WPM Analyst or Senior Analyst

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Position Description:

Member of the Wholesale Power Marketing team that supports the Wholesale Marketing Department, SPP Markets+ and the Energy Imbalance Market, where you will leverage data analytics to drive operational excellence and market efficiency. In this role, you will be part of the Market’s Strategy and Analytics Team, performing quantitative analysis of market results, dispatch, forecasts and settlements, and maintaining the data, models and reporting behind SPP Markets+ optimization and system modeling. You will also analyze large, complex datasets to uncover patterns and insights, provide data-driven solutions to enhance market operations, and advance organizational processes through data management, including ETL operations and exploratory analysis. You will create and maintain comprehensive documentation for reporting and recurring analyses, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Wholesale Power Marketing operations through advanced data analytics and market insights.

Position-Related Responsibilities:

- Performs quantitative and statistical analysis of market, dispatch, settlement and forecast data, including forecast-to-actual variance analysis, and communicates findings to WPM personnel and management.
- Monitors and analyzes wholesale market performance and trends in SPP Markets+ and the WEIM, and provides analytical support for market working group and protocol reviews.
- As part of the team, develops WPM wholesale market strategies, including LMP and price-spread analysis, bidding strategy evaluation, and assessment of market opportunities and risks, using quantitative analysis of market, dispatch and settlement data.
- As part of the optimization team, validates model inputs and outputs, such as unit commitment, dispatch constraints, cost curves and transmission limits, against market rules and settlement results.
- Builds and maintains data pipelines, data models and automated reporting that feed market analysis, forecasting and optimization tools (e.g., PCI front office suite, OATI, EMS data).
- Develops analytical tools and scripts (Python, SQL) to automate recurring analyses and support troubleshooting of market systems.

- Works with clients to develop and maintain current business process maps and documentation.

- Supports metrics efforts for WPM, including data collection and validation, data presentation, and evaluation of results.

- Facilitates the interaction between clients and technology providers (internal and external) to implement and maintain reliable solutions.

- Works closely with technical resources and System Administrators as needed to troubleshoot problems or investigate proposed enhancements and determine solutions.

- Documents problem analysis findings and corrective measures for ongoing support and audit purposes.

- Performs other job-related duties as assigned by management.

- Participates on project teams, assisting in requirements definition and process design while also ensuring that testing and training align with the defined requirements and processes to meet business area needs.

- Identifies and defines opportunities and strategies to use information technology to simplify, integrate, and otherwise improve the organization’s business and workflow processes.

- Drives creative solutions and helps business areas challenge their own assumptions of how they will successfully execute their plans.

- Provides a point of contact for business area relationships. Establishes effective client relationships by developing trust, integrity, credibility, and reliability with each client/business area.

Position-Related Responsibilities specific to Senior Analyst:

All responsibilities of Analyst apply plus the following:

- Gathers requirements from WPM business areas for moderate to complex enhancements and translates those requirements into functional designs used by technical resources to develop solutions.

- Analyzes, documents and maps “As-Is” business processes. Prepares “To-Be” process maps, fit/gap analysis, change impact analysis, and/or other business process change related documentation.

- Develops system, integration, and regression test plans.  Leads system, integration, and regression testing activities.  Includes validation of data feeds and optimization model outputs.

- Develops and runs ad hoc query reports as needed to troubleshoot problems, fulfill audit requests, and support other client requests.

- Proactively evaluates application functions and features against business processes to support current and evolving business practices.

- Manages assigned tasks of large projects under the leadership of a Project Manager or Business Lead. Leads small projects, preparing all required documentation for delivery of project objectives, as assigned.
- Performs detailed analysis of market outcomes and recommends improvements to models, forecasts and reporting.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

(Equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.)

Analyst - Minimum Qualifications:

- Bachelor’s Degree or 4 years of experience in a related business area or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Effective communication skills, both verbal and written and proficiency in conducting productive meetings.
- Effective critical listening, analysis and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to articulate thoughts and ideas to others, including facilitating communication between business and technical personnel.
- Effective time management with demonstrated ability to multitask priorities and deliver assignments on schedule.
- Strong analytical and conceptual skills.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and to effectively participate in a team project to achieve required functionality within budget and timeframe.
- Ability to establish and maintain a high level of customer trust and confidence.
- Ability to effectively adapt to rapidly changing technology and business.
- Strong knowledge of applicable PC programs and O365 tools (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).
- Responsible for individual projects under the oversight of a more senior analyst.
- Assists in business process initiatives and continuous improvement efforts.
- Demonstrates general understanding of one or more business areas and technology used in those areas.
- Can serve as point of contact for several business areas.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Knowledge of the SPP Markets+, Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) or other ISO/RTO type operations
- Proficient with advanced Excel concepts
- VBA, Power Query, PivotTables, VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, etc
- Microsoft Power BI
- Data Visualization, Report design, DAX Functions, Measures, etc.
- Python and basic data analysis packages Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib, Seaborn, skLearn, etc.
- Database technologies and data manipulation
- SQL Knowledge, Table Structures, Data Types, Stored Procedures, etc
- Maintaining Complex Generation and Market Data Model/Data Pipeline
- Quantitative methods: statistics, forecasting, regression and optimization concepts (e.g., linear/mixed-integer programming)
- Knowledge of utility-scale and renewable generation and power market modeling

Senior - Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum qualifications for Analyst plus:

- Superior analytical, relationship management, facilitation, project management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to develop management style reporting and presentations (e.g., PowerPoint, Excel).
- Demonstrated ability to work with all levels of management and workforce.
- Project management skills including ability to multitask, prioritize, set and meet deadlines, work independently, and perform tasks with emphasis on accuracy and attention to detail.
- Demonstrates deep understanding of at least a few business areas and technology used in those areas.
- Successfully engages in multiple initiatives simultaneously.

Preferred Qualifications:

- 5 years of utility experience in a related business area.
- Working experience in SPP Markets+, the Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) or other ISO/RTO operations, including analysis of market results, dispatch and settlements.
- Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with experience building and maintaining automated data pipelines, data models and reporting (e.g., Power BI).
- Hands-on experience with the PCI front office suite (GenTrader, Insights, Forecaster), OATI or similar energy market systems.
- Applied experience with quantitative methods, including forecasting, regression and forecast-to-actual variance analysis, and validating optimization model inputs and outputs.