Utility Engagement Lead

DESCRIPTION:

The Managing Director will ensure that Forge Institute's cyber programs are at the cutting edge of technology and security. About Forge Institute:

At Forge Institute, our mission is to advance critical technology capabilities for national security by strengthening the workforce, advancing innovation and enhancing resiliency through purposeful collaborations across the private and public sectors. Forge Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer that empowers our people—no matter their race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or veteran status—to fearlessly drive positive change.

The Utility Engagement Lead is the linchpin of Forge’s utility-facing work. Effective engagement with utility partners is what determines whether federal cybersecurity and risk programs deliver real value or fall flat. Forge has secured major awards and has multiple opportunities in the pipeline with federal partners that will continue and expand this kind of work. This is a permanent, ongoing role positioned at the center of that trajectory.

The role is fundamentally about persuasion and empowerment. Our programs do not deliver value unless utilities choose to engage with them and are equipped to fully utilize the offered technical assistance. Utilities have to commit staff time to assessments. Employees have to show up for training. Executives have to make space for briefings and tabletop exercises. None of that is automatic.

We are looking for someone who can drive participation and the long-term resilience benefit to each utility and to the infrastructure they operate.

• Build and sustain relationships with executive leadership and operational staff across the utilities currently participating in Forge programs.
• Drive participation in program activities including needs assessments, three-tier training, tabletop exercises, executive briefings, technical assistance engagements, and information/intelligence sharing and analysis.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day point of contact between Forge and each utility partner, federal labs and agencies.
• Travel regularly within Arkansas (Northwest, Northeast, and Central clusters) for in-person meetings, assessments, and training events. Be available for out of state travel as necessary.
• Represent Forge at utility executive briefings, board presentations, and sector industry events in Arkansas, the region and nationally.
• Identify barriers to engagement and work creatively to address them with your team.
• Coordinate scheduling and logistics with technical partners (federal labs and other partners on future programs).
• Track engagement metrics and provide regular updates to Forge leadership and federal program officers.
• Contribute to Forge’s pipeline of federal funding opportunities.
• Cultivate utility commitments to ongoing engagement with Forge beyond the duration of any individual program.

• Identified utilities actively engaged.
• Completed cybersecurity capability assessments at every participating utility.
• Strong attendance across the training tiers (non-technical employees, leaders, technical professionals) etc.
• Sustained executive participation in briefings and exercises.
• Utilities committed to ongoing information and intelligence sharing through theETC/ ET-ISAC.
• A broadening base of utility partners ready to participate in Forge’s next set of program opportunities.

• Demonstrated ability to persuade, build relationships, and drive participation among independent organizations.
• Executive presence and the ability to operate credibly with utility executives, boards, and operational staff.
• Willingness and ability to travel within Arkansas approximately…