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Strategic Energy Planning Office Director

EXEC AIDE VIII

Recruitment #26-009648-0001

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Introduction

The Maryland Governor’s Office is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Director at the Strategic Energy Planning Office (SEPO). Established as an independent office of the State of Maryland by Chapter 19 of the Acts of 2025 (Public Utilities Article Title 7, Subtitle 13, §§ 7-1301–7-1307), SEPO is charged with assessing the wholesale energy market’s financial, resource adequacy, and reliability risks of serving Maryland’s long-term energy needs, and with identifying cost-effective solutions that minimize the growth of, or lower, the cost of electricity and minimize energy resource reliability risks for Maryland ratepayers.

To apply, please submit the following:
  • A resume, 
  • A cover letter addressing the candidate’s approach to standing up an independent planning office and to producing a credible long-term forecast, 
  • One (1) writing sample (no longer than 15 pages), preferably from the past 5 years, demonstrating analytical and technical writing ability (e.g., testimony, a filed report, a published analysis, or similar), and 
  • Contact information for three (3) professional references. to Connor Shinn at connor.shinn@maryland.gov by the deadline, November 11, 2026 at 11:59PM ET. The subject line should read: (YOUR NAME – SEPO Director)
Materials must be in PDF format and emailed to Connor Shinn at connor.shinn@maryland.gov no later than November 12, 2026 at 11:59pm. The subject line should read: (YOUR NAME – SEPO Director). Please do not submit materials via mail, in-person delivery, or fax. To be considered for the position, all requested materials must be completed appropriately and submitted by the indicated deadline.

GRADE

EPP0005

LOCATION OF POSITION

Baltimore, MD

POSITION DUTIES

General Purpose: The Director is the Office’s chief executive and its principal analytical voice. The Director will be responsible for building and leading Maryland’s new independent energy planning office; owns the State’s triennial Comprehensive Wholesale Energy Markets and Bulk Power System Risk Report; directs long-horizon load forecasting, scenario modeling, and wholesale market risk analysis; conducts the statutory stakeholder processes; responds to policy-scenario requests from the General Assembly; and serves as the State’s analytical counterpart to PJM Interconnection on planning tools and assumptions. The Director also defines the Office’s annual cost estimate within the statutory assessment framework and manages the Office’s budget, staff, and consultants.

This is a start-up assignment. The successful candidate will construct the Office, including hiring staff, developing a modeling platform, implementing data-access procedures with the Commission, and establishing administrative arrangements, while meeting statutory deadlines including the submission of the first Risk Report and the companion strategies report to the Governor and General Assembly by September 1, 2028, and every 3 years thereafter with the Commission’s public proceeding on the Risk Report’s results and recommendations beginning.

Responsibilities: To lead an independent State planning office and deliver its statutory work product. Specifically:
  • Stand up the Office: develop and execute the staffing plan, consultant strategy, and modeling platform; establish procedures with the Public Service Commission for obtaining information from electric and gas companies under § 7-1302(e); and put administrative arrangements in place. 
  • Direct 20-year load and demand forecasting by transmission zone and electric service territory, and design scenario analysis satisfying § 7-1303(c), including, at minimum: clean-energy-goals, least-cost, and no-policy-change scenarios testing resource mixes, in-state generation versus imports, retirement risk, and directional ratepayer cost risk. Assess reliability impacts and least-cost reliability solutions for the subset of scenarios primarily relied on in the Risk Report. 
  • Develop recommendations spanning resource deployment, demand-side management, program changes, statutory and regulatory changes, market structures, and State, multistate, or electric company procurement, each supported by analysis balancing affordability, reliability, and emissions reductions, or a supported finding that identified risks are acceptable. 
  • Build and maintain the Office’s modeling tools, coordinate with PJM on tool development, and conduct cost-benefit analyses of generation resources in wholesale markets, in consultation with the Commission and the Maryland Energy Administration. 
  • Lead the front-end stakeholder process on data inputs and the post-publication stakeholder process, produce the companion strategies report, document stakeholder engagement and feedback as required by § 7-1307, and support the Commission’s public proceeding on the Risk Report’s results and recommendations. The proceeding is initiated at the Office’s request under § 7-1306. 
  • Manage responses to joint requests from the Senate Education, Energy, and the Environment Committee and the House Environment and Transportation Committee for analysis of up to five policy scenarios annually, with results due to the committees within 1 year of each request. 
  • Coordinate with the Maryland Energy Administration, the Public Service Commission, the Power Plant Research Program, the Maryland Clean Energy Center, and the Maryland Department of the Environment; maintain working relationships with PJM staff, the Office of People’s Counsel, utilities, and market participants. 
  • Prepare the Office’s annual cost estimate for inclusion in the Commission Chairman’s assessment estimate under Public Utilities Article § 2-110, within the 0.074% cap on the Office’s share of assessed gross intrastate operating revenues, prepare and defend the Office’s budget submission, and procure and manage modeling consultants.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: A bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in economics, engineering, public policy, law, or a related field.

Experience: Significant professional experience in wholesale electricity markets, resource adequacy, or electric system planning. Candidates should possess at least five years in a supervisory, managerial, or program-leadership capacity.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

The strongest candidates will bring:
  • Deep expertise in wholesale electricity markets and resource adequacy: RTO/ISO planning or markets experience (PJM strongly preferred), utility integrated resource planning, energy consulting, or an equivalent regulatory economics background. 
  • Demonstrated ability to direct production-cost, capacity-expansion, and load-forecast modeling; to manage modeling consultants; and to defend analysis under expert and adversarial review. 
  • Ability to translate technical results for principals, legislators, stakeholders, and the public, in writing and in testimony. 
  • Credibility across the full spectrum of Maryland energy stakeholders, and sound judgment about the line between independent analysis and policy advocacy. 
  • Start-up capability: a record of building or scaling an analytical team, program, or practice, and comfort operating with a small staff and large mandate. 
  • Familiarity with Maryland’s energy statutes, the PJM stakeholder process, and FERC practice is preferred.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The Director is appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate, serves a five-year term beginning July 1 (the first term began July 1, 2026), holds over until a successor is appointed and qualifies, and may be removed only for incompetence or misconduct as provided in State Government Article § 3-307. The selected candidate must be confirmable by the Maryland Senate and will be subject to standard Appointments Office vetting, including financial disclosure and conflict-of-interest review.

Because the Office’s statutory purpose includes independent assessment of the wholesale market and bulk power system, the selected candidate must divest, disclose, or recuse from financial interests and client relationships that would conflict with that role, consistent with the Maryland Public Ethics Law.

EXAMINATION PROCESS

The assessment may consist of a rating of your education, training, and experience related to the requirements of the position. It is important that you provide complete and accurate information on your application. Please report all experience and education that is related to this position.

BENEFITS

FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

To apply, please submit the following:
  • A resume, 
  • A cover letter addressing the candidate’s approach to standing up an independent planning office and to producing a credible long-term forecast, 
  • One (1) writing sample (no longer than 15 pages), preferably from the past 5 years, demonstrating analytical and technical writing ability (e.g., testimony, a filed report, a published analysis, or similar), and 
  • Contact information for three (3) professional references. to Connor Shinn at connor.shinn@maryland.gov by the deadline, November 12, 2026 at 11:59PM ET. The subject line should read: (YOUR NAME – SEPO Director)
Materials must be in PDF format and emailed to Connor Shinn at connor.shinn@maryland.gov no later than November 12, 2026 at 11:59pm. The subject line should read: (YOUR NAME – SEPO Director). Please do not submit materials via mail, in-person delivery, or fax. To be considered for the position, all requested materials must be completed appropriately and submitted by the indicated deadline.

The State of Maryland is committed to diversity among its staff, and recognizes that its continued success requires the highest commitment to obtaining and retaining a diverse staff that provides the best quality services to supporters and constituents. The State of Maryland is an equal opportunity employer and it is our policy to recruit, hire, train, promote and administer any and all personnel actions without regard to sex, race, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, economic status, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity or expression, ethnic identity or disability, or any other legally protected basis. The State of Maryland is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities in the hiring process and on the job, as required by applicable law. The State of Maryland will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination and any such conduct is strictly prohibited.


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