Market Intelligence Lead ---W2 Only

This is a senior, individual-contributor engagement to stand up market modeling capability within ERCOT's Market Intelligence & Strategy team. The contractor guides the selection, procurement (where necessary), and customization of market forecasting tools spanning capacity expansion modeling, production cost modeling, and market design prototyping, and builds enduring team capability through training and knowledge transfer. 

The contractor works independently as an individual contributor with no supervisory responsibility, and exercises expert judgment on whether candidate tools are fit for purpose in modeling the ERCOT electricity market and power system. 

This is a build-and-transfer engagement. The objective is to establish durable modeling capability that ERCOT staff can operate and sustain after the engagement ends, not to establish a permanent operating role. 

Tool Selection & Procurement 

·       Elicit and document modeling requirements from Market Intelligence & Strategy team members across capacity expansion, production cost, and market design prototyping needs. 

·       Evaluate candidate commercial and open-source tools against documented requirements and develop a shortlist for each modeling need area. 

·       Participate in and support the vendor selection and procurement process, including a recommendation, where a suitable tool is not already in use. 

·       Guide customization and configuration of selected tools to ensure they are fit for purpose in modeling the ERCOT market and power system. 

Capability Building & Knowledge Transfer 

·       Provide hands-on training to team members on selected tools to build durable in-house capability. 

·       Develop written training materials in a format agreed with the Supervisor, Market Intelligence & Strategy. 

·       Develop process and procedure documentation for ongoing tool use, for adoption by the team. 

·       Serve as subject matter expert on selected tools, providing ongoing technical guidance to team members. 

Analysis & Cross-Team Engagement 

·       Run modeling analyses directly to support team deliverables, as needed. 

·       Engage with other ERCOT modeling teams to understand existing capabilities, tools, and best practices, and incorporate relevant lessons into tool selection and configuration. 

A governing Statement of Work specifies all deliverables. Representative deliverables include: 

·       A selected and configured modeling tool for each identified need area (capacity expansion, production cost, market design prototyping). 

·       Documented requirements and evaluation records supporting tool selection and procurement recommendations. 

·       Training delivered to team members, transferring working knowledge of selected tools. 

·       Written training materials, in a format agreed with the Supervisor, Market Intelligence & Strategy. 

·       Adopted process and procedure documentation for ongoing tool use. 

·       Representative modeling analyses or study outputs produced using selected tools, as requested. 

·       Demonstrated ability to elicit technical requirements and translate them into tool-evaluation criteria. 

·       Ability to evaluate and compare capacity expansion, production cost, and market design prototyping tools against defined requirements. 

·       Strong training and knowledge-transfer skills, including development of clear technical documentation. 

·       Working knowledge of power system and electricity market modeling concepts, sufficient to assess tool fit-for-purpose for the ERCOT market and power system. 

·       Capability to run modeling analyses directly is a benefit, though not prescriptive to any single toolset. 

·       Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in power system or electricity market modeling, tool selection, or a related technical field. 10 or more years preferred. 

·       Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Economics, Computer Science, or a related discipline, or equivalent knowledge in power system and market modeling gained through a combination of education and experience.