About 5 Lakes Energy

5 Lakes Energy (5LE) is a small, mission-driven consulting firm that works in the Great Lakes region to mitigate climate change and foster a just transition to a carbon-neutral economy. We support nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies in pursuing their clean energy goals, designing and implementing climate solutions, and delivering economic, public health, and other benefits to the people they serve. 5LE provides clients with innovative strategies and deep expertise in utility regulation and ratemaking, policy research and development, energy modeling and analysis, and project planning. We also offer comprehensive management and communications services.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In alignment with our firm’s mission to advance an equitable, just transition to a low-carbon economy, 5 Lakes Energy is an inclusive, equal-opportunity employer and is actively seeking candidates of diverse backgrounds and identities.

The Opportunity

Last year, 5LE launched an exciting new program to promote and catalyze industrial decarbonization with a focus on projects in the Great Lakes region related to clean steel, clean cement, green hydrogen, low-temperature process heat, and similar areas.

Responding to the pressing need to expand this critically important work, we are now adding two consultants who will bring new and diverse expertise to 5LE and our industrial decarbonization team. This opportunity involves:

Up to two new positions at the level of Consultant or Senior Consultant, depending on experience and qualifications.
Full-time and fully remote work with limited required travel and a hiring preference for candidates who reside in the Great Lakes region.
An expected start date in December 2024 or January 2025.
Salary of $80,000 - $100,000 plus benefits (described below) for candidates with less than five years of directly related experience who will start at the Consultant level.
Salary of $105,000 - $125,000 (plus benefits described below) for candidates with five-plus years of directly related experience who will be considered for immediate Senior Consultant status.

Successful candidates for these positions will work as part of a dynamic, collegial team and play a leadership role in our nation’s response to climate change by helping to set and frame priorities for industrial decarbonization actions throughout the upper Midwest. In the process, they will develop or strengthen their expert status in some or all the following areas:

Industrial practices and processes
Industrial electrification technologies and decarbonization strategies
Raw material sourcing and material life cycles
Hydrogen, carbon, pollution, and emissions
Utility rate setting, economic theory, and techno-economics
State and federal policy, and the policy-making process

As team members grow and develop as professionals in our firm, they are strongly encouraged and empowered to build a consulting practice and portfolio that reflects their individual interests and passions in advancing the 5LE mission.

Responsibilities

The two new consultants on our industrial decarbonization team will:

Meet with clients and stakeholders to understand their needs, concerns, and aspirations in designing industrial decarbonization strategies.
Compile and analyze complex data sets and summarize findings in written reports and memos, oral-visual presentations, and verbal discussions.
Use a human-centered, systems-based design thinking approach to develop inclusive, creative solutions to complex problems.
Expand their expertise and 5LE’s knowledge base by reviewing relevant literature, attending webinars, seminars, and conferences, building relationships with other experts, and diving deep into relevant topics.

Qualifications

5LE seeks candidates with the following education and career experience:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a similar highly technical discipline.
A master’s or doctorate in engineering, sustainability, public policy, or another discipline directly related to the topics listed above in Opportunity.
Some combination of graduate research or work experience directly related to the activities, skills, and knowledge described above in Responsibilities.
Experience working with diverse stakeholders, including state officials, advocacy organizations and coalitions, private entities, and/or community members, with extra consideration given to experience working with historically marginalized groups.

Successful 5LE team members must possess:

Passion for the whole-system work required to effectively mitigate the effects of climate change.
A deep awareness of and commitment to environmental justice.
An innate sense of curiosity, and an interest in continued learning toward becoming a leading expert in industrial decarbonization.

Strong candidates for these positions will bring a diverse perspective and viewpoint to our team and possess the ability to:

Independently perform all steps of the research process, with an emphasis on literature-based research tasks.
Scope and manage a multi-stakeholder project from start to finish with support and collaboration from 5LE colleagues.
Explore a complex problem using a systems thinking and/or engineering design approach.
Use software tools to build, analyze, and model complex datasets, including techno-economics.
Develop code/scripts at an intermediate proficiency level in at least one language, such as Python or R.
Write persuasively for technical and general public audiences.
Effectively communicate concepts with live audiences, in person and online.
Engage respectfully with diverse individuals and groups, including marginalized rural and urban communities.
Travel periodically and carry out computer-based work tasks for extended periods of time

5LE recognizes that every candidate’s personal and professional journey is unique. We encourage enthusiastic candidates who meet most of the above qualifications to apply. Please use a portion of your cover letter to share how your unique experiences will enhance your success in this position.

Benefits

Salary as described above in Opportunity.
100% remote with flexibility in how you build your work schedule.
A generous and flexible paid vacation policy, which includes 13 paid holidays and a paid break from Winter Solstice through the first workday of the New Year.
3 months of paid parental leave for new additions to your family.
Medical and dental policy coverage (100% for employees).
SIMPLE IRA (3% employer match) and HSA options.
Financial support for continued professional development, computer, and software needs.

To apply

Please submit the following materials via email to Julielyn Gibbons at jgibbons@5lakesenergy.com:

A cover letter (not to exceed 2 pages) that speaks to your interest in the position and demonstrates your qualifications.
A resume or CV (not to exceed 3 pages) that emphasizes your experience directly related to the work described above and includes a list of 3-4 references with contact information.
Two sole-author 250-500 word written work products (excerpts are acceptable) that demonstrate your ability to convey technical and/or scientific content clearly and concisely, one of which should be directed to an audience with subject matter expertise, and the other, to a public audience at the high school education equivalent.

The application review and mutual exploration process will begin immediately and take 1-2 months, with a position start date in December 2024 or January 2025. The process will include:

A phone screen.
A panel interview with a brief presentation.
One-on-one conversations with 5LE partners and industrial decarbonization team members.
A letter of recommendation emailed directly to 5LE by the recommender, that speaks to your strengths as a candidate, with an emphasis on your attitudes, actions, and capacity to work sensitively and effectively with diverse groups of individuals.

For questions regarding the application process, please contact Julielyn Gibbons at jgibbons@5lakesenergy.com. For questions related to 5LE’s industrial decarbonization program, please contact Dr. Elizabeth Boatman at eboatman@5lakesenergy.com.

Equal Opportunity Employer

5 Lakes Energy is an equal opportunity employer. 5 Lakes Energy does not discriminate in employment on account of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status, or unfavorable discharge from military service.

5 Lakes Energy

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Consultant/Senior Consultant of Industrial Decarbonization