Procurement Manager - Battery Energy Storage and Solar

As Scout’s Procurement Manager, you will play a key role and own the procurement of Battery Energy Storage and Solar Equipment category end-to-end for the fastest-growing technologies in the power sector: utility-scale Energy Storage and Solar. Your ability to draw on your knowledge of a combination of the commercial, technical and financial aspects of renewables will enable our team to make better informed decisions. You will develop and execute negotiating strategies, lead deals, and serve as Scout’s representative to our vendors and partners.   

You will operate with a strong sense of ownership, urgency, and accountability, proactively identifying opportunities, removing obstacles, and advancing decisions. As Scout’s primary commercial representative to Battery Energy Storage and Solar equipment suppliers, you will lead complex negotiations, influence internal stakeholders, and drive results in a fast-moving development and construction environment. 

This dynamic position will allow you to directly impact Scout’s long-term ability to power the energy transition. You will gain exposure to a broad spectrum of work – across technologies, at every stage of procurement, and interacting with every team within Scout. You will be in the mix, creating solutions to complex challenges by leading deals and negotiating with counterparties while working collaboratively across organizational boundaries.    

You will join Scout’s Procurement team, which is responsible for optimizing for the lowest cost of energy to Scout while maintaining safety and quality. You will report to the Associate Director of Procurement, a lifetime procurement professional with a passion for teamwork, achievement, and learning with 20 years of experience.    

Key duties in your role will include the following: 

• Serve as the category manager, execute and manage all the sourcing cycle activities for the acquisition of Battery Energy Storage and Solar Generation equipment. 
• Manage all active Battery Energy Storage and Solar Generation equipment contracts including contracting and coordination of auxiliaries’ scope of work as quality assurance, logistics, temporary storage, safe harbor certification and other subcategories. 
• Set direction and priorities for the category by translating market intelligence, project needs, and risk considerations into clear, actionable procurement strategies. 

• Lead high-impact commercial negotiations for supply and construction services and drive the execution of the selected approaches.   

• Develop and deliver intelligent recommendations to management on the best choices for Scout with respect to price, performance, risk, quality, and ESG criteria.   

• Actively build, maintain, and prioritize key vendor and contractor relationships, including regular meetings to be a subject matter expert for Scout on each of these supply segments and vendor status.   

• Build and maintain Battery Energy Storage and Solar Generation market intelligence dashboards including upstream, midstream, and downstream supply chain.   

• Support Scout’s development pipeline providing effective procurement recommendations and total cost of ownership estimations. 

• Partner closely with Engineering, Construction, Development, Legal, and other Scout functions to ensure focus on the right technologies, vendors, and design. 

• Champion and actively propose Procurement continuous improvement initiatives, developing systems, tools, and process that increase efficiency, transparency, and scalability.  

• Complete other duties as assigned.  

We will rely on you to develop systems and tools to drive efficiency in our work. To do so, we expect that you will integrate the expertise you have developed in previous roles while continuing to advance your knowledge of our industry and innovation in procurement. 

Requirements

You are a deal-oriented, analytically minded professional who likes to work with a wide range of people and is passionate about the ways that renewable energy will make the world a better place. You have a good understanding of risk in contractual terms and are creative in the way you manage that risk in the context of competing priorities. 

Subject Matter Expertise  

• Bachelor’s Degree (Degree in technical, business, or finance fields and supply chain certification are a plus) . 
• 2+ years of procurement experience within the Battery Storage and Solar Generation equipment category, preferably in utility-scale renewable power generation. 
• 5+ years of general procurement experience.    
• Category management experience that involves both technical, commercial, and logistical complexity.    
• Strong technical aptitude: quantitative orientation with the ability to understand technical issues and engage in discussions internally and externally. 
• Previous experience on executing successful complex contract negotiations, including contractual commercial, legal, and technical analysis.  
• Ability to concisely frame issues by providing context, analysis, recommendations, and risk/benefit tradeoffs, both in written, verbal, and presentation format.  
• Understand the full cycle of utility scale wind, solar power generation and battery energy storage development and marketing, U.S. power markets, various transmission systems, and the economic drivers for renewable energy projects. 
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Application suite. Excel is a must.  

Working Style  

• Independent learner who can quickly apply lessons learned in one area to all other work areas.  
• Strong organizational skills with process orientation and attention to detail.  
• Ability to prioritize and deliver top-quality work product in multiple areas without direct supervision.  
• Strong interpersonal skills with the desire to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment and to meet deadlines and complete time-sensitive duties.  
• Self-motivator with exceptional leadership and communication skills.  
• Encourage teamwork and collaboration. 
• Communicate with a balance of detail, clarity, and efficiency. 
• Experience using influence rather than authority to achieve desired outcomes.   
• Authorized to work in the United States. 

Timeline and Location   

We would like the new Procurement Manager to start as soon as possible.

The candidate preferably will be able to work out of our Boulder office on our current hybrid (3-2) schedule, but Scout is open to remote work.    

 Scout’s Values   

• Mission-Orientation. High achievers who want to make a difference in this world and contribute to Scout’s stated mission.

• Teamwork. Respectful and appreciative colleagues with strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to fostering positive relationships across organizational boundaries to deliver on shared team goals.   

• Safety. Uncompromising advocates for the health and safety of fellow employees, contractors, customers, and community members.   

• Integrity. Ethical professionals who do the right thing even when it is difficult.   

• Initiative. Resourceful self-motivators who thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment because of their exceptional leadership, work ethic, and organizational skills.  

• Intelligence. Problem-solving learners who can make informed decisions quickly and create innovative and pragmatic solutions to challenging problems.   

Invitation to Women and U.S. Underrepresented Groups  

We encourage applications from all demographics and especially those that are traditionally underrepresented in the energy industry. Consistent with our core values, Scout celebrates the diversity of thought and experience that comes from a range of backgrounds including, but not limited to, gender, race, and ethnicity.   

Invitation to Veterans  

Scout welcomes veterans of the United States Armed Forces to apply for this position. Scout includes veterans of all branches and a diverse set of occupational specialties. We value the independent thinking, problem solving, leadership, and teamwork that our veterans have developed through their service. We welcome applications from any service and any military occupational specialty.  

Benefits

Target base salary: $120,000-$150,000 Attractive bonus potential.   

Scout offers a full range of benefits, including medical/dental/vision insurance with attractive premiums, 401(k) match, STD, LTD, an Employee Assistance Program, and a range of optional supplemental insurance coverage.