Director of Reliability Assessments and Performance Analysis

Our Company

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) is a not-for-profit international regulatory authority whose mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid. NERC develops and enforces Reliability Standards; annually assesses seasonal and long‐term reliability; monitors the bulk power system through system awareness; and educates, trains, and certifies industry personnel. NERC’s area of responsibility spans the continental United States, Canada, and the northern portion of Baja California, Mexico. NERC is the Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) for North America, subject to oversight by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and provincial authorities in Canada. NERC’s jurisdiction includes users, owners, and operators of the bulk power system, which serves nearly 400 million people.

Our Mission

The vision for the ERO Enterprise, which is comprised of NERC and the six Regional Entities, is a highly reliable and secure North American bulk power system. Our mission is to assure the effective and efficient reduction of risks to the reliability and security of the grid.

Your Impact

The Director of Reliability Assessments and Performance (RAPA) leads NERC’s independent assessment of reliability, adequacy, and performance of interconnected North American bulk power system. The Director provides strategic and technical leadership across three functional areas: Reliability Assessments, Performance Analysis, and Data & Analytics Integration. The position is responsible for identifying emerging and quantifying reliability risks; developing forward-looking assessments of resource and energy adequacy and their impacts on reliability; evaluating historical system performance and reliability trends; and developing the data, analytical tools, platforms, and governance necessary to support NERC's reliability and security mission.

The Director leads multidisciplinary teams of engineers, analysts, data scientists, and technology professionals. The Director also works across the ERO Enterprise to advance consistent, technically rigorous, and increasingly sophisticated approaches to reliability assessment and performance analysis. The position is responsible for major NERC reliability publications and analytical products and serves as a senior technical representative of NERC before the Board of Trustees, FERC, DOE, state and provincial policymakers, industry executives, stakeholder organizations, and the media.

This position reports to the Senior Vice President of Strategy and External Engagement.

Your Role

• Provide strategic leadership for NERC's Reliability Assessment, Performance Analysis, and Data & Analytics Integration functions, establishing priorities, analytical direction, and multi-year strategies aligned with NERC and ERO Enterprise long-term strategies.
• Lead NERC's independent assessment of current and future bulk power system reliability including resource adequacy, energy adequacy, transmission capability, demand and load growth, resource transformation, fuel availability, emerging technologies, and other evolving reliability risks.
• Direct development of NERC's major reliability assessments and performance publications including seasonal and long-term reliability assessments, the State of Reliability, special assessments, technical reports, and other products requested by NERC executive leadership or the Board of Trustees.
• Advance the methodologies used to evaluate reliability risk including probabilistic and scenario-based approaches that better characterize energy limitations, extreme conditions, resource performance, uncertainty, and tail-risk events rather than relying solely on traditional deterministic planning measures.
• Lead analysis of historical bulk power system performance to identify trends, emerging risks, reliability gaps, and opportunities for industry action using NERC reliability data and other authoritative data sources.
• Establish an integrated analytical framework connecting forward-looking reliability assessments with observed system performance allowing historical performance, operating experience, and emerging trends to inform NERC's assessment of future reliability risk.
• Provide executive-level interpretation of changing industry conditions including rapid demand growth, resource mix transformation, inverter-based resources, distributed resources, energy storage, large loads, generator and transmission performance, fuel infrastructure dependencies, and other emerging reliability issues.
• Lead a foundational data team focused on data strategy and analytics, including development and maintenance of analytical platforms, tools, applications, dashboards, data pipelines, and shared analytical capabilities supporting reliability assessments, performance analysis, and broader NERC reliability activities.
• Guide development of analytical capabilities including statistical analysis, probabilistic modeling, visualization, automation, advanced analytics, and appropriate application of technologies to improve the efficiency, reproducibility, and credibility of NERC's reliability analysis.
• Establish and oversee data governance practices that promote authoritative data sources, consistent definitions, data quality, appropriate access, documentation, stewardship, and effective use of reliability information across NERC.
• Oversee major reliability data programs and data collections including development of data requests, coordination with Regional Entities and industry, quality assurance, and evolution of data structures necessary to address emerging reliability risks.
• Develop and maintain strong partnerships across the ERO Enterprise coordinating analytical approaches, data requirements, assessment methodologies, and reliability findings with Regional Entities while preserving NERC's independent assessment responsibilities.
• Evaluate the reliability implications of significant industry developments including changing electricity market practices, regulatory and public-policy requirements, environmental regulations, technological changes, resource retirements and additions, infrastructure constraints, and evolving planning practices.
• Provide technical and policy-relevant reliability insights to NERC executive leadership and the Board of Trustees including recommendations regarding emerging risks, analytical priorities, industry actions, and areas requiring additional assessment.
• Represent NERC before FERC, DOE, EIA, state and provincial regulators, RTOs/ISOs, utilities, trade organizations, research institutions, and other reliability stakeholders providing technical briefings, testimony, presentations, and subject-matter expertise.
• Serve as a senior NERC spokesperson on reliability assessments, system performance, and emerging reliability risks, providing technical background and briefings to media and other external audiences.
• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing engineering, analytical, data science, and technology professionals while developing future technical and organizational leaders.
• Establish rigorous quality-control, documentation, and review processes to ensure NERC analytical products are technically defensible, reproducible, transparent, and consistent with NERC's role as the independent Electric Reliability Organization.

• Collaborate across NERC departments including Reliability Standards, Compliance Monitoring and Enforcement, Security, Legal and Regulatory, Information Technology, and external affairs to ensure analytical findings appropriately inform broader organizational priorities.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have at a minimum:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or an advanced degree in a technical field (engineering, computer science, data science, applied mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline)
• At least 10 years of experience in bulk power system planning and/or operations within the electric utility industry. Experience leading engineering team would be preferable.
• Deep understanding of bulk power system reliability, including resource adequacy, energy adequacy, transmission planning, generation performance, system operations, and the changing reliability characteristics of the North American resource mix.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, high-visibility technical assessments involving uncertainty, incomplete information, competing stakeholder perspectives, and emerging reliability risks.
• Strong understanding of modern analytical methods, including statistical analysis, probabilistic methods, data visualization, large-scale data analysis, and analytical tool/platform development.
• Demonstrated understanding of data governance, data quality, stewardship, analytical reproducibility, and lifecycle management of critical data and analytical products.
• Exceptional ability to translate complex technical analysis into clear conclusions for executives, boards, regulators, policymakers, industry stakeholders, and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including demonstrated ability to present complex or sensitive technical findings to senior external audiences.
• Strong judgment, independence, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to identify emerging issues before they become established reliability risks.
• Demonstrated strategic mindset, including the ability to anticipate future industry developments, identify emerging opportunities and risks, and translate insights into innovative strategies that advance organizational objectives.
• Proven ability to drive results, consistently delivering high-quality outcomes, leading through complexity dn ambiguity, and achieving objectives in fast-paced, evolving environments.

Other

• A background check will be conducted prior to employment.
• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
• This position has been classified as exempt.
• The position may be based remotely but must be able to travel to NERC offices or meeting locations if needed. Reimbursement of travel expenses will be in accordance with the company’s travel and expense reimbursement policies.

Our Culture Declarations

• Everyone at NERC is a leader.
• We are accountable personally and organizationally to deliver on commitments.
• We develop ourselves and people in the organization to ensure that NERC realizes its strategic objectives.
• We are resilient and adaptable to the challenges and needs of the business and our team.
• We exude a growth mindset and empower teams to take risks.
• We build collaborative relationships within NERC, the ERO, and the stakeholders of NERC.
• We exemplify NERC cultural behaviors:
  • Reward high-quality, creative, and innovative work
  • Attract, engage, and retain top talent
  • Value and respect diverse perspectives
  • Provide a safe, inclusive, and collaborative work environment
  • Form strong relationships within the company, and with the ERO Enterprise

• We demonstrate curiosity in a wide variety of areas and are open to exploring new situations, knowledge, and opportunities for growth and development.
• We demonstrate an anticipatory mindset, preventing problems and building contingencies where appropriate.
• We are champions for diversity and inclusion, seeking out and values diverse perspectives.
• We value well-being, prioritizing collaboration, engagement, and connection among our team.