Director of Operations (m/w/d)

Job Description

GridStor is a rapidly growing, grid-scale energy storage developer, owner and operator backed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management ("GSAM") and led by experienced clean energy industry professionals. We acquire and develop battery storage projects in markets across North America. GridStor's mission is to accelerate the transition to a carbon-free, resilient grid by rapidly deploying stand-alone energy storage at scale.

GridStor is based in Portland, Oregon, and offers competitive compensation and a wide selection of benefits including unlimited paid time off. Read more about life at GridStor at: https://gridstor.com/careers/

Role Summary

GridStor is looking for an experienced Director of Operations to join our team. This role will be responsible for overseeing GridStor's operational asset performance by leading grid operations, field services, performance engineering, and operations engineering to ensure safe, reliable, and market-optimized operation of GridStor's BESS assets. The role directs field activities, establishes standard operating procedures and protocols, and oversees outage coordination. This person will also serve as Operations Safety Director, providing strategic leadership and staff development, fostering a culture of safety, quality, and accountability across the organization. Ideal candidates will have substantial utility-scale energy asset experience, combining control room and hands-on technical expertise. Proven leadership in multi-disciplinary teams, maintenance programs, and ISO/RTO market optimization is required. Strong technical fluency in inverter-based systems, high-voltage safety, SCADA/EMS platforms, and outage response is essential, along with the ability to translate operational issues into business impacts and maintain effective relationships with remote operations centers, OEMs, and O&M partners. Candidates should be disciplined, safety-driven, and capable of building scalable processes and guiding engineering and field service teams.

Key Responsibilities

Grid Operations

• Coordinate with trading/market operations on dispatch optimization, BESS state of health management, and revenue maximization.
• Monitor real-time performance of BESS assets using SCADA, EMS, or other digital platforms
• Develop and maintain relationships with GridStor's third-party Remote Operating Centers and develop procedures for incident, system events, and operational anomaly response.
• Ensure asset operations comply with federal, state, and local regulations (e.g., OSHA, NFPA 855, UL 9540A, NERC) and internal operational policies and procedures.
• Act as in-house expert on all things related to dispatch of assets (e.g. ADS/AGC, Emergency Dispatch, etc.)

Field Services

• Manage the GridStor field services team and infrastructure
• Maintain leadership-level relationships with GridStor's third-party O&M providers
• Develop and implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) and emergency protocols related to on-site work
• Ensure all service activities comply with company standards, customer contracts, and regulatory requirements (e.g., OSHA, NERC, ISO)
• Manage field services procedures and activities associated with outage coordination

Performance Engineering

• Manage the performance engineering team that monitors, analyzes, and optimizes the operational efficiency of GridStor assets
• Develop and maintain key performance indicators (KPIs) for energy generation assets
• Build and maintain data engineering pipelines for performance data from site in coordination with the SCADA/Controls team
• Build and maintain dashboards and applications related to the GridStor business unit access of operational information
• Prepare and present regular reports to executive leadership, highlighting performance against budget and identifying improvement opportunities

Operations Engineering

• Oversee operation-phase capital projects including major repairs and modifications
• Oversee root-cause analysis for performance issues or anomalies
• Implement predictive and condition-based maintenance strategies
• Organize and manage response to outage events and unplanned maintenance and repair events
• Ensure proper spare-parts strategy, inventory management, and lifecycle planning
• Oversee operational readiness for new BESS assets entering service

Organizational Leadership

• Perform as Operations Safety Director and champion safety, quality, and accountability across the team
• Act as a strategic business partner to GridStor senior leadership by identifying growth opportunities, improving cost efficiency, and driving operational results
• Provide organizational leadership to staff associated with each of the associated functional areas (Grid Operations, Field Services, Performance Engineering, and Operations Engineering)
• Recruit, mentor, and develop BESS operations personnel, ensuring the team is client-focused, performance-driven, and aligned with company culture

Qualifications & Competencies

• Education: Bachelor's or advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. Relevant professional certifications (e.g. PE, PMP, or NERC System Operator) are preferred.

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in operations within the energy or power sector.

• 5+ years of leadership experience overseeing teams or multi-site assets.

• 2+ years of direct experience with the following:

• Grid operations, ISO/RTO markets in CAISO and ERCOT

• Battery energy management systems and SCADA+PPC

• battery energy storage operations

• Transmission/distribution operations

• Power plant O&M or fleet operations

• Familiarity with NERC / NERC CIP compliance requirements and programs

• Experience in asset performance analysis and reporting

• Expertise in power conversion systems and high-voltage equipment (inverters, transformers, switchgear).

• Familiarity with preventive/corrective maintenance programs (including CMMS).

• Experience coordinating with finance, asset management, and executive leadership.

• Demonstrated experience with Operations safety programs.

• Working knowledge of environmental, fire-safety, and battery-specific hazard protocols.

• Location & Availability: Must be based in Portland and available to work a hybrid schedule.

• Organizational Skills: Exceptional organizational abilities with keen attention to detail. Capable of managing multiple tasks simultaneously in a fast-paced environment and seeing delegated projects through to completion.

• Adaptability: Ability to be agile and flexible, readily taking on tasks outside the typical scope of the role as needed.

• Confidentiality: Proven ability to handle highly confidential information with utmost discretion.

• Integrity & Judgment: Strong track record of excellent judgment and integrity in previous roles.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Problem-Solving: Adaptable, with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively and approach challenges with a creative, proactive mindset.

• Team Orientation: Highly motivated to support and collaborate with team members, contributing to collective success.

Compensation and Benefits

• GridStor offers an attractive Total Rewards package, including:
• Competitive base salaries commensurate with experience with an annual cash bonus (based on Company and individual performance)
• Generous paid leave
• Employee participation in Long Term Incentive Plan
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, including coverage for domestic partners and eligible domestic partner children
• HSA/FSA for participating employees
• 401(k) plan with company match and immediate vesting
• Continuing education and professional development
• Cellphone reimbursement, hybrid work environment, healthy snacks, volunteer opportunities, company outings, and more.

Company Operating Principles

GridStor's Operating Principles represent who we are, how we work, and what we believe.

We Collaborate. We believe trust is given, not earned. We honor each other's zone of genius and seek to challenge ideas, not each other. We listen to each other's points of view and work hard to find the better solution. We are one team.

We Are Humble. We like hard work, but don't make work hard. We know we have a lot to learn and never grandstand or take up all the space in the room. We are kind. We are welcoming. We are inspired by our mission to decarbonize the grid.

We Create the Future. We are curious. We go deep, search for the best idea, and then move fast. We always focus on the few things that matter most. We know there will be setbacks, so we show up every day ready to learn and be better, together.

We Show Up for Each Other. We keep each other fully informed. We seek to understand. We coach, we don't blame. We share our points of view and seek to make each other better every day. We believe everyone creates culture in every moment, every day.

We Do Hard Things. We view challenges as opportunities. We are resilient. We are all owners, and we act like it. We understand change requires taking risks and we push ourselves and our partners. We do what is right as opposed to what might be best for any one of us.