NERC Compliance Officer and Operations Controls Manager

Ameresco, Inc. (NYSE:AMRC) is a leading energy solutions provider dedicated to helping customers reduce costs, enhance resilience, and decarbonize to net zero in the global energy transition. We are a trusted, full-service partner to public sector and government entities, K-12 schools, higher education, utilities, and healthcare customers across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Europe.

At Ameresco, we show the way by developing, constructing and operating tailored smart energy efficiency solutions, distributed energy resources, and infrastructure upgrades that drive cost savings, resilience, decarbonization, and innovation. Our comprehensive portfolio is built to address the challenges of today and adapt the future, ensuring long-term sustainability and success for our customers.

Ameresco is looking for a NERC Compliance Officer and Operations Controls Manager working out of the Westborough, MA office. This is a strategic and operational role responsible for ensuring Ameresco's adherence to North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and Regional Entity standards. This role combines regulatory expertise with operational oversite to promote safe, reliable, and efficient system performance. The position is both a compliance steward and an operational leader, serving as a critical liaison between regulatory bodies, internal leadership, and operational teams. The role drives continuous improvement in compliance processes and operational control practices, ensuring alignment with evolving regulations and industry best practices while mitigating risk and enhancing reliability performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation, and management of Ameresco's NERC compliance program in coordination with third-party consultants, ensuring all Generator Operator obligations are fulfilled.
• Maintain comprehensive and current knowledge of NERC, FERC, and Regional Entity reliability standards, rules, directives, alerts, and emerging regulatory changes.
• Monitor and interpret changes in regulatory requirements and ensure timely implementation of necessary changes to policies, procedures, and compliance evidence.
• Coordinate and oversee internal audits, self-certifications, compliance assessments, and data requests related to NERC and Regional Entity standards.
• Serve as the Primary Compliance Contact (PCC) for all regulatory engagements, including audits, compliance reports, data submittals, requests for information (RFIs), spot checks, and formal investigations.
• Maintain and organize a robust compliance documentation repository to ensure readiness for audits and inspections.
• Perform compliance risk assessments, gap analyses, and compliance monitoring to identify potential vulnerabilities and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Design, deliver, and facilitate compliance training programs for internal stakeholders to promote awareness and ensure adherence to reliability standards.
• Lead and coordinate compliance reporting processes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and alignment with regulatory requirements.

Operations Controls Manager Duties

• Develop and oversee operational control processes and procedures to ensure reliable, safe, and efficient system performance.
• Collaborate with Control Center, Engineering, and Field Operations teams to ensure adherence to operational policies.
• Serve as the point of escalation for operational issues, ensuring timely resolution while mitigating compliance and operational risks.
• Monitor system operations for control effectiveness and propose improvements as needed, incorporating industry best practices and lessons learned from events and audits.
• Support the implementation of operational technologies (e.g., SCADA, EMS, OMS) and related controls.
• Analyze operational data and performance metrics to identify trends, issues, and opportunities.
• Ensure alignment of operational practices with NERC standards, especially in areas like Operations Planning, Real-Time Operations, and Emergency Operations (e.g., EOP, TOP, IRO standards).
• Lead root cause analyses of control failures or operational deviations and implement corrective actions.
• Support emergency preparedness, response plans, and reliability drills.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Energy Management, Power Systems, Business, or related field (Master's preferred).
• Minimum of 5+ of experience in electric utility operations, compliance, or system operations.
• NERC System Operator Certification (or familiarity with NERC operator requirements).
• Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP) or similar credential.
• PMP or Six Sigma Certification (for operational process improvement).

Additional Qualifications

• Strong understanding of NERC, FERC, and Regional Entity reliability standards and compliance requirements.
• Experience with audit preparation, evidence gathering, and regulatory reporting.
• Familiarity with control room operations, EMS/SCADA systems, real-time operations processes and outage management.
• Experience developing or delivering compliance and operations training programs.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to interpret complex regulations and translate them into actionable procedures.
• Strong leadership and team collaboration abilities.
• High attention to detail and commitment to integrity and transparency.
• Ability to keep pace with evolving regulations and operational requirements.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, compliance tracking tools, and operational platforms.

Ameresco challenges the brightest, most talented, and creative individuals in the industry by providing an environment that fosters initiative and achievement. We are proud of our comprehensive and competitive employee benefits, including people-oriented insurance, investment, and incentive plans.

All official communications from Ameresco will originate from an @ameresco.com email address. Any correspondence from other domains should be regarded as fraudulent. Please report any suspicious activity to the platform where the issue was encountered. For further inquiries or concerns, please contact us at 1-866-AMERESCO.

Ameresco is an Equal Opportunity Employer.