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Talent Solutions to Scale for an Energy Startup

Client: Energy Storage Developer and Aggregator
The client is a residential energy storage developer and aggregator. They offer consumers bundled solutions including energy storage, solar, and energy management to save homeowners money and provide smart, clean, and secure home energy. They also work with multiple utilities across the country to develop residential energy storage programs and design virtual power plants that address specified utility needs. Most recently, they secured a 20 MWh, 3,000-home program with a major electric utility, resulting in the largest residential storage fleet ever announced, and they are actively pursuing contracts with other energy providers.

"Having worked in the industry for 20+ years, it is tough to find 100% success with a talent solutions firm. Over the last 18 months or so of our engagement, your firm has placed every opening we've had."

− CIO, Energy Storage Developer and Aggregator

The Challenge:

Like many startups, the client began as "three guys and a laptop." As the company grew and took on more contracts, they needed to fill roles based on specific skills – and they needed to do so quickly, all while maintaining a system that could scale so they can continue to bring in new contracts.

The Solution:

The client's Chief Information Officer had previously been placed by Eliassen Group as a consultant at another company, and he had also worked with us as a hiring manager. When he joined the energy storage provider as CIO, he already knew how flexible and collaborative Eliassen Group was, so he turned to us to help build his own team.

The client also already knew that each new consultant would be the first in that position, and the goal was to find consultants who could eventually become full-time employees. Since finding the right person was crucial, the client would bring a hiring roadmap to Eliassen Group. If Eliassen Group provided candidates whose skills did not quite fit the client's needs, the client would work with Eliassen Group to role-play what a day in the life of the consultant would look like. Then we would tailor the search, ultimately finding the right consultants for these roles.

The Result:

Finding the right talent had a powerful impact. With Eliassen Group's help, the client was able to onboard people quickly and deliver projects faster, without taking on too much technical debt. As a result, they were able to bring a virtual power plant online within a six-month timeframe. Several of the consultants involved have become full-time employees, and the client is ready to build technologies in a scalable way to accommodate future growth.

Highlighted Results

  • Brought a virtual power plant online within a 6-month timeframe
  • Grew the IT department from 4 to 14 over a year
  • Hired several consultants as full-time employees

Tools Used

  • AWS
  • G-Suite
  • React
  • Salesforce CRM

Consultants Deployed

  • 3 Full Stack Developers
  • 3 IT Business Analysts
  • 2 Systems Support Specialists
  • Data Engineer
  • Information Security Manager

Thinking Forward

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