Senior Manager- Business Development Utilities (Marketing)

First Solar is leading the world's sustainable energy future. We are an exciting work environment in one of the most important industries of the 21st century. First Solar is a leader in the development and manufacturing of thin film solar modules used in grid-connected solar power plants. Our cost-advantaged solar technology boasts the smallest carbon footprint, lowest life cycle water use, and fastest energy payback in the industry. We are delivering solutions to the world's most pressing challenges including climate change, energy security, water scarcity, and the unsustainable growing consumption of natural resources. At First Solar, you will feel valued, appreciated and challenged, working side-by-side with some of the top minds in the industry. You will be regularly updated on the company's goals, progress and achievements. First Solar maintains a culture where all associates work together to lead the world's sustainable energy future. We believe in employee engagement, collaboration, well-being and productivity for all generations and emerging work styles.We're changing the world. Now, let us start with yours. First Solar is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. First Solar's policy is not to discriminate against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability or any other basis protected by application country, federal, state or local laws; the company prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories.

Location: Looking for candidates located on the East Coast.

Basic Job Functions:

The Sr. Manager of Utilities, US BD is responsible for market assessment and market development within the US utility community including Investor-Owned Utilities (IOU), Public Power utilities and cooperatives, collectively the “Utility customers”. In this capacity, the candidate will (1) spearhead relationship development with utility customers, (2) work to influence utility scale solar adoption by the utility customers and their respective commissions or jurisdictional bodies, (3) help to establish or productize utilize scale solar (including community solar) within the rate structure of the utility, and (4) originate module sales to regulated and non-regulated utility customers.

This candidate must have a strong understanding of the utility customers' business model, the North America power industry, utility ratemaking and capability to utilize that understanding to facilitate market adoption and procurement of First Solar technology. This position is a cross-functional role that integrates several independent teams and position requires a Markets origination focus to drive the organization's performance in North America.  The candidate will successfully develop and support establishing strong relationships to support these customers to drive long-term procurement. Strong cross-functional coordination and internal/external relationship building will be essential to success.

This position requires analyzing challenging situations and driving clarity while maintaining complex alignment across the decision-making processes. Key aspects of this role will be strategy development, commercial contract execution, managing cross functional relationships and the ability to obtain executive management support and approvals.

Experience / Education:         

• Minimum of 5 years of electrical utility, PV development and/or technology sales
• Experience in utility integrated resource planning and utility ratemaking
• Experience in sourcing and building strong industry and customer relationships
• Experience in market assessments and solar industry expansion
• An undergraduate degree is required, MBA or Masters of Engineering a plus.

Required Skills/Competencies:

• Leadership Skills:
  • Demonstrated experience navigating complex situations in a fast changing internal and external environment
  • Demonstrated experience in identifying, implementing, originating, negotiating and executing commercial contracts.
  • Experience leading cross-regional and/or cross-functional high performing teams, with demonstrated results
• Analytical Skills:
  • Demonstrated experience in the core product management analytics:
    • Market/Customer Segment Analysis
    • Competitive Analysis
    • Positioning Analysis
    • Economic Value Analysis
    • Business Case Analysis
  • Understanding of global power and utility markets structures and decision making. Analytical skills to assess the impacts of regulatory changes.
  • Highly detail oriented and productive
• Customer/Market Engagement Skills
  • Develop relationships with key utility customers and facilitate executive management relationships between First Solar and the utility customer
  • Demonstrated expertise in engaging targeted customers to:
    • Acquire and validate key success factors and solution needs
    • Identify market hypothesis/needs
    • Establish commercial and technical long-term partners.
    • Negotiate and close commercial agreements
• Communication Skills:
  • Excellent written, oral, and executive level communication skills
  • Demonstrated excellence in defining/aligning organizational priorities with multiple internal stakeholders
  • Demonstrated excellence in communication of status to objectives; up, down, laterally and diagonally across the organization.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Being a trusted advisor to the regional Director for the development, market segmentation, origination, and collaboration with regional leadership to implement.
• Facilitates and supports the collaborative development and alignment of the global business plan and strategy for identified market segments or channels
• Development of a multi-year, multi-segment Market Strategy that includes an integrated segmentation strategy and product application/solution roadmap.
• Participate in the annual planning process, provide updates in regular review meetings, and document/manage approvals for the plan
• Host recurring meetings with key stake holders to align strategies.
• Lead product adoption ensuring the business success of the product and its applications
• Ensure segment models meet market needs for product applications, resources, skill, process, documentation etc.
• Execute plan to develop and deliver documentation
• Lead the development of strong and intimate relationships across multiple levels and customer accounts by ensuring:
• Consult with and educate transaction and bid teams on specific utility customer goals and objectives
• Responsibility for supporting supplier qualification and development/maintenance of overarching framework agreements
• Provides cross-functional and executive reporting of key business metrics and corrective action plans to achieve key performance metrics

US Physical Requirements:

All positions in our office require interaction with people and technology while either standing or sitting.  In order to best service our customers, internal and external, all associates must be able to communicate face-to-face and on the phone with or without reasonable accommodation.  First Solar is committed to compliance with its obligations under all applicable state and federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  In keeping with this commitment, it attempts to reasonably accommodate applicants and employees in accordance with the requirements of the disability discrimination laws.  It also invites individuals with disabilities to participate in a good faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations that can be made without imposing an undue hardship. 

Potential candidates will meet the education and experience requirements provided on the above job description and excel in completing the listed responsibilities for this role.  All candidates receiving an offer of employment must successfully complete a background check band any other tests that may be required.           

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement: First Solar is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and respects the importance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is the policy of the company to recruit, hire, train, and promote persons in all job titles without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a driving for