Practice 03
Executive search for energy services companies and ESCOs.
We recruit the leaders who develop, finance, build and verify energy projects for public and private owners. That includes ESCOs, energy-as-a-service providers, microgrid developers and the critical power service companies that keep facilities running.
Clients
Who we work with
- Independent and OEM-affiliated ESCOs
- Utility-affiliated energy services companies
- Energy-as-a-service providers
- Distributed energy and microgrid developers
- Critical power service companies
- Lighting retrofit and electrification contractors
Seats
Leadership roles we search
Executive
- President or General Manager
- Vice President, Business Development
- Vice President, Engineering
- Vice President, Operations
- Vice President, Critical Power Service
- Regional Vice President, Energy Services
Functional and technical
- Development Director (MUSH and federal)
- Director of Energy Engineering
- Project Development Engineer
- Measurement and Verification (M&V) Manager
- Program or Construction Director
- Project Finance Lead
- Director of Critical Power Service
Spec sheet
What we know, and why it matters in a hire
| Term | Why it matters in a hire |
|---|---|
| ESPC (energy savings performance contract) | Signing a savings guarantee teaches risk pricing that selling or building the project does not, so we ask who carried it. |
| UESC (utility energy service contract) | UESC work shows a candidate can operate in a three-party deal: the utility holds the contract, and the federal agency owns the site. |
| Investment-grade audit (IGA) | The IGA turns a proposal into a bankable contract, so we look for engineers whose baselines held up through financing and years of M&V. |
| M&V under IPMVP, Options A-D | Asking why a past project used Option A rather than Option C shows whether a candidate understands measurement risk or inherited a template. |
| MUSH market (municipalities, universities, schools, hospitals) | MUSH projects close at a board vote, so we look for developers who have carried deals through procurement to approval. |
| Energy-as-a-service and power purchase agreements (PPAs) | These structures sell a financing outcome, so we test whether a candidate can discuss credit, term and asset risk with a CFO. |
| CHP (combined heat and power) | CHP separates engineers who understand heat load matching, spark spread and interconnection from those who only model electric savings. |
| Microgrids and battery storage | We ask who integrated generation, storage and controls under one contract, because islanding sequences are where these projects slip. |
| ATS, UPS, paralleling switchgear and gensets | A leader who has serviced this gear can judge a failed transfer firsthand, and technicians follow that kind of leader. |
| Demand response | Demand response shows whether a candidate can add grid program revenue to efficiency savings without promising the owner more than the program pays. |
| CEM and P.E. credentials | A CEM certification or P.E. license signals discipline, but we weigh it against whether the candidate's savings estimates held up in operation. |
Point of view
Three hiring problems we see
Data centers are competing for your critical power bench
Data center construction has pulled UPS, switchgear and generator talent toward operators, OEMs and large contractors. Critical power service companies feel it first in field leadership, where one departure can stall a region. We look for service leaders who build technician benches, not only leaders who manage the bench they inherit.
The ESPC seller and the resilience seller are different hires
Owners now want onsite generation, storage and long-term service structures, not only a guaranteed retrofit. A developer who closed ESPCs with facilities directors may not be ready to sell an energy-as-a-service agreement to a CFO. We pin down which conversation the role requires before we map a single candidate.
Engineering turnover weakens the guarantee
Savings guarantees run for years, and the engineers who built the baselines do not always stay that long. When they leave, M&V disputes get harder to settle and the next audit gets weaker. We treat energy engineering and M&V hires as protection for the whole project portfolio, not a seat to fill.
Representative search types
Searches we take on
Illustrative of the searches we're built for, not descriptions of past engagements.
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Illustrative
Director of Business Development, ESCO (MUSH market, ESPC)
What this search turns on
- ESPCs carried from first meeting through the investment-grade audit to a board vote
- Working relationships with facilities, finance and elected decision-makers in the target region
- A pipeline built to survive multi-year public sales cycles
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Illustrative
Director of Energy Engineering, energy services provider
What this search turns on
- Baselines and savings models that held up through financing and M&V
- The ability to coach development engineers and review their audits, not redo them
- Fluency across IPMVP options and controls, CHP and storage measures
-
Illustrative
Vice President, Critical Power Service
What this search turns on
- Hands-on credibility with UPS, ATS, paralleling switchgear and gensets
- A plan to recruit and develop technicians in a market data centers are draining
- Commercial ownership of service agreements, renewals and margin
How we run searches here
Energy services searches start with the business model, not the job description. We learn how you make money (ESPC, UESC, energy-as-a-service, service agreements or a mix) and which customers you sell to. That tells us who can actually do the job.
Then we map the people who have done that work across ESCOs, utilities, OEMs, developers and engineering firms. We test depth with the questions your own engineers would ask: how the baseline was set, which IPMVP option was chosen and who carried the guarantee.
One partner owns every search, start to finish, through the 90-day check-in. You get a written update every Friday, and every candidate hears back within five business days.
Practice lead
Led by Corey Kravitz, Founding Partner.
FAQ
Questions we hear
What roles does an energy services and ESCO executive search cover?
Greenbriar & Russell recruits leadership and technical leadership roles for ESCOs, energy-as-a-service providers, microgrid developers and critical power service companies. Typical searches include presidents, business development leaders for MUSH and federal markets, directors of energy engineering, M&V managers and critical power service leaders. The firm offers retained and engaged search, is based in Chicago and searches nationwide.
What should an ESCO look for in a business development leader?
An ESCO should hire a developer who has carried projects through the investment-grade audit to a signed contract, not one who only wrote proposals. In the MUSH market that means public procurement and board approvals. In federal work it means ESPC or UESC experience and patience with long review cycles. A useful test is asking the candidate to explain why a deal they worked on did not close.
What is the difference between an ESPC and a UESC?
An ESPC is a contract in which an energy services company develops and installs improvements and guarantees the savings that pay for them. A UESC is a contract between a federal agency and its serving utility, which often brings in an ESCO to deliver the work. For hiring, the difference matters because UESC experience means working inside a three-party relationship where the utility holds the contract.
Why is it hard to hire critical power service leaders?
Critical power service leaders are hard to hire because data center growth has raised demand for the same people. Operators, OEMs and contractors all want managers who know UPS systems, automatic transfer switches, paralleling switchgear and generators. Strong candidates are rarely looking, so the search runs on direct outreach and a clear case for the move.
Discuss your Energy Services & ESCO search
Tell us about the seat. You'll hear from Corey directly within one business day.