Director of Energy Systems Modeling EPIC in Lexington, Kentucky at University of Kentucky

BA

7 yrs

None

Sitting long periods of time. Lifting objects up to 10 lbs.

8am-5pm, M-F, located in Lexington, Kentucky.
Periodic travel throughout the Commonwealth and occasional out-of-state travel for meetings and conferences is required.

The Director of Energy Systems Modeling serves as EPIC’s senior technical leader responsible for the quantitative analysis and modeling infrastructure supporting the Kentucky Electricity Adequacy Plan (KEAP) and EPIC’s broader statutory mission.

This position is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating the analytical models EPIC relies upon to assess Kentucky’s current and future electricity needs, evaluate generation and transmission adequacy, and analyze emerging large-load developments. The role is technical and internal in nature; it does not include legislative, media, or stakeholder-facing responsibilities.

A central responsibility of this role is building and running the models supporting the Kentucky Electricity Adequacy Plan (KEAP) and providing technical modeling support to EPIC’s three standing technical committees: the Demand Forecasting Committee, the Primary Energy Supply Committee, and the Transmission Infrastructure Committee.

The Director of Energy Systems Modeling reports to the Executive Director of EPIC. The Director works closely with EPIC’s Director of Regulatory and Economic Analysis, Director of Strategic Initiatives, and administrative staff. External coordination includes data exchange and model validation activities with Kentucky electric utilities, the Kentucky Public Service Commission, PJM, MISO, TVA, the U.S. Department of Energy, national laboratories, university researchers, and energy consultants. Legislative, media, and senior stakeholder engagement responsibilities are carried out by the Executive Director and other designated EPIC staff.

The Director works in close coordination with and under the direction of the Executive Director, who sets analytical priorities and maintains final authority over EPIC’s work products and public positions.

The ideal candidate possesses a strong knowledge of electric power systems, including generation, transmission, distribution, and grid operations, as well as resource adequacy concepts, reserve margin standards, and reliability metrics applicable to electric power systems. They demonstrate proficiency with one or more energy modeling platforms, such as PLEXOS, Aurora, or comparable production cost and capacity expansion tools, and have strong quantitative data analysis skills using Python, R, SQL, or similar technologies. Familiarity with GIS platforms for spatial analysis of energy infrastructure and load data is also essential.
The candidate is able to manage complex data systems while maintaining transparent and well-documented analytical processes, and can synthesize large, complex datasets into clear, concise written products for both technical and non-technical audiences. Additionally, they possess strong project management skills, with the ability to oversee multiple concurrent analytical workstreams and consistently meet deadlines.

Driver’s License Preferred

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Any candidate offered a position may be required to pass pre-employment screenings as mandated by University of Kentucky Human Resources. These screenings may include a national background check and/or drug screen.