Senior Associate, Rate Design & Utility Regulation

About the position Are you passionate about decarbonization and looking to help transform the US electricity system? Do you enjoy tackling complicated problems with robust analysis and thoughtful communication? If yes, Synapse has a position for you. Synapse Energy Economics is a consulting company that has been providing rigorous analysis on behalf of public interest clients in the energy sector for more than 25 years. Our work includes expert analysis, reports, and high-impact expert witness testimony in docketed proceedings before public utility commissions across the country and in Canada. Our clients are primarily environmental non-profits, state agencies, federal agencies, and consumer and environmental advocacy groups. Synapse is seeking a Senior Associate with strong quantitative and writing skills and a desire to dive into rate design, cost of service studies, cost allocation, and utility regulatory models. Candidates should be committed to advancing sustainability, environmental justice, and consumer protection. Synapse’s experts work on a variety of rate design and utility regulation and topics. Our clients seek our support in evaluating and developing rate designs that provide efficient price signals, help achieve energy policy goals, and protect customers. Our work on specific advanced rate design topic areas includes time-varying rates, demand charges, and electric-vehicle-specific rates. We also address compensation mechanisms for distributed generation including net-metering, value-of-solar tariffs, feed-in tariffs, and solar renewable energy certificates. Synapse also frequently engages in proceedings to evaluate and implement new regulatory models and mechanisms, which include multi-year rate plans, performance incentive mechanisms, and revenue decoupling mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Critically analyze electric utility proposals, particularly as they pertain to utility regulatory frameworks, cost of service, and rate design to identify shortcomings and propose forward-thinking alternatives to advance the public interest
• Assess the risks and tradeoffs between various types of utility ratemaking models, including traditional cost of service studies, cost trackers, multi-year rate plans, and performance incentive mechanisms
• Manage projects and work collaboratively with team members to produce high-quality expert reports and testimony summarizing our analyses, conclusions, and recommendations
• Analyze utility rate design and cost of service methodologies and underlying quantitative models
• Serve as a trusted technical expert to clients and successfully defend your analysis and refute opposing analyses in regulatory hearings
• Clearly and succinctly convey complex technical concepts to clients, regulators, and public audiences through papers, presentations, testimony, and meetings
• Lead the development of proposals to effectively address client needs
• Ensure the integrity and accuracy of our analyses and proposals

Requirements

• A strong desire to work on behalf of public interest clients in improving energy planning and policy.
• Broad knowledge of electric utility regulation and ratemaking.
• Degree or significant experience in Finance, Economics, Public Policy, or related field.
• 5+ years of relevant industry work experience with a Master's or Bachelor's Degree, or 2+ years of relevant industry work experience with a Doctorate.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work and communicate well in teams.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize critical tasks and conflicting requirements.

Nice-to-haves

• Advanced degree in economics or related field
• State, federal, or provincial electric utility regulatory experience
• Project management experience in a consulting position or in a similar role
• Expert witness testimony experience (either sponsoring or substantial contributions to the testimony of others)

Benefits

• Generous and flexible PTO (35 days)
• Flexible work hours and holidays, and the ability to choose a schedule that works for you
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (EOSP): a tax-deferred retirement plan that offers employees a chance to be partial owners of Synapse.
• Profit-sharing bonuses
• Work-life balance benefit: at the end of the year, salaried employees are compensated for every hour worked over their standard full-time work schedule
• 401K plan; including an employer safe harbor contribution of 3% of your annual salary regardless of individual contributions
• Employee stock ownership plan
• Life insurance
• Short- and long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Collaboration: everybody contributes, asks questions, proposes solutions, and works on interesting research and analysis
• Extensive professional development opportunities
• Cambridge, MA office space with sit-stand desks, lots of meeting space, indoor bike parking, and plenty of nitro cold-brew and kombucha on tap.

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