Posting Title

Researcher II/III - Power Systems Market Modeling

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Regular

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NLR

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description

The Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC) at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) seeks a researcher with deep expertise in power systems modeling, production cost modeling (PCM), electricity market design, and stochastic optimization to join its Grid Operations Planning group. This researcher will develop and apply large-scale optimization models that bridge short-run market operations and long-run grid planning, generating policy-relevant insights on price formation, flexibility valuation, and hybrid resource integration in U.S. wholesale electricity markets.

The position is open to appointment at the Researcher II, or Researcher III level depending on qualifications and experience. Researcher II candidates will focus on contributing to established research workflows and developing independent capabilities over time; Researcher III candidates are expected to drive research direction and lead project tasks with greater autonomy. The successful candidate will contribute to NLR’s open-source Sienna modeling ecosystem and collaborate closely with system operators, regulators, and DOE program offices.

Production Cost and Market Modeling

• Develop and apply large-scale LP/MILP production cost models to study short-term market outcomes, price formation, and cost recovery in U.S. wholesale electricity markets.
• Extend NLR’s Sienna\Ops platform to represent hybrid resources (storage, renewables, demand response) and enable integrated market participation simulation at scale.
• Design and implement stochastic scenario-generation frameworks for load, solar, and wind to support uncertainty quantification in PCM and market studies.

CEM–PCM Integration

• Develop generalized frameworks to link capacity expansion models (CEMs) such as GenX and ReEDS with production cost models, including automated methods to translate data inputs and results between modeling paradigms leveraging the Sienna\Data package.
• Contribute to automated workflows that downscale zonal CEM results to nodal PCM representations for reliability, stability, and cost validation analyses.

Market Design and Policy Analysis

• Conduct research on electricity market design questions including flexibility incentives, uplift and price consistency, hybrid resource market participation rules, and the economic impacts of large-load growth.
• Produce peer-reviewed publications and technical reports that translate modeling results into actionable guidance for regulators, system operators, and policymakers.

Applied Large-Scale Grid Studies

• Contribute to large-scale electric system analysis studies — including resource adequacy assessments, interconnection-wide production cost simulations, and transmission planning analyses — that inform DOE programs, national grid planning initiatives, and public policy.
• Synthesize modeling results across PCM, CEM, and market simulation workflows to develop integrated, scenario-based insights on grid reliability, affordability, and decarbonization under a range of technological and policy futures.
• Collaborate with external partners including ISOs/RTOs, utilities, and DOE program offices to scope, execute, and communicate findings from applied grid studies to technical and non-technical audiences.

Software Engineering and Open-Source Development

• Contribute production-quality Julia (and/or Python) code to the Sienna ecosystem following modern software engineering practices: version control, automated testing, and continuous integration pipelines.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of researchers and engage with external stakeholders including ISOs/RTOs, DOE program offices, and industry partners.

The Grid Operations Planning group within NLR’s Grid Planning and Analysis Center conducts foundational and applied research in production cost modeling, capacity expansion, resource adequacy, and market design to inform DOE programs, national grid planning initiatives, and open-source modeling infrastructure. The group develops and maintains the Sienna modeling ecosystem and contributes to programs including NAERM and G-PST. Researchers work across a combination of direct and indirect funding sources and engage regularly with DOE program offices, ISOs/RTOs, and academic collaborators.

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Basic Qualifications

Researcher II: Relevant Master's Degree . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 2 or more years of experience . General knowledge and application of engineering technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques. Training in team, task or project leadership responsibilities. Intermediate abilities and knowledge of practices and techniques. Beginning experience in project management. Good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

Researcher III Requirements: Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience . Demonstrates broad understanding and wide application of engineering technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.

* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.

Additional Required Qualifications

All candidates must demonstrate:

• Working knowledge of large-scale optimization modeling (LP/MILP) applied to power systems, energy markets, or energy systems planning.
• Proficiency in Julia and/or Python, including familiarity with optimization frameworks (e.g., JuMP, Pyomo) and experience handling large energy datasets.
• Understanding of U.S. wholesale electricity market structures, price formation mechanisms, and bulk power system operations.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team research environment.

Preferred Qualifications

•      Experience developing or contributing to NLR’s Sienna modeling ecosystem (e.g., Sienna\Ops, Sienna\Data, or related packages).

•      Expertise in stochastic optimization, scenario generation, or sequential decision-making frameworks applied to power system operations or market simulation.

•      Familiarity with hybrid resource modeling (co-located storage + generation) and associated market participation challenges.

•      Experience interfacing with capacity expansion models (ReEDS, GenX, or equivalent) and translating CEM outputs for use in PCM workflows.

•      Peer-reviewed publication record and/or oral presentations at major research venues (expected for R3; a plus for R2).

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Job Application Submission Window

The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.

Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)

Job Profile: Researcher III / Annual Salary Range: $83,600 - $150,500

Job Profile: Researcher II / Annual Salary Range: $76,600 - $126,400

NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.

Benefits Summary

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.

* Based on eligibility rules

Badging Requirement

NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.

Drug Free Workplace

NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.

If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.

Submission Guidelines

Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Reasonable Accommodations

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