields
• Significant experience working within the New York energy market
• Knowledge of state energy policy, utility regulation, public-sector energy programs, and key market stakeholders across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
• Demonstrated experience leading large, complex engagements involving multiple stakeholders, workstreams, or concurrent projects
• Experience translating policy, regulatory, legislative, or program objectives into executable strategies, scopes, and implementation plans
• Experience developing and leading complex proposals, business development activities, and strategic pursuits
• Experience managing project and portfolio financials, including forecasting, budgeting, revenue management, margin performance, invoicing, and risk mitigation
• Demonstrated success building client relationships, developing opportunities, and delivering high-quality outcomes in complex environments
• Demonstrated success leading, mentoring, and developing professional staff
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to travel as required for client engagements, business development activities, conferences, and internal meetings
• Must reside within New York City, NY or Boston, MA
• Due to nature of client engagements, must either be a US Citizen or US Permanent Resident

What Would Be Nice To Have:

• Experience supporting state energy offices, public utility commissions, public authorities, environmental agencies, governor’s offices, financing authorities, or other public-sector energy organizations
• Experience working with utilities, regional transmission organizations, independent system operators, energy regulators, or public-sector energy program administrators
• Grid modernization and transmission planning
• Distributed energy resources and non-wires solutions
• Energy affordability and customer programs
• Program design and implementation
• Infrastructure planning and capital project oversight
• Transportation electrification and mobility programs
• Renewable, nuclear, or advanced energy technologies
• Risk, compliance, governance, and program oversight
•  Existing relationships within New York and Northeast energy markets
• Experience developing thought leadership, market analysis, industry presentations, conference content, or client-facing publications
• Management consulting experience supporting energy-sector clients
• Experience working with external affairs, government relations, lobbying, or market-facing teams to support opportunity strategy and client positioning
• Current PMP certification

What We Offer:

Guidehouse offers a comprehensive, total rewards package that includes competitive compensation and a flexible benefits package that reflects our commitment to creating a diverse and supportive workplace.

Benefits include:

• Medical, Rx, Dental & Vision Insurance

• Personal and Family Sick Time & Company Paid Holidays

• Position may be eligible for a discretionary variable incentive bonus

• Parental Leave and Adoption Assistance

• 401(k) Retirement Plan

• Basic Life & Supplemental Life

• Health Savings Account, Dental/Vision & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts

• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability

• Student Loan PayDown

• Tuition Reimbursement, Personal Development & Learning Opportunities

• Skills Development & Certifications

• Employee Referral Program

• Corporate Sponsored Events & Community Outreach

• Emergency Back-Up Childcare Program

• Mobility Stipend

About Guidehouse

Guidehouse is an Equal Opportunity Employer–Protected Veterans, Individuals with Disabilities or any other basis protected by law, ordinance, or regulation.

Guidehouse will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law or ordinance including the Fair Chance Ordinance of Los Angeles and San Francisco.

If you have visited our website for information about employment opportunities, or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Guidehouse Recruiting at 1-571-633-1711 or via email at [email protected]. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodation.

All communication regarding recruitment for a Guidehouse position will be sent from Guidehouse email domains including @guidehouse.com or [email protected].  Correspondence received by an applicant from any other domain should be considered unauthorized and will not be honored by Guidehouse.  Note that Guidehouse will never charge a fee or require a money transfer at any stage of the recruitment process and does not collect fees from educational institutions for participation in a recruitment event. Never provide your banking information to a third party purporting to need that information to proceed in the hiring process.

If any person or organization demands money related to a job opportunity with Guidehouse, please report the matter to Guidehouse’s Ethics Hotline. If you want to check the validity of correspondence you have received, please contact [email protected]. Guidehouse is not responsible for losses incurred (monetary or otherwise) from an applicant’s dealings with unauthorized third parties.

Guidehouse does not accept unsolicited resumes through or from search firms or staffing agencies. All unsolicited resumes will be considered the property of Guidehouse and Guidehouse will not be obligated to pay a placement fee.