Principal Financial Analyst

Oakland, CA

The Enterprise Project Governance department supports decision-making and leads governance processes for major projects ($25M and greater) and programs across PG&E on behalf of external customers and shareholders. Enterprise Project Governance advises the Project Review Team (PRT) and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), comprised of company officers and directors, on key considerations associated with major projects and programs, including safety, risk reduction, extent of condition, environmental and community impacts, long-term financial forecasting, and alignment with company objectives.

The Enterprise Project Governance team has taken on an expanded role of reviewing operational risks that are being mitigated by projects, ensuring that significant risks are thoroughly vetted with lines of business and that unique, significant risks are reported to the Board of Directors. The PRT governs about $2.5B in capital spend annually. Enterprise Project Governance also facilitates reviews of Board-level projects ($250M and greater).

In addition, Enterprise Project Governance develops performance metrics and visual controls for the effective execution of project-related capital investment plans to improve outcomes for our customers and reduce risk on the system. The department is responsible for driving project management best practices across the company.

This position provides an opportunity to advise on project execution plans, reduce public safety risk, improve value for customers, drive sustainability, and implement the company’s strategies by using our capital in the best and most efficient manner.

This position will work as an integral part of a fast-paced, highly visible team that reviews major projects and programs to provide the most important insights to PG&E top leadership. The broad exposure to the largest projects and business issues across PG&E has helped past Enterprise Project Governance alumni move into high profile leadership positions throughout the company. The nature of the work can be demanding and requires a high attention to detail.

Some examples of past and in-flight projects:

Generation (Hydro Relicensing, Fuel Cells, Crane Valley Dam, Helms Pump Storage, Nuclear Decommissioning)
Electric Operations (Substation Upgrades, Energy Storage, Transmission Line Reconductoring)
Gas Operations (In-Line Inspection Upgrades, Gas Ops Training Facility, Transmission Pipe Replacements)
Customer Care (Electric Vehicle Charge Network, California Consumer Privacy, Billing System Upgrades)
IT (Cybersecurity, Mobile Communications, Geographic Information System)
Shared Services (Manufactured Gas Plant Remediation, Napa Regional Center)

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The preferred location is Oakland, CA. The assigned work location will be within the PG&E Service Territory.

PG&E is providing the salary range that the company in good faith believes it might pay for this position at the time of the job posting. This compensation range is specific to the locality of the job. The actual salary paid to an individual will be based on multiple factors, including, but not limited to, specific skills, education, licenses or certifications, experience, market value, geographic location, and internal equity.

A reasonable salary range is:

Bay Area Minimum: $128,000
Bay Area Maximum: $218,000

Job Responsibilities

Business Case & Related Document Development (60%):
Lead development for the company’s major projects and programs. Work directly with directors, managers, and project teams to develop quality business cases, project updates, and closes for the Project Review Team; significant writing and editing is common.
Interact and consult with multiple departments and business partners, including project management and asset strategy organizations, Capital Accounting, Economic Analysis, Tax, and Enterprise Risk.
Provide expert counsel and strategic insights to business owners and project teams during business case development to ensure that the documents are clear, concise, and complete.
Identify operational risks that are being mitigated by the project, including public safety risk, workforce safety, operation of assets and extent of condition across the service territory.
Track and ensure follow-through on action items requested from governance committees, including actions to mitigate significant and/or high consequence risks.
Board and Senior Leadership Team (SLT) Reporting (10%): Prepare quarterly capital project reporting package for Board review and develop materials for SLT review
Tools and Process Management (20%): Manage and lead continuous improvement efforts on team tools and processes (business case template, project reporting, project database, Unifier approval system, etc.).
Develop processes as needed.
Contribute to establishing standards and drive improvement within existing processes.
Ad Hoc (10%): Support and lead various ad hoc initiatives and projects, as required (past examples: delegation of authority, approval procedures, contingency and reauthorization analyses, cost estimating improvement)
Provide recommendations to senior management and extended leadership with supporting analysis.

Percentages and categories are rough estimates and can vary/evolve over time.

Qualifications

Minimum:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business or related discipline; or equivalent work experience
Requires a minimum of eight years of accounting, financial, or business related experience, including advanced analytical experience, preferably at a utility or in the energy industry
Advanced skills in Microsoft Office apps (e.g., Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Access, Power BI) and SAP

Desired:

Effectively copes with change, makes decisions and acts without having complete information and comfortably handles uncertainty
Demonstrated ability to abstract or synthesize from one set of ideas or facts to another, identify causal relationships, recognize missing information, and anticipate obstacles
Demonstrated follow up tenacity with cross-functional contributors
Demonstrated history of being proactive, self-leading and producing significant, high-quality deliverables
Demonstrated proficiency in succinct and clear written communication, including preparation of materials for officers
Even tempered, manages conflicts in a positive, non-abrasive manner and is comfortable interacting with individuals at all levels
Demonstrated strong knowledge of project management best practices and project financial controls
Ability to identify risks to public safety, workforce, continued operation of major assets
Ability to understand the failure modes and effects of major assets
Ability to deduce extent of condition across the company
Strong knowledge of project estimation including Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) recommended practices
Ability to develop visual management techniques, in accordance with Lean, to monitor performance of major projects and programs
Understands the company's overall goals and strategies, as well as the goals of business partners
Drives change in the organization and champions company initiatives as appropriate.
Leads special projects and initiatives as assigned and may manage cross-functional teams
Can maneuver through complex organizational situations effectively and without disruption