public sector communityclean energycommunity organizingrenewables policyutility regulation
Complete evaluation framework
What to assess and how to score it
Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.
01
Evaluation factor
Outcomes that landed
30% weight
Check which campaigns actually moved something: a passed net metering bill, a utility IRP amendment, a municipal 100% renewable resolution, or blocked gas plant permits. Ask for dates and vote counts.
Evidence to listen for
Names programmes or initiatives that were adopted, funded, or delivered
States their own role rather than the department's
Gives measured reach or impact
Distinguishes work that landed from work that stalled, and explains why
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No delivered work; describes intent and process only.
2
Needs Improvement
Involved in initiatives but cannot say what resulted or what they owned.
3
Satisfactory
Real delivery with adequate ownership; impact described loosely.
4
Very Good
Named outcomes with clear personal scope and some measures.
5
Excellent
Names specific wins with jurisdictions, bill numbers and vote margins, and is candid about which campaigns stalled and why.
02
Evaluation factor
Stakeholder facilitation
25% weight
Probe how they built coalitions across labor unions, environmental justice groups, ratepayer advocates and solar installers, including handling conflict between allies over siting or jobs guarantees.
Evidence to listen for
Brings a real contested case, not a philosophy of engagement
Names the competing interests and the resolution method
Uses concrete engagement formats and can point to input that changed a decision
Treats every group as legitimate
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Diplomacy-speak with no case attached, or contempt for one group.
2
Needs Improvement
Recalls conflict but no method; engagement is a box to check.
3
Satisfactory
Real case and workable approach; resolution thin on specifics.
4
Very Good
Names the tension and method; cites engagement that shaped the outcome.
5
Excellent
Describes convening rival stakeholders, brokering compromise language, and sustaining a coalition through a multi-year rate case or legislative session.
03
Evaluation factor
Regulatory and policy command
25% weight
Test command of interconnection queues, PURPA, the Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, state RPS targets, and how a public utility commission docket or intervenor process actually works.
Evidence to listen for
Names the statutes, funding rules, and processes they have worked under
Explains how those requirements sequenced their work
Owns the compliance thinking rather than deferring it entirely
Knows where the discretion sits
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
Outsources all regulatory thinking; cannot name a framework.
2
Needs Improvement
Generalities about compliance; no sequencing or named rules.
3
Satisfactory
Knows the main frameworks; sequencing described loosely.
4
Very Good
Names relevant frameworks and how they shaped a timeline.
5
Excellent
Speaks fluently about filing intervenor testimony, RPS compliance mechanisms and IRA direct pay, and cites recent rulings affecting their state.
04
Evaluation factor
Evidence and reporting
20% weight
Assess how they turn load forecasts, LCOE modeling, emissions inventories or bill impact analyses into testimony, comment letters, fact sheets and press-ready talking points.
Evidence to listen for
Uses data to choose between options, not to justify a decision already made
Names the sources and methods behind their numbers
Reports to funders, councils, or the public in terms those audiences can use
Tracks whether the intervention worked
Five-point scoring guide
1
Poor
No use of evidence; decisions are assertion.
2
Needs Improvement
Cites data but cannot explain its source or limits.
3
Satisfactory
Uses evidence competently; evaluation after the fact is thin.
4
Very Good
Evidence drives choices and is reported clearly to lay audiences.
5
Excellent
Produces defensible numbers from public data (EIA, FERC filings, NREL tools) and translates them into one-page briefs legislators actually read.
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