Program Manager at Kearns & West Inc – New York, New York

The Organization

Kearns & West is a national collaboration and strategic communications firm founded in 1984 that helps clients and communities navigate complex challenges by building trust, finding common ground, and shaping durable solutions. The firm specializes in facilitation, large-scale stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, digital engagement, mediation, and conflict resolution, working across sectors such as energy, water, transportation, land and natural resources, technology, and government. Kearns & West partners with public agencies, private organizations, nonprofits, and communities to support public involvement and engagement processes at local, regional, and national levels.

For more information, please visit: www.kearnswest.com

Position Summary

Kearns & West seeks an experienced Program Manager to lead day-to-day management of an expanding Appliance Upgrade Program (AUP), funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) program and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This is a contractor position and is contingent upon contract award. This role has the potential to transition into a full-time permanent position as the contract evolves.

The Program Manager will oversee internal staff, implementation contractors, and statewide retailer and contractor networks while guiding program expansion to new appliances, funding streams, and customer segments.

This role requires demonstrated experience managing federally funded utility or appliance upgrade incentive programs, ensuring compliance, documentation, reporting integrity, and performance optimization in a dynamic policy and market environment.

Preferred Qualifications and Experience

Located in New York State, or remote

Program Management experience, especially managing state or federal energy efficiency incentive programs.

Prior experience managing or implementing utility incentive programs, or similar federally funded programs (DOE, NYSERDA, or similar), including compliance oversight and reporting.Strong understanding of audit readiness, documentation standards, and performance tracking under federal funding structures.Background in appliance rebates, electrification programs, or energy efficiency markets.

Proven experience managing complex incentive or market transformation programs with multiple implementers and partner networks.Demonstrated ability to oversee contractor performance and deliver results on schedule.Project Management

Ability to move seamlessly between high-level strategy and detailed implementation.Skilled in prioritization, workplan development, and cross-functional coordination.Demonstrated success advancing new policies or initiatives from concept to deployment.Meticulous attention to detail; strong planning and critical thinking skills with the ability to anticipate needs of key stakeholders.Ability and appetite to learn and assimilate new information and think holistically through complex problems with technical and non-technical components.Systems Management

Strong experience with Salesforce Lightning (system design, requirements development, UAT, dashboards, reporting) or comparable systems.

Advanced proficiency in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.Ability to translate programmatic needs into technical specifications.Ability to learn new systems and processes from independent documentation review and analysis and identify actionable areas for improvement.Strong Interpersonal Communications

Superior written and verbal communication skills.Ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including contractors, advocates, and municipal officials.Ability to translate complicated technical concepts into plain language that can be understood and actioned by internal staff and external stakeholders, including advocates municipal officials.High integrity, customer orientation, and professional judgment.Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Operations

Manage daily operations of AUP, including oversight of 4–5 full-time staff, two implementation contractor teams, and pools of Participating Retailers and Contractors.Coordinate statewide program delivery to ensure coverage, customer access, and operational continuity during expansion.Direct implementation contractors to meet performance targets, reporting requirements, and federal compliance standards.Federal Program & Compliance Management

Ensure alignment with DOE HEAR requirements and applicable federal funding rules, including documentation, tracking, audit readiness, and reporting.Quantify and document program activities; assess progress against established performance metrics and strategic goals.Maintain meticulous adherence to NYSERDA processes and internal controls.Strategy, Optimization & Market Development

Continuously refine program strategy based on market data, evaluation findings, and stakeholder insights.Advance innovative program improvements from concept through deployment.Identify and remove operational bottlenecks while strengthening retailer/contractor engagement.Systems & Tools Management

Lead and participate in Salesforce Lightning system enhancements, requirements development, user acceptance testing (UAT), reporting, and dashboard design.Translate program rules into system workflows and functional requirements.Stakeholder Engagement & Communications

Develop clear documentation for customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.Communicate complex technical and regulatory concepts in plain language.Build and maintain productive relationships with retailers, contractors, implementation partners, and internal teams.
Compensation: $52.00 - $76.00/ per hour