Chief Operating Officer (Hybrid, Must be located in the New York Metropolitan Area )

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Salary Range: $250,000 - $275,000 Base, plus bonus and incentive stock options

Reports to:

Chief Executive Officer

About The Company:

NineDot's name derives from the classic mathematical puzzle for sparking out-of-the-box solutions. As a leading community-scale, clean energy developer with a growing portfolio of projects across a range of technologies, NineDot Energy is creating innovative energy solutions that support a more resilient electric grid, deliver economic savings, address environmental justice and reduce carbon emissions. We plan to develop, build and operate more than 400 MW of clean energy systems by 2026 that will strengthen the local power grid infrastructure and provide clean, reliable and resilient power to tens of thousands of New York households and businesses. This is all in support of New York State’s mission to achieve 100% clean energy by 2040.

With the backing of the Carlyle Group - one of the largest private equity firms - NineDot is rapidly expanding its core team to scale its energy storage pipeline and continue innovating new products (e.g. vehicle-to-grid, community energy, etc.) to advance the decarbonization of New York’s grid. This is an exciting opportunity to build a platform from the ground-up with a world-class team of developers and innovators. NineDot is committed to building a company that exemplifies diversity, equity and inclusion values in its team culture, as well as business practices and community engagement.

Job Summary:

In this newly created position, we are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead our operations and drive growth in our company. The COO will report directly to the CEO and be responsible for overseeing all operational aspects of the business, including project development, engineering, procurement, construction, operations, and maintenance. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in renewable energy and battery storage, as well as a proven track record of successful leadership and operational management. 

Responsibilities:

• Oversee the company's day-to-day operations, including the acquisition of development assets, securing investment committee approval, overseeing final engineering, permitting, sourcing, construction management, and asset management.
• Develop and implement operational policies and procedures that support the company's strategic goals and objectives.
• Ensure that the company is operating in a socially and environmentally responsible manner by establishing and maintaining sustainability initiatives and programs.
• Oversee the development and execution of the company's operational strategy, ensuring alignment with the overall business goals and objectives.
• Manage and provide strategic direction to the project development, procurement, construction, and operations teams, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality projects.
• Collaborate with the CEO and other executives to develop and implement growth strategies that drive revenue and profitability.
• Develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including suppliers.
• Manage budgets and financial performance, ensuring effective resource allocation and cost control.
• Establish and monitor operational metrics to evaluate performance, drive innovation and  continuous improvement in all areas of the company’s operations.
• Implement and maintain systems and processes that ensure compliance with protocols and standards
• Work with the Product team to analyze and interpret industry trends and data to inform strategic decision-making.
• Identify and mitigate operational risks and challenges.
• Identify and pursue new business opportunities and partnerships with respect to how we acquire, build and maintain our project sites.
• Represent the company at industry events and conferences.
• Working with the team leaders to ensure team is optimizing team performance
• Support M&A activities of projects and/or teams.

Competencies for Success 

• Problem Solving - Uses rigorous logic and methods to solve difficult problems with effective solutions; conducts excellent and honest analysis; looks beyond the obvious and doesn’t stop at the first answer.
• Interpersonal Savvy - Able to relate well to all individuals within and beyond the organization; builds appropriate rapport along with constructive and effective relationships; uses diplomacy and tact.
• Perseverance -  Pursues everything with energy, drive, and a need to finish; seldom gives up before finishing, especially in the face of resistance or setbacks.
• Dealing With Ambiguity - Can effectively cope with change and shift gears comfortably; can decide and act without having the total picture.
• Creativity - Capable of coming up with new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions.
• Technical Learning - Picks up on technical things quickly, capable of learning new skills and knowledge, good at learning new industry, company, product, or technical knowledge.
• Intellectual Horsepower - Demonstrated ability to deal with concepts and complexity comfortably; described as intellectually sharp, capable,and agile.
• Developing Direct Reports and Others - Provides challenging and stretching tasks and assignments; holds frequent development discussions; cooperates with the developmental system in the organization; is a people builder.
• Building Effective Teams - Creates strong morale and spirit in his/her/their team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; creates a feeling of belonging in the team.
• Innovation Management -  Is good at bringing the creative ideas of others to market; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work; has a sense about managing the creative process of others; can project how potential ideas may play out in the real world.
• Planning - Accurately scopes out length and difficulty of tasks and projects; sets objectives and goals; breaks down work into the process steps; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance against goals; evaluates results.
• Drive for Results - Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottom-line oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results.
• Strategic Agility - Sees ahead clearly; can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future oriented; can articulately and paint credible pictures and visions of possibilities and likelihoods; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.
• Managing Through Systems - Can design practices, processes, and procedures which allow managing from a distance; is comfortable letting things manage themselves without intervening; can make things work through others without being there; can impact people and results remotely.
• Managing Vision and Purpose - Communicates a compelling and inspired vision or sense of core purpose; talks beyond today; talks about possibilities; is optimistic; creates mileposts and symbols to rally support behind the vision; makes the vision shareable by everyone; can inspire and motivate entire units or organizations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in renewable energy or real estate development, with a strong focus on project management, construction and operations; knowledge of battery storage would be a plus.
• Proven track record of successful leadership including managing the functional leaders and operational management.
• Strong understanding of energy market dynamics, including trends and challenges.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically and execute tactically.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously, while maintaining a high level of attention to detail.
• Experience in budgeting, financial planning, and performance management.
• Knowledge of regulatory and environmental requirements related to renewable energy and battery storage.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.  

Affirmative Action/EEO statement

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and committed to leveraging the diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experience of our workforce to create opportunities for our colleagues and our business. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender expression, gender identity, sex, age, ancestry, marital status, protected veteran and military status, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status of an individual or that individual’s associates or relatives that is protected under applicable federal, state, or local law.

COVID 19 Protocol:

NineDot continues to monitor local COVID-19 protocols mandated by NYU and local governments. For those who will be joining events in person, you may be required to test before meetings.