Account Manager (Retail Utility Industry)

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is the organization entrusted to keep electric power flowing to approximately 20 million Texas customers – representing 85 percent of the state’s electric load and about 75 percent of the Texas land area.  As the Independent System Operator for its region, ERCOT manages the scheduling of power on an electric grid consisting of 70,000 megawatts of active generation capacity and 38,000 miles of transmission lines.  ERCOT also manages financial settlement for the hundreds of market participants in Texas’s deregulated wholesale bulk power and administers customer switching.  As one of eight regional reliability organizations in North America, ERCOT monitors and enforces industry reliability standards for grid and utility operations.  ERCOT is a non-profit corporation regulated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and subject to oversight by the Texas Legislature.  ERCOT’s members include retail consumers, investor- and municipal-owned electric utilities, rural electric co-ops, river authorities, independent generators, power marketers and retail electric providers.  ERCOT’s benefits are some of the best available. Benefits are regularly reviewed with the employee in mind, to ensure that they are competitive and meaningful.  Benefit programs include:  PPO, vision, dental, Life, AD&D, LTD, STD, 401k, plus an additional fixed non-elective contribution to 401k. 

Retail Client Services is the front line, primary point of contact for all Retail Market Operations, acting as the liaison between ERCOT and the retail market participants.  This position is responsible for managing the business relationships between ERCOT and assigned Market Participants, as well as potential Market Participants.  This position strives to establish, develop and maintain strong working relationships while providing superior service by responding quickly and accurately to Market Participant questions, advocating Market Participant positions and issues at ERCOT and by communicating applicable information back to the Market Participants. This position assists the Market Participants in resolution of day-to-day operating issues and participates in the various Retail Market working groups to resolve issues as well as monitor the changing rules, processes and procedures of the market to enable them to better assist Market Participants with questions and solutions.  This position proactively identifies Market Participant training needs and facilitates the development and delivery of training materials to these groups. 

 

Essential Job Functions

 · Manages the business relationship between ERCOT and assigned Market Participants.

· Establishes, develops and maintains a strong working relationship with each assigned Market Participant.

· Assists Market Participants in achieving qualification and registration requirements.

· Resolves day-to-day operating issues on behalf of clients.

· Strives to improve Market Participant satisfaction.

· Develops and maintains strong expertise in all ERCOT Retail processes, procedures, protocols and rules.

· Develops and maintains strong working knowledge of ERCOT operations needed to support market participant’s business needs.

· Develops a thorough understanding and insight of each market participant’s business operations.

· Applies ERCOT protocols and business procedures consistently with all Market Participants.

· Supports projects, as necessary, to resolve Market Participants’ business issues.

· Acts as Market Participant advocate within ERCOT for issue resolution.

· Facilitates and participates as needed in teams and meetings to resolve Market Participants’ business issues.

· Identifies, develops and facilitates Market Participant training.

· Supports and/or manages special projects.

· Effective oral and written communication of complex technical or functional issues.

· Develops strong working knowledge of ERCOT operating protocols, and assists Market Participants in the understanding of key retail issues relating to these protocols.

· Facilitates and participates as needed in stakeholder processes to support ERCOT and Market Participants.

· Facilitates and promotes effective interdepartmental relations.

· Effectively communicates and shares information within ERCOT.

 



Education and Experience Requirements

 · Bachelor’s degree in Business, Accounting, Computer Sciences, Engineering, or relevant field.  An equivalent combination of related education, training, and experience may be considered.

· Three years of demonstrable experience performing some combination of business development, training, client relationship management, business process consulting or transaction processing management required.

· Experience in competitive energy markets preferred.

· Strong analytical and problem solving skills.

· Demonstrated leadership capabilities.

· Negotiation, facilitation and situational decision making skills.

· Strong oral and written communication skills.

· Working knowledge of electric utility operations desired.

· Possess and maintain proficient computer skills in common business applications such as Excel, Word, Power Point and Access.