Program Specialist

Program Specialist
Utility Programs and Services - East Delivery

Location: Columbia, MD or Reston, VA (Hybrid - Home Office with Office Travel)

Are you ready to make a difference?

To support our growth, ICF is seeking a Program Specialist to manage day-to-day responsibilities for a residential load management program in Maryland. Working closely with program and portfolio managers, this individual will ensure seamless project implementation and contribute to various tasks such as creating and managing program deliverables, supporting program stakeholders and participants, analyzing and organizing program data, and working across marketing, IT, operations, and Flexible Load Management teams at ICF to effectively implement the program.


What is a load management program? ICF partners with utilities to design and implement load management programs that enable utilities to strategically reduce and shift energy demand while maintaining a high-quality customer experience. ICF load management programs integrate multiple distributed energy resources (DERs), including smart thermostats, electric vehicles, batteries, and water heaters, into a coordinated framework that can be dispatched during periods of peak energy demand. As a trusted partner to utility clients, ICF provides full lifecycle support, including program design, technology partnerships, customer outreach and enrollment, incentive administration, and ongoing client operations. We leverage advanced analytics and our experience across diverse markets to orchestrate grid-edge resources that deliver measurable load reductions and system reliability improvements.


Some travel to client sites may be required (<10%).


Why you will love working here:

• Quality of life: Flexible workplace arrangements, work-life balance
• Investment of the community: Donation matching, volunteer opportunities
• Investment in you: Tuition reimbursement, access to professional development resources, 401kmatching, Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• And many, many more (Ask your recruiter for more details!)

What you will be doing:

• Implement and manage a residential Bring-Your-Own-Thermostat load management program, ensuring quality control and adherence to best practices to meet program goal targets.
• Collaborate with multiple groups to ensure processing, outreach, IT systems, marketing initiatives, customer care, operations, and staff are aligned to reach a common annual goal.
• Maintain accurate program data for participation, customer incentive amounts, program financials, and other program data.
• Maintain internal trackers, spreadsheets, status logs, and SharePoint materials to support program management, budget monitoring, quality assurance, and regulatory reporting readiness.
• Support data quality control by reviewing customer, vendor, and internal program data for completeness, consistency, and potential errors, and by helping resolve missing or questionable information with internal teams, vendors, or the client as appropriate.
• Prepare and deliver weekly updates, monthly financial reporting, annual reporting, evaluator requests, and other ad hoc reporting needs for the client.
• Support utility customers during their program participation journey.
• Coordinate with vendors and partners to support timely collection of necessary program data.
• Identify continuous improvement activities, including workflow documentation, report template updates, process refinements, and escalation path tracking.
• Interface with the client team for day-to-day planning and updates.
• Provide insight and recommendations for program changes based on existing market knowledge and program trends.
• Create and maintain Excel spreadsheets and databases for internal tracking to ensure program remains within its budget and stays on track to meet goal.
• Report program performance to senior leadership regularly.
• Analyze data and call out trends, find and address errors to resolution.
• Develop and update high quality client reports within required timelines, provide regular program status updates.
• Handle and track issues brought by subcontractors, customers, and customer service representatives.
• Address client and customer issues with a positive attitude.
• Provide flexible support for additional program implementation, reporting, customer engagement, and operational tasks as needed.

What we need you to have (minimum qualifications):

• Bachelor's Degree (Business, Information Technology, Economics, Environmental Science or Studies, or related subject preferred but not required) plus 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (specifically Excel).

What we would like you to have (preferred):

• Prior experience supporting, or participating in, utility-sponsored demand-side management programs.
• Experience with customer management and engagement.
• Experience coordinating tasks across teams.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment while maintaining multiple deadlines with a client-first mindset.
• General understanding of load management programs.
• Excellent verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Additional skills: SharePoint, Teams, PowerBI

#LI-CC1

#indeed

Compensation: Although the posted range below is broader, this position is anticipated to offer a base salary in the $70,000-$75,000 range.

Bot and Third-Party Applications

Please note that this application must be submitted directly by the applicant for consideration. Failure to do so may result in the application being excluded for consideration. Applicants needing an accommodation for disability or religious purposes in connection with the application process should contact View email address on click.appcast.io for assistance.

Working at ICF
ICF is a global advisory and technology services provider, but we're not your typical consultants. We combine unmatched expertise with cutting-edge technology to help clients solve their most complex challenges, navigate change, and shape the future.

We can only solve the world's toughest challenges by building a workplace that allows everyone to thrive. We are an equal opportunity employer. Together, our employees are empowered to share their expertise and collaborate with others to achieve personal and professional goals. For more information, please read our EEO policy.

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Reasonable Accommodations are available, including, but not limited to, for disabled veterans, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs, in all phases of the application and employment process. To request an accommodation, please email View email address on click.appcast.io and we will be happy to assist. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.


Read more about workplace discrimination rights or our benefit offerings which are included in the Transparency in (Benefits) Coverage Act.


Candidate AI Usage Policy

At ICF, we are committed to ensuring a fair interview process for all candidates based on their own skills and knowledge. As part of this commitment, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools to generate or assist with responses during interviews (whether in-person or virtual) is not permitted. This policy is in place to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the interview process.


However, we understand that some candidates may require accommodation that involves the use of AI. If such an accommodation is needed, candidates are instructed to contact us in advance at View email address on click.appcast.io. We are dedicated to providing the necessary support to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to succeed.


Pay Range - There are multiple factors that are considered in determining final pay for a position, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and competencies that align to the specified role, geographic location, education and certifications as well as contract provisions regarding labor categories that are specific to the position.


The pay range for this position based on full-time employment is:
$67,355.00 - $114,503.00

Maryland Remote Office (MD99)