Principal Product Manager

Product Manager Battery Customer Strategy Lead Oakland, CA 3 Months

TOP THINGS:

• We are looking for someone who is adept at customer discovery and identifying customer needs through interviews.
• Someone who is familiar with batteries and other distributed energy resources.
• Someone who is nimble and comfortable operating in an ambiguous and fast-paced environment.

EQUIPMENT:

• Only a client laptop will be provided, no monitors. They can start on a personal device or vendor-provided device if the client laptop is delayed.
• If they travel they get the travel approved ahead of time, then file an expense report for reimbursement for the airfare/hotel.

Meet Project Foxtrot Project Foxtrot is a new venture being developed within Clients Innovation Accelerator. The project is exploring how various customer-sited battery configurations can create measurable value for customers, the electric grid, and Client. During Phase 1, the team evaluated more than 40 potential battery-related value streams to determine which value streams are most profitable. Phase 2 (Incubate) will focus on identifying and validating target customers, generating and refining solution concepts that achieve problem + market fit through iterative testing, further economic analysis, and developing an operating model for a new business that can deploy flexible capacity solutions at scale. At the conclusion of the ~4-month Incubation Phase (concluding at the end of 2026), the venture will be assessed by its governing executive board in order to move forward. If the project advances there is expected to be an opportunity to extend the role on a longer-term basis.

The Role The Foxtrot team is seeking an experienced contractor with deep expertise in retail battery energy storage solutions, distributed energy resources, and utility markets. This individual will serve as a strategic and technical advisor to the venture team, helping identify customer opportunities, evaluate solution concepts, understand market dynamics, and translate battery capabilities into utility and customer value. The ideal candidate has experience working across battery vendors, developers, aggregators, utilities, virtual power plants (VPPs), DER programs, energy markets, or customer-sited energy solutions. They should be equally comfortable sharing early-stage solutions for feedback with potential target customers via customer interview.

Accountabilities:

• Customer & Market Discovery: Conduct interviews with a range of utility stakeholders, residential customers, vendors, developers, aggregators, and industry experts. Evaluate customer pain points and willingness to adopt battery-enabled solutions. Identify emerging market opportunities in DERs, VPPs, microgrids, and flexible capacity services.
• Product & Business Model Development: Develop and refine battery-related product/program concepts. Assess ownership, operational, and financing structures. Explore utility-owned, third-party-owned, and customer-owned deployment models. Support development of commercialization and scaling strategies.
• Technical & Market Analysis: Analyze battery capabilities, performance constraints, and deployment considerations. Evaluate battery participation opportunities in CAISO, resource adequacy, demand flexibility, and other DER markets. Assess opportunities for value stacking across utility and customer use cases.
• Strategy & Executive Support: Prepare materials for governing executive board members. Support development of business cases and investment recommendations. Identify risks, dependencies, and scaling considerations.

Required Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in BESS, DERs, distributed grid solutions, or related energy markets.
• Demonstrated experience with customer-sited or distributed battery solutions.
• Strong understanding of battery economics, value stacking, and deployment models.
• Experience working with electric utilities, utility customers, energy developers, aggregators, or DER service providers.
• Familiarity with wholesale and retail electricity markets.
• Experience conducting market research, customer discovery, or product strategy work.
• Strong analytical, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Proven ability to work in highly ambiguous, early-stage environments.
• Ability to work within a consensus-driven environment.

Desired Experience:

• Experience with California energy markets and regulatory environments.
• Familiarity with CAISO, resource adequacy, demand response, and virtual power plant programs.
• Experience working with large commercial and industrial energy customers.
• Understanding of distribution planning, grid modernization, interconnection, or non-wires alternatives.
• Experience in venture building, product management, management consulting, innovation programs, or startup environments.
• Experience developing utility-scale or behind-the-meter battery products.