Position: Director of Programs and Customer Engagement

Company: Open Technologies

Location: Vancouver or remote, anywhere in Canada

OPEN Technologies seeks a highly motivated and experienced Program Manager to support our work in service of rapid building decarbonization. Supported by OPEN's software tools, the Director of Programs & Customer Engagement will run our multi-stakeholder programs with Local and Provincial Governments, NGOs, capital providers, and building managers to collect and analyze building performance data and generate building and sector-level insights to drive action.

About OPEN

The built environment contributes roughly 40% of annual global emissions. Around the world, governments, utilities, capital providers, and portfolio managers are transforming the market forces that shape our cities. OPEN's data and software tools help drive decarbonization at scale, by providing actionable insights on the best pathways to achieve energy and carbon savings from buildings.

Our software platform GRID — collects data that describes the physical properties of commercial buildings alongside their utility usage. We use this data to benchmark the energy and carbon intensity of buildings at the municipal and portfolio levels. It is also used to provide building owners with energy and decarbonization insights. GRID is currently deployed in 28 jurisdictions – including 23 of the 100 Canadian cities over 50,000 people—and is being actively used to inform policy and incentive programs designed to accelerate energy and carbon savings from buildings.

OPEN is a dynamic technology company that's changing the game in climate action and environmental innovation. Our team is made up of dedicated individuals who are passionate about having a positive impact on the world. We are a small but ambitious group of people aligned around an outward facing mission and a commitment to building a culture of shared exploration, curiosity, and growth.

As a small team, we need folks who understand the urgent need for change, and bring that fire to work.

Job Overview

The Director of Programs & Customer Engagement is a leadership position reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. You will be the primary point of contact with the 29+ jurisdictions that OPEN technologies supports nationally on benchmarking and reporting. You will work with governments, NGO's, utilities, building owners, and the non-profit housing sector to support their efforts to track and assess energy use and reduce carbon in existing buildings using the GRID software platform . This position will serve as a resource for GRID customers supporting not only their needs as it relates to the software platform but also generally as a building energy benchmarking expert. This will include supporting clients with data quality assurance, using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and overall program management as required. We are looking for someone who is comfortable working in both English and French, is interested in building out a national program management team, and is committed to climate action.

Key Responsibilities:

Onboarding New Clients:

• Providing demos and orientations of the GRID software platform.
• Helping clients to use GRID, and troubleshoot issues as they occur.
• Liaise with Product and Engineering teams as required to solve customer issues and clarify feature requests

Program Development:

• Stay informed on best practices in building energy benchmarking and Building Performance Standards
• Support clients in the design and implementation of building energy benchmarking and Building Performance Standards programs.

Data Collection and Analysis:

• Collaborate with clients, building owners, managers, and utility companies to support the collection of energy usage data in buildings using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, spreadsheets, or other software solutions
• Support clients and reporting entities with data analysis and insights toward energy and carbon reduction pathways.
• Prepare reports and presentations to communicate findings to stakeholders.
• Customer support in Compliance Management programs related to building energy benchmarking and building performance standards.
• Design and implement programs such as helpdesks to assist building owners and managers in meeting compliance obligations.

Stakeholder/Customer Engagement:

• Maintaining and growing customer relationships
• Lead Canada's largest voluntary building energy benchmarking and disclosure program, Building Benchmark BC – including convening 20+ local government partners quarterly, coordinating data submissions, QA/QC efforts and data analysis.
• Check in regularly with customers to ensure they are adequately supported in delivering their benchmarking programs using GRID.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with relevant industry organizations, governmental agencies, and advocacy groups such as Natural Resources Canada, Canada Mortgage & Housing Corporation, BOMA Canada, Canada Green Building Council, Efficiency Canada and the Institute for Market Transformation.

Team Development:

• Work with company leadership to build out a customer success and program management team.
• Develop and manage the program budget, ensuring cost-effective operations.
• Seek funding opportunities and grants to support program expansion and improvement.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in environmental science, engineering, sustainability, or a related field, or commensurate professional experience.
• Proven experience in energy benchmarking, sustainability, or related programs, with at least 3-5 years in a managerial role.
• Fluent in both English and French.
• Demonstrated knowledge of energy management, energy efficiency and decarbonization practices, building systems, and environmental regulations.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with customers (mostly local governments) and other diverse stakeholders.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Excellent data analysis and reporting abilities, proficiency in data visualization tools (eg, Excel, Tableau / PowerBI, etc.).
• Familiarity with energy benchmarking software and data management systems is an asset.
• Knowledge of relevant energy codes, policies, standards, and certifications (eg, ENERGY STAR, LEED).

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter outlining their qualifications and experience related to this role. Please also include references and any relevant certifications. Application materials should be sent to jobs@opentech.eco . Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.

Location, Hours, and Salary

While the core of OPEN's team is located in Vancouver, we are open to candidates from across Canada and encourage candidates in eastern time zones to apply. We are also very open to conversations about flexible work weeks (eg. 3 or 4 days per week), particularly for candidates who are parents and/or caregivers.

The salary range for this full-time position is $90,000 to $120,000 CAD. Salary is determined within this range commensurate with competency. All OPEN employees are eligible to participate in OPEN's benefits program after a three month probationary period.

OPEN strives to build a team that reflects the diversity of the communities we are a part of. We encourage applicants from groups that are underrepresented in tech such as women, visible minorities, Indigenous persons, LGBTQ2 persons, and persons with disabilities.