Manager, Portfolio and Pool Administration

Final Filing Date: First review of applications will be on October 23, 2026. NCPA reserves the right to close this posting once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

The Northern California Power Agency (NCPA) is seeking an experienced energy professional to serve as Manager of Portfolio and Pool Administration within its Power Management Division.

This is a key leadership position responsible for managing a professional team supporting NCPA members and resource owners across a broad range of wholesale energy-market and portfolio-management activities. The Manager will oversee portfolio management and optimization, load forecasting, pre-scheduling and market operations, energy and natural gas procurement, budgeting and financial analysis, congestion management, resource planning, regulatory and market compliance, and participation in California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and regional wholesale electricity markets.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical and analytical capabilities with sound judgment, leadership, communication, and a commitment to providing high-quality service to NCPA's members.

Key Responsibilities

The Manager of Portfolio and Pool Administration will:

• Lead, supervise, coach, and develop a team of energy professionals responsible for forecasting, pre-scheduling, portfolio management, procurement, and market-related activities.
• Develop and oversee procurement plans, budgets, load/resource balances, and portfolio strategies supporting NCPA members and resource owners.
• Direct and oversee NCPA participation in applicable CAISO and regional wholesale electricity markets, including bidding, scheduling, resource optimization, capacity and ancillary service products, and congestion management.
• Provide oversight of day-ahead and real-time market activities, pre-scheduling, resource scheduling, and associated operational planning.
• Develop and oversee portfolio optimization strategies that balance reliability, cost, market opportunities, regulatory requirements, operational constraints, and financial risk.
• Direct load, market-price, hydrologic, and resource forecasting activities and ensure analytical tools and methodologies provide reliable decision support.
• Oversee Congestion Revenue Rights and other activities used to manage transmission congestion and market exposure.
• Direct energy and natural gas procurement activities within delegated authority and applicable NCPA risk-management requirements.
• Oversee natural gas transportation, balancing, aggregation, and related portfolio-management activities.
• Lead development of annual and periodic budgets, review budget-to-actual performance, and communicate material financial risks and variances.
• Ensure appropriate systems, models, procedures, internal controls, and analytical tools are available to support the group's responsibilities.
• Promote automation, process improvement, data quality, and effective use of technology.
• Monitor developments in CAISO and regional market design and evaluate potential operational, financial, and portfolio impacts on NCPA and its members.
• Serve as a technical and business resource to NCPA members regarding portfolio positions, market conditions, procurement strategies, resource optimization, forecasting, congestion exposure, and wholesale market participation.
• Translate complex market, operational, regulatory, technical, and financial information into clear and actionable information for members, management, and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate closely with other Power Management groups and Agency departments on activities and initiatives that cross organizational boundaries.
• Ensure activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, contracts, market rules, Agency policies, risk-management requirements, and established procedures.
• Represent NCPA, as assigned, in meetings with members, market organizations, counterparties, industry groups, governmental entities, consultants, and other stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

A bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Engineering, Economics, Finance, Business, Mathematics, Energy, or a related field is required. A master's degree in a related field is highly desirable.

Candidates should have a minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in electric utility operations, wholesale electricity or natural gas markets, portfolio management, resource planning, energy procurement, forecasting, energy analytics, or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Demonstrated leadership, supervisory, project-leadership, or team-management experience is required.

The Successful Candidate

The ideal candidate will bring a combination of technical expertise and leadership capability. Strong candidates will have experience with wholesale electricity markets, CAISO market operations and rules, portfolio management, resource optimization, energy procurement, forecasting, congestion management, resource planning, budgeting, and quantitative analysis.

Just as importantly, the successful candidate will be able to:

• Lead and develop professional staff while establishing clear expectations and accountability.
• Exercise sound judgment and make timely decisions in an environment involving market deadlines, changing system conditions, and significant financial consequences.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Translate complex market and operational issues into practical recommendations.
• Manage competing priorities while maintaining attention to reliability, financial performance, compliance, and member needs.
• Develop strong working relationships with NCPA members, employees, management, counterparties, and other industry stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively across organizational boundaries to resolve issues and achieve Agency-wide objectives.

Special Requirements 

Valid California Driver’s License and insurance.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.

Directly supervises approximately 6–8 professional employees within the Portfolio and Pool Administration group and may oversee consultants or contractors as assigned. This position carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with Agency policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include hiring and developing employees; planning, assigning, prioritizing, and reviewing work; establishing performance expectations; conducting performance evaluations; recognizing performance; coaching and addressing performance issues; resolving complaints and conflicts; and maintaining appropriate succession and cross-training plans.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

About NCPA

The Northern California Power Agency is a California Joint Action Agency that provides its members with a broad range of power-management, generation, regulatory, legislative, and other energy-related services.

NCPA offers a unique environment for energy professionals interested in working at the intersection of public power, wholesale electricity markets, resource operations, portfolio management, and California's evolving energy landscape.