Innovation Analyst
The EPRI Global Innovation Hub (GIH) supports electric utilities’ efforts to build and mature capabilities to innovate with a focus on innovation strategy, processes, resources, and culture. The GIH team is seeking an Innovation Analyst to perform various analytical and administrative tasks as part of the Global Innovation Effectiveness (GIE) project. GIE aims to support the development of innovation capabilities with member utilities facing ambitious decarbonization goals, electrification and resiliency demands, and grid modernization opportunities, among other business and industry objectives.
Job Summary
- Assist in the delivery of GIE assessments in collaboration with GIH engagement leads and member utilities, including: survey fielding, data collection/analysis, data visualization, qualitative analysis from documents, interviews, and observations.
- Participate in the development of recommendations to utilities to improve their innovation capabilities, including support for road mapping, scenario planning and gap assessment.
- Conduct primary research and gathers member insight and market intelligence on areas of importance to utility innovation executives and leads, including: innovation processes and frameworks, benchmarking, scouting, value frameworks/metrics, organizational design, governance models, pilot design and execution, and scaling.
- Synthesize research into clear, concise and relevant deliverables including case studies, research briefs, presentations and proposals. Provides verbal presentations and summaries in a clear and engaging style.
- Assist with project management for innovation engagements including meeting planning, design and follow-up. Solicits member feedback and assists in strategizing new approaches to make content relevant and impactful for target audiences.
- Works cross-functionally across EPRI to support aligned activities and sector initiatives.
Education
Bachelor’s Degree in a business field (Finance, Economics, Marketing, Accounting, Management) and/or technical field required. Graduate coursework or degree preferred. Educational background or training in user-centered design, customer and market research, communications, and business intelligence are desirable.
Experience, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Entry level position, but 2-3 years relevant work/educational experience is preferred
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills required. Experience preparing and presenting content for senior-level audiences desirable.
- Experience in customer listening, customer engagement and relationship management desirable.
- Content knowledge or expertise in a field relevant to electric utility strategy, management and operations desirable.
- Experience with business formation and development, startups, technology incubator and/or acceleration desirable.
- Experience in conducting self-guided research and synthesizing results preferred. Experience in data analytics, statistics and data visualization desirable.
- Works closely with contractors and/or staff to complete project research
- Individual contributor
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a self-starter who is comfortable working with new concepts and initiatives and able to contribute knowledge, experience and ideas in a rapid, agile and evolving work environment. The candidate will have a passion for the electric utility industry and its continued transformation to meet the needs of customers and society as a whole. The candidate will be a team player who loves to leverage the skills, experience and perspective of colleagues towards a collective outcome. The candidate is a learner, looking to gain competence and experience in a manner that builds progressive understanding.
For this position, the ideal candidate will possess:
- An interest in the strategy, operations and performance of entities in the electric power industry, and an inquisitive attitude about organizational capabilities, strategy and culture;
- Good written and verbal communication skills;
- Good data analysis, visualization, and management skills, including quantitative and qualitative;
- An ability to accomplish task under minimal direction in a professional, remote and distributed work environment