Description
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a senior leadership position responsible for the day-to-day management of the majority of Sonoma Clean Power's (SCP) operations. The COO oversees a team of Director-level reports across customer-facing, advocacy, community, engineering, and internal operations functions, and serves as a key member of SCP's executive team in advancing the Authority's mission to provide affordable clean energy in Sonoma and Mendocino Counties.
Success in this role requires exceptional people management, a calm and grounded demeanor, strong operational and financial judgment, and the ability to translate strategic direction into execution across a complex, fast-evolving public agency. Energy-sector expertise is valuable, but the primary qualification is the ability to lead, develop, and align teams. A candidate with strong electricity or parallel utility experience (for example, water and wastewater) who is also a truly exceptional people manager will be prioritized; energy-sector expertise without strong people-management skills will not be considered.
REPORTING AND SUPERVISION
Direct supervision is received from the Chief Executive Officer. The COO is a member of SCP's senior executive team, which also includes a contracted Special Counsel, the Chief Financial Officer, and the Chief Strategy Officer.
The COO will have seven to nine Director-level direct reports. Initially, direct reports include the Directors of Advocacy, Customer Service, Capital Projects & Engineering, Community & Governmental Relations, Marketing & Public Relations, Customer Energy Solutions, and Internal Operations. As part of onboarding, the CEO, CFO, and incoming COO will discuss reporting for the Managing Director of Power Procurement and the Director of Planning & Analytics; depending on the COO's experience and skill in these areas, one or both of these roles may also be assigned to the COO.
This position manages performance and provides supervision of assigned staff and outside vendors retained to assist in carrying out the responsibilities of the position.
The FLSA classification of this position is Exempt.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
These job functions, in general terms, describe the type and level of work performed as well as the responsibilities of the COO. Management reserves the right to add, modify, change, or rescind the assignments of any position and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.
The Chief Operating Officer will:
Directly supervise the Director-level team, including setting clear expectations, giving timely feedback, conducting performance reviews, supporting professional development, and making staffing decisions as needed.
Translate the CEO's strategic direction into operational execution across SCP's departments, setting metrics and monitoring progress.
Resolve cross-departmental issues and ensure alignment among Directors and their teams.
Actively raise the performance bar across the organization by developing talent, setting high standards, and building teams where excellence is the norm.
Oversee the operational machinery that supports the Board of Directors and its committees, including agenda development, staff report quality, packet preparation, clerking, minutes, and records management.
Attend and present at regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings as requested by the CEO, and prepare Director-level staff to do the same.
Work with the CFO and CEO to develop and implement long-term financial goals, annual budgets, and efficiency improvements.
Draft, present and defend staff reports that recommend significant operational decisions in public meetings.
Ensure SCP's operations run smoothly, efficiently, and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
Sustain a culture of public entrepreneurship in which staff raise problems early, provide candid input on draft decisions, and pursue creative solutions.
Model civic engagement by representing SCP at community events and, as appropriate, serving on boards of local non-profit or industry organizations.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the CEO, Special Counsel, CFO, CSO, Board of Directors, Community Advisory Committee, staff, regulatory agencies, and community partners.
Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.
DESIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
The items below are listed in rough order of importance for this position.
People Management
Demonstrated ability to develop staff, including giving timely, specific, and kind feedback.
Ability to manage managers: setting clear expectations, supporting their development, and intervening appropriately when they or their teams need help.
Skill in managing conflict without taking sides prematurely and without allowing problems to fester.
Ability to draw out candid input from staff, including staff who are reluctant to speak up.
Comfort holding staff accountable, including having difficult conversations about performance.
Genuine interest in the wellbeing of staff, including work-life balance and professional growth.
Ability to engender a strong sense of teamwork and shared purpose among senior staff that permeates throughout the organization.
Adhere to SCP's Personnel Rules and Policies.
Temperament and Judgment
Calm demeanor under pressure, including in politically visible or emotionally charged situations.
Takes responsibility for outcomes, including mistakes, without deflecting.
Honest communication, including willingness to say "I don't know" or "I was wrong."
Confidence in defending a position or situation the CEO may not initially agree with.
Patience and tact in working with elected officials, Board members, staff, and the public.
Confidence in addressing conflict swiftly, resolutely, kindly, and confidentially.
Operational and Financial Management
Strong budget and financial management skills, including the ability to read and use balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
Ability to draft staff reports that recommend rate changes or other significant actions, and to defend them in public meetings.
Strong project and time management skills; ability to prioritize and adapt quickly in a changing environment.
Creative problem-solving, including the ability to develop novel solutions to organizational or personnel problems.
Communication and External-Facing Skills
High-quality writing, including for Board packets, staff reports, and public communications.
Clear and persuasive oral communication, including in public meetings.
Ability to present and interact effectively with regulatory agencies, executive colleagues, Board members, staff, and the public.
Comfort operating under California's Brown Act and related public meeting and public records requirements.
Energy and Public Agency Knowledge
California energy markets and regulatory structure (CPUC, CAISO, CEC, PCIA, RA, IRP, RPS).
Community Choice Aggregation governance, financing, and operations.
Public agency operations, including Joint Powers Authorities, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act.
Public Works projects and the California Contracting Code.
Power procurement, hedging, and portfolio risk management.
Utility rate design and cost-of-service analysis.
The Authority will invest in onboarding an exceptional people manager who brings other relevant utility or public-sector experience but is lighter on specific energy-sector knowledge.
PHYSICAL AND WORKING CONDITIONS
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this class. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.
Location: This position is based at SCP's three-building campus in Santa Rosa, California. The role is primarily in-person. For the first six months, the COO will work a five-day in-person schedule. After that initial period, the COO may request and, subject to confirming the ability to perform, the CEO may approve a schedule that includes one or both remote work days available to staff (currently Mondays and Fridays). The role requires the ability to travel to meetings and events across the service territory and occasionally beyond.
Environment: Normal office environment with exposure to computer screens. Employees may interact with upset staff and/or public and private representatives in interpreting and enforcing the Authority's policies and procedures. The COO also attends a wide variety of events, community meetings, and public Board and Committee meetings, which may include evening or weekend commitments and may expose staff to the elements and/or loud noise levels.
Physical: While performing these duties, employees are regularly required to sit, walk, and stand; talk or hear, in person and by telephone; and reach with hands and arms. Employees are occasionally required to walk and stand for prolonged periods; stoop, bend, kneel, and twist; and may lift up to 20 pounds. Employees must be able to communicate in person, in writing, and by telephone with Board members, management, coworkers, vendors, consultants, and with the public in face-to-face, one-to-one, and group settings.
Vision: See in the normal visual range with or without correction; vision sufficient to read computer screens and printed documents and operate assigned equipment.
Hearing: Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.
Mental: While performing the duties of this class, the employee is regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information, and documents; analyze and solve problems; observe and interpret situations; learn and apply new information or skills; perform highly detailed work; work on multiple concurrent tasks; work with frequent interruptions; work under intensive deadlines; and interact with Authority managers, Board, staff, vendors, the public, and others encountered in the course of work.
Employment Status: SCP employees are at-will and are not represented by a collective bargaining unit.
SCP actively works to provide an inclusive work environment, where people of different ethnicities, national origins, native languages, races, skin colors, sexes, genders, sexual orientations, ages, physical abilities, genetics, politics, religion, financial wealth, and education feel welcome, safe, and invited to fully participate at every level. SCP further seeks to contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society through our actions, our communication, our policies, and our investments. SCP expects all its employees to contribute to these goals.
SONOMA CLEAN POWER IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY (EEO)/ AND AMERICAN DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) EMPLOYER
Requirements
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:
Education: Equivalent of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a relevant field. A master's degree (MBA, MPA, engineering, public policy, or similar) is desirable but not required.
Experience: At least ten (10) years of full-time management experience, with several years serving at a senior management level, including substantial experience directly managing professional staff and managing other managers (i.e., managing people who themselves manage teams). Experience supervising staff in energy, utility, or other regulated technical fields is a strong plus but is not required if the candidate's people-management track record is exceptional and they bring other relevant energy or utility experience. Spanish language proficiency is desirable but not required.
