Sr. Operations Manager

About Sparkfund

Sparkfund is an energy transition partner built to accelerate the energy transition by transforming the built environment into a productive, resilient, climate-adapted extension of the grid. We do this by partnering with utilities and building owners to provide program management, project implementation, and financing services and capabilities to our partners' customers. Together, we are creating a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable energy future.

Position Summary

Sparkfund is hiring a Sr. Manager, Operations to oversee the management and maintenance of a portfolio of our customers' energy assets as well as develop and build relationships with new and existing customers. This person will lead the maintenance and service functions for the assigned customers, keep up-to-date documentation on ongoing support issues, and monitor and analyze performance KPI.

The ideal candidate is an experienced customer service professional with strong value on building and maintaining enduring relationships with customers, an opportunistic eye for identifying leads for new or continued business, and the strong communication skills to convert leads into opportunities. This person must be collaborative, organized, and process-oriented as well as comfortable adapting quickly to changing circumstances and biased toward action.

The Customer Experience team sits within Sparkfund's Projects Unit, which is responsible for best-in-class delivery of energy projects, the satisfaction of our customers, and creating an avenue for repeat customer business. This is a new role within the organization and will report directly to the VP, Delivery. This role will manage a small team of maintenance professionals.

Location

This role is flexible on location, but applicants should be based in the continental United States. This role will require minimal travel, up to 20% of the time to customer offices or project sites. We expect you to spend some time in Washington, DC as well as the regional offices for our subsidiaries to collaborate with other members of the team, learn the ins and outs of our business, and contribute to our company culture. This, of course, depends on local COVID rules and regulations.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the asset management, maintenance, and operational performance of assigned customers' energy assets.
• Manage and monitor assigned customers' dispatch function, including assigning service tickets, organizing the dispatch of technicians, review the technician's notes and documentation, and ensure the asset management system is updated.
• Manage the performance of a team of maintenance technicians or service coordinators, as assigned.
• Build and monitor key performance metrics and reports in alignment with the team's, the unit's, and the company's performance goals.
• Build and maintain relationships with assigned customers' key contacts, representing Sparkfund in front of partners and customers and striving for proactive outreach and high customer satisfaction levels.
• Monitor and maintain thorough and efficient documentation within asset management and ticketing systems (Corrigo and ZenDesk), ensuring all issues and complaints are documented and resolved quickly.
• Manage the resolution of escalated issues, demonstrating a strategic understanding of warranties and contracts as well as bias towards collaboration, creativity, and solutions.
• Manage the budget for assigned customers, including monitoring and approving maintenance expenditures, proactively identifying deficiencies and potential solutions, and reporting performance to senior leadership.
• Ensure adherence to Sparkfund's and the Customer Experience team's processes and procedures, proactively identifying process inefficiencies and collaborating with Delivery Operations on necessary process improvements.
  
  

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 5-7 years of experience in relevant areas, preferably in B2B customer success or account management.
• Experience managing a team of maintenance or service professionals.
• Proactive in identifying opportunities for new business opportunities as well as recommending process improvements.
• Proven ability to demonstrate good judgment and composure in difficult situations.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and tasks with a keen attention to detail.
• Demonstrated strong organizational, prioritization, and project management skills in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience with some combination of Corrigo, Zendesk, and Salesforce.
• Experience and / or comfort with remote collaboration tools and methods, including software and cloud-based information management tools such as Google Workplace and Slack.
  
  

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working with large energy companies (utilities, retail electric, oil & gas, or renewables)
• Experience managing executive customer relationships and key business stakeholders.
• Experience in a fast-paced startup environment.
• Experience shaping or revamping the customer experience (CX).
• Dedication to what we're building at Sparkfund and making an impact through increasing access to energy efficiency across the economy.
  
  

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and stock option plans - we believe in shared ownership.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, vision, and dental insurance as well as disability and life insurance.
• Flexible vacation policy that encourages ~4 weeks of paid time off. We also observe all federal holidays.
• 8 weeks gender-neutral paid leave for caregivers when they have a new addition to their families and an additional 4 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents.
• A one-time, work-from-home stipend to help cover any equipment, hardware, etc. you need to set up your remote office.
• A monthly allowance of $100 to help cover phone and WiFi expenses.
  
  

We Want You To Know

You can be a great candidate even if you don't fit everything we've described above. You can also have important skills we haven't thought of. If that's you, don't hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself. We are dedicated to environmental stewardship, and recognize we need diverse perspectives to successfully tackle this massive challenge. To change the world, we must first change ourselves, which is why Sparkfund has created a space that sources viewpoints from people who look and think differently.

We are committed to diversity and building an equitable and inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and experiences, and we're taking steps to meet that commitment.

We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, veterans, and people with disabilities.