Expert Program Manager

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Requisition  # 168933

Job Category:
Project / Program Management

Job Level: Individual Contributor

Business Unit:
Engineering, Planning & Strategy

Work Type:
Hybrid

Job Location:

Oakland

The mission of Innovation Strategy & Programs (IS&P), where this role sits, is to ensure that PG&E can bring the technologies that support our True North Strategy (TNS) vision—a resilient, decarbonized, and affordable energy system—from early ideation to scaled implementation through a rigorous Research & Development (R&D) practice. IS&P advances this mission by developing and publishing an R&D Strategy Report in line with TNS objectives, helping communicate our goals to potential partners across industries.

The team also leads large scale Innovation Summit and Innovation Pitch Fest events to bring PG&E’s R&D Strategy to life and build coalitions with external stakeholders.

Our team also leads PG&E’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC) program, funded at approximately $19M per year and recognized as one of the nation’s largest and most advanced utility R&D programs. EPIC enables PG&E and other California organizations to demonstrate novel technology solutions to meet emerging grid needs and achieve the state’s ambitious energy policy goals. PG&E is currently executing its fourth multi-year EPIC cycle and preparing for the fifth.

The Expert Program Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping how PG&E manages and executes its technology R&D projects, optimizing them to create impact y will partner closely with IS&P EPIC Program Lead and the R&D practitioners executing PG&E’s EPIC projects. They will refine, document, and continuously improve the work processes, information flows, and best practices that guide projects from early ideation through scale-up and deployment.

The successful candidate will serve as a key connector across PG&E, strengthening alignment between IS&P and its internal customers across the utility. They will directly influence the next iteration of PG&E’s R&D Strategy Report, ensuring it reflects the impactful, forward‑looking, utility‑wide innovation priorities.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of strategy, process excellence, and collaboration—and who wants to help a major utility accelerate innovation. A strong applicant will be curious, organized, and empathetic. This position is best suited for someone who can translate complex processes into clear actionable steps through simple, effective, user‑centric documentation.

This position is hybrid, working from your remote office and your assigned work location based on business need. The assigned work location is in Oakland, CA.

Bay Area: $ to $

• Improve and demystify R&D work processes and information flows
  • Identify opportunities to streamline R&D project planning, execution, and program governance, and lead teams in implementing improvements.
  • Develop clear, user‑friendly documentation outlining procedures and guidelines for the department and for project teams, including updates to PG&E’s R&D Playbook and EPIC process guides.
  • Benchmark R&D management practices with innovation leaders within and outside of the utility industry to keep PG&E at the forefront of operational R&D excellence.
• Support R&D project execution
  • Provide strong, client‑oriented support service and centralized governance guidance to EPIC project teams.
  • Ensure EPIC project teams understand EPIC requirements and have access to support when needed.
  • Facilitate alignment among internal—and when appropriate, external—stakeholders, including senior leadership, throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Lead the process for evaluating and approving material changes to scope, schedule or budget requested by project teams.
  • Support project closure, including production of closeout documentation, and transition to scale‑up.
• Improve the transition of projects from R&D to scale‑up and standardization
  • Support planning for scale‑up of successful EPIC projects.
  • Collaborate with Finance and other functional areas to identify…