Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, entrepreneurial nonprofit think-and-do tank that drives the efficient and restorative use of resources—currently focused on accelerating the U.S. transition from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. Established in 1982 by Amory and Hunter Lovins, RMI began as a small group of colleagues focusing on energy solutions. It has since grown into a broad-based Institute with approximately 90 full-time staff, an annual budget of $12 million, and a global reach.
RMI is engaged in research that addresses pragmatic designs, practices, and policies, not social theories or laboratory experiments. We work on all parts of the solution process—idea, strategy, and implementation—in the high impact areas of energy, mobility and vehicle efficiency, energy resource use, security, and the built environment.
RMI has two locations — in Boulder and Snowmass, Colorado.
Current Openings
Electricity Consultant
RMI is seeking an exceptional person to fill the position of Consultant who will focus largely on our electricity work.
RMI’s electric program is designed to help drive the elimination of fossil fuels in the electric sector by creating a credible vision of what the no-carbon system could be, developing viable solutions to key technical, economic, and regulatory barriers, and collaborating with electric utilities and their regulators to understand and implement a path forward. We use quantitative analysis to analyze system interactions and make strategic recommendations to our partners and clients.
This position's primary job responsibility will be to conduct highly quantitative modeling, analysis and reporting. As such, reporting, communications and interpersonal skills are critical.
This position is based in Boulder.
Key Responsibilities
- Be a core researcher on one or more components of the future electric system
- Design and create approaches and quantitative models to effectively address key questions and challenges posed by our research goals and clients
- Develop hypotheses to guide your work, and propose new ways to analyze problems
- Structure and guide the work of more junior team members
- Synthesize recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports
- Present quantitative information in a clear, visual format
- Engage with external experts and stakeholders through conference presentations, topical expertise for media requests, outreach to RMI donors, and direct collaboration on RMI research
Qualifications
- Graduate degree or equivalent in engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, energy), economics, computer science, mathematics, or physical sciences
- At least 3 years of prior work experience
- Experience or solid knowledge base in one or more relevant electrical system areas including:
- Building energy efficiency
- Energy efficiency programs
- Enewable energy
- Grid integration
- Demand-side management
- Utility resource planning & strategy
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Understanding of basic financial analysis and metrics (NPV, cash flow, etc.)
- Prior experience in consulting and project management
- Intense curiosity and creativity
- Ability to work independently
- Willingness to plunge into unfamiliar disciplines
- Willingness to take risks by exploring and testing new ideas
- A passion for making the world better
The goal of the Consultant position is to begin with specific project tasks but develop the capability to manage and lead tasks and projects. The Consultant will initially be given a significant role on a larger project and expected to conduct analysis, communicate results to the team, articulate questions or issues to consider, and document his or her work in a deliverable. Over time, this individual is expected to manage increasingly complex pieces of analytical work with more responsibility as he or she successfully demonstrates competency with each assigned project.
Examples of Recent RMI Consultant Work
- Analyzed the current state of the solar photovoltaic industry, developed a hypothesis of how to drive growth through cost reductions, and designed an innovation workshop to bring together leading industry experts to identify strategies to reduce balance of system costs
- Designed scenarios for use in developing a greenhouse gas strategy for a large investor-owned utility, and provided expertise to the project team in resource valuation
- Identified major drivers of distributed benefits, developed a new approach to categorizing them in a way that is more accessible and actionable by utilities, and collaborated with external experts to explore methodologies for valuing them
How to Apply
Please email a cover letter and resume with “Consultant-Electricity Focus” in the subject line to: RandCjobs@rmi.org.
Analyst
RMI is seeking an exceptional candidate to become an Analyst—RMI’s entry-level research and consulting position. Our Analysts are creative problem solvers who use their quantitative, technical and analytical abilities to conduct compelling quantitative analyses around vital energy issues. They collaborate with team members to craft visionary yet practical solutions for our research questions and for our clients.
As RMI’s entry-level position, we expect our Analysts to join RMI with sound quantitative training and some relevant experience. We look for aptitude at solving challenging problems, the ability to think in numbers, and work in groups. We expect self-motivation, curiosity, creativity, the ability to drive oneself and others toward meaningful results, and a passion for making the world better.
This position will work across RMI’s practice areas. This position is based in Snowmass.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide quantitative support to our consulting projects
- Create quantitative models and analyses
- Locate and manage high quality data that allow us to shed new light on problems and solutions
- Synthesize recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports
- Present quantitative information in a clear, visual format
- Engage with external experts via phone interviews, conferences, and on occasion responding to outreach requests
Qualifications
General:
- At least one year of cumulative work experience and excellent work references
- Ability to stick with a problem until a solution is found, but knowledge of when to ask for help
- Ability to be self-motivated and work independently
- Ability to listen actively, be diplomatic, and share knowledge and information well
- Ability to communicate your ideas clearly
Technical:
- A graduate degree or equivalent experience in a quantitative field such as engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, energy), economics, computer science, mathematics, or physical sciences
- Top-level academic performance
- Ability to design, build, and maintain complex models (Excel, etc)
- Understanding of basic financial analysis and metrics (i.e., NPV, cash flows, etc)
Examples of Recent RMI Analyst Work
- Constructed a Python-based electric utility hourly dispatch simulation model and used the model to support a collaborative resource portfolio development process with a large investor-owned utility client
- Assembled external renewable energy cost forecasts and developed a synthesized, defensible, set of cost forecasts for use in the development of our vision of a no-carbon electric system
- Worked with team to develop an innovative approach to understanding the energy efficiency gap in the U.S. and built a quantitative model to apply the approach
- Developed the framework and data for an innovative workshop or data centers that led to an 80 percent reduction in energy needs
How to Apply
To apply, please email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample with “Analyst” in the subject line to RandCjobs@rmi.org.
Analyst, Electricity Focus
This Analyst position will largely focus on our electricity work. In addition, this position will periodically be expected to work across RMI’s practice areas. RMI’s electric program is designed to help catalyze the elimination of fossil fuels in the electric sector by creating a credible vision of what the no-carbon system could be, developing viable solutions to key technical, economic and regulatory barriers, and collaborating with electric utilities and their regulators to understand and implement a path forward.
This position is based in Boulder.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide quantitative support to our consulting projects
- Create quantitative models and analyses
- Locate and manage high quality data that allow us to shed new light on problems and solutions
- Synthesize recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports
- Present quantitative information in a clear, visual format
- Engage with external experts via phone interviews, conferences, and on occasion responding to outreach requests
Qualifications
General:
- At least one year of cumulative work experience and excellent work references
- Ability to stick with a problem until a solution is found, but knowledge of when to ask for help
- Ability to be self-motivated and work independently
- Ability to listen actively, be diplomatic, and share knowledge and information well
- Ability to communicate your ideas clearly
Technical:
- A graduate degree or equivalent experience in a quantitative field such as engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, energy), economics, computer science, mathematics, or physical sciences
- Top-level academic performance
- Ability to design, build, and maintain complex models (Excel, etc)
- Understanding of basic financial analysis and metrics (i.e., NPV, cash flows, etc)\
- Basic knowledge of electricity
- Experience with one or more computer programming languages (i.e., C++, Python, Matlab, etc)
Examples of Recent RMI Analyst Work
- Constructed a Python-based electric utility hourly dispatch simulation model and used the model to support a collaborative resource portfolio development process with a large investor-owned utility client
- Assembled external renewable energy cost forecasts and developed a synthesized, defensible, set of cost forecasts for use in the development of our vision of a no-carbon electric system
- Worked with team to develop an innovative approach to understanding the energy efficiency gap in the U.S. and built a quantitative model to apply the approach
- Developed the framework and data for an innovative workshop or data centers that led to an 80 percent reduction in energy needs
Key Responsibilities
- A core researcher on one or more components of the future electric system
- Provide quantitative support to our electric utility consulting projects
- Create quantitative models and analyses
- Locate and manage high quality data that allow us to shed new light on problems and solutions
- Synthesize recommendations into clear and compelling presentations and written reports
- Present quantitative information in a clear, visual format
- Engage with external experts via phone interviews, conferences, and on occasion responding to outreach requests
After developing project experience at RMI, we expect that you will have a depth of expertise in the electric system, as well as breadth of knowledge around energy issues in general. You will have become a core member of our team with significant responsibility for aspects of our intellectual development and consulting work.
How to Apply
To apply, please email a cover letter, resume, and writing sample with “Analyst-Electricity” in the subject line to RandCjobs@rmi.org.
Intern, Reinventing Fire
This internship’s purpose is to assist RMI’s Chief Scientist Amory Lovins and his team with research on the Reinventing Fire Initiative (www.reinventingfire.com). Reinventing Fire will synthesize RMI’s twenty-eight years of intellectual capital around energy efficiency, renewable energy, and whole-system/integrative design and aims to change the conversation from “it’s impossible” and “how much will it cost?” to “here’s how” and “how can we invest?” Paramount to the Reinventing Fire vision is RMI’s belief that transitioning to efficiency and renewable energy will require a business-led integrative approach. RMI intends to make Reinventing Fire’s main findings accessible to several audiences, with a particular focus on the business/finance community. The intern will be responsible for helping to create one or more of these deliverables.
Objectives
Key to Reinventing Fire will be identifying barriers to the transition away from fossil fuels, creating solutions to these barriers, and clearly highlighting barriers we do not currently have solutions for. The Reinventing Fire Intern will assist with barrier identification and barrier solution creation by delving into one area of fossil fuel use in detail. Examples of work to be completed include utility risk assessment, automotive industry transformation planning, and new business model development for existing building retrofits. The project will be tailored to the specific skills of the intern and needs of the project, however the overall focus of the internship will be on creating solutions with measurable outcomes that will set the U.S. on a transition path away from fossil fuels.
Qualifications
A successful candidate will have experience in one or more subject areas applicable to Reinventing Fire. Knowledge and experience in many or all of the following areas are beneficial:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in business, policy, engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, energy), economics, computer science, mathematics, or physical sciences.
- Proficient modeling in Microsoft Excel or other software programs
- Strong analytic skills and ability to employ hypothesis-based approach to research
Additionally, the successful candidate will demonstrate the following qualities:
- Intense curiosity and creativity.
- Willingness to plunge into unfamiliar disciplines.
- Willingness to take risks by exploring and testing new ideas.
- A passion for making the world better.
How to Apply
To apply, please email a cover letter and resume with “Intern” in the subject line to: RandCjobs@rmi.org.
No calls please.
RMI is an equal opportunity employer.