Strategic Negotiator, Energy Market Development, Virtual Power Plants and Distributed Capacity

Google's infrastructure needs go far beyond server computers. As Google's products and services scale the globe, the Strategic Negotiation team works behind the scenes to secure infrastructure for Google's future -- everything from underwater cables to physical data center space. As a Strategic Negotiator, you combine your deep market knowledge of a given sector with tech industry savvy to negotiate cost-effective solutions to support Google's infrastructure growth. You'll work with specific project teams on negotiating deals, managing vendor and partner relationships and presenting deal recommendations to our Tech leadership. Your successful negotiations have the potential to save Google millions of dollars in operating costs and impact every part of the business.

As a Strategic Negotiator, you will be focused on Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) and Distributed Capacity to drive transformational growth across North American grid regions. You will lead high-impact market development, utility engagement, and regulatory intervention strategies that turn flexible demand and distributed assets into recognized grid capacity. You will evaluate complex regulatory environments, ISO/RTO wholesale market rules, state public utility commission proceedings, and utility tariffs to uncover market access opportunities and mitigate operational risks for Google's innovative distributed energy products.

Working at the intersection of commercial execution, regulatory policy, and grid integration, you will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners to align product capabilities with regional energy frameworks, ensuring our commercial offerings translate into scalable, highly valued grid-capacity.

In this role, you will represent Google in strategic industry coalitions, trade associations, and regulatory bodies. You will build key utility partnerships and shape policy outcomes that advance standardized, fair-value participation models for VPPs nationwide.

Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic evaluations of regulatory environments, wholesale markets, and utility programs across North America to identify opportunities and mitigate risks for distributed capacity products.
• Prioritize, develop, and execute market development, utility engagement, and regulatory strategies to establish accredited VPP capacity rules, tariffs, and programs across state PUCs, ISOs, and RTOs.
• Help set priorities for developing distributed capacity constructs nationwide while working cross-functionally with Energy leads to align project priorities with regional regulatory strategies that advance distributed capacity portfolios towards scalable grid-value streams across jurisdictions.
• Lead advocacy and coalition-building within RTO committees, regulatory proceedings, and trade associations to advance market access, standardized models, and fair capacity compensation.
• Support commercial negotiations and partnerships to create scalable VPP program designs, novel agreements, and market-moving proof point deployments nationwide.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
  
• 10 years of experience leading negotiations or business development.
  

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience securing strategic policy or market outcomes before state public utility commissions or wholesale markets through industry coalitions and trade groups.
• Experience across utility markets including vertically integrated, deregulated, and public power contexts.
• Expertise in demand side management, distributed capacity models, utility rate design, capacity accreditation, FERC/RTO rules and stakeholder processes, and M&V protocols.
• Working knowledge of energy stakeholders, regulatory frameworks, utility programs, and market design, with focus on DERs, VPPs, demand response, and load flexibility.
• Creative problem-solver with excellent executive presence, exceptional communication, project management, and relationship-building skills in ambiguous, fast-evolving markets.