AddressRequisition ID # 156690
Job Category: Administrative / Clerical
Job Level: Individual Contributor
Business Unit: Engineering, Planning & Strategy
Work Type: Hybrid
Job Location: Oakland
Team Summary: R&D Operations
Spend your summer with PG&E’s R&D Operations team and help us tackle the pressing challenges within the electric industry through R&D and innovation.
R&D Operations is part of PG&E’s Grid Research Innovation and Development (GRiD) department, which is housed within the Utility Partnerships & Innovation (UPI) organization. In 2022, PG&E articulated its True North Strategy (TNS), a bold breakthrough vision that charts a course toward achieving our purpose and climate commitments over the next 10 years. R&D Operations’ mission is to ensure that PG&E can bring the technologies that support the TNS vision of a resilient, decarbonized, optimized energy system from conception to reality through a rigorous R&D practice. To do so, in 2023 R&D Operations led the creation of PG&E’s R&D Strategy Report, and hosted PG&E’s Innovation Summit and Innovation Pitch Fest.
Our team also administers PG&E’s participation in California’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program. EPIC enables PG&E and other California organizations to demonstrate and deploy emerging technologies that address developing grid needs. PG&E is currently running its 4th EPIC cycle and preparing for the 5th.
In addition to articulating what needs to be solved through the R&D Strategy Report and EPIC, R&D Operations is chartered with improving how PG&E identifies, tests, and deploys novel solutions for its energy system. GRID is developing an end-to-end R&D Playbook attuned to the nuances of early-stage product development to guide R&D practices across the utility.
Position Summary: Summer Internship
The R&D Operations team is seeking a curious, tenacious college student to join us for the summer of 2024. We’re looking for someone eager to learn about California’s energy system and who’s interested in thinking about how a utility can balance its critical day-to-day operations with its need to invest in forward-looking R&D and innovation that changes those operations over time.
You’ll join a friendly team of eight individuals with varied backgrounds spanning engineering, policy, product management, process improvement, and more. You’ll interact with us in daily standups and working meetings in a hybrid capacity—sometimes remote, sometimes in person. You’ll join us as we work with teams across PG&E on R&D projects. You’ll also be expected to complete individual work and present your results to us and our partner teams.
This position is based out of PG&E’s General Office in downtown Oakland, CA. The team has a hybrid work model; most day-to-day work will be performed remotely, with the expectation of working from Oakland or at the locations of our partner teams a few days per month.
PG&E is providing the hourly rate range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual hourly rate paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity. Although we estimate the successful candidate hired into this role will be placed towards the middle or entry point of the range, the decision will be made on a case-by-case basis related to these factors.
The hourly rate for this position ranges from $19.56 to $35.11
Responsibilities
You’ll be asked to help us craft the scope of your internship in your first weeks on the job to make sure that your summer experience at PG&E meets your goals and interests. Some areas you may work on include:
- R&D Communications: Help us tell the story of R&D at PG&E for internal and external audiences. Develop multi-media content highlighting how PG&E is approaching R&D and what we’re accomplishing and learning.
- R&D Playbook: Support our rollout of the R&D Playbook. Help us spread the word about the Playbook, organize and lead learning sessions to teach our coworkers about its contents, and gather feedback to identify areas for improvement.
- R&D Partnerships and Project Inventory: Improve how we track R&D partnerships and projects. Help us with data migration and change management as we roll out new vendor and project management tools or processes. Identify opportunities where we can collaborate with the California Energy Commission and other partner organizations on R&D projects.
- EPIC Administration: Support EPIC program evaluation and improvement.
You’ll be asked to provide a final presentation to close out your internship to R&D Operations and our partner teams about your learnings, accomplishments, and recommendations for how we can improve.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Earning a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in an accredited university and returning to school in the fall to continue your education toward a degree
Desired:
- Experience with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Basic familiarity with process mapping and flow chart software such as Microsoft Visio
- Proven interest in today’s energy landscape and how it’s shaped by regulatory and market forces
- Proven interest in sustainability and climate resilience
- Proven interest in new technology and product development
- Familiarity with data analytics
- Ability to translate complex technical information into compelling stories for a wide range of audiences
- Ability to work in a team environment and support fellow team members
- Ability to take initiative and work independently
- Growth mindset, curiosity, and desire to learn and develop
