Sector Account Advisor in Toronto

The successful candidate will be placed at the appropriate step within the salary grade/band, based on relevant years of experience and other applicable considerations. The IESO is committed to ensuring Ontario’s electricity system meets the province’s needs today and into the future. We are charged with purpose, delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity for homes, businesses, and communities across the province.

Our central role includes managing the provincial power grid in real-time, overseeing and evolving Ontario’s electricity market, engaging with government, municipalities and Indigenous communities, and planning for Ontario’s future electricity needs. Our employees play a key role in driving grid innovation, protecting the system from threats, advancing the province’s energy conservation programs, and forecasting and procuring the electricity resources we’ll need in the decades to come.

This is a unionized position that falls within the Sector Engagement Division of the Corporate Relations, Engagement and Strategy business unit.

What makes this role exciting

The energy sector is rapidly evolving, offering exciting new opportunities for those who want to make a difference. The Sector Account Advisor acts as a strategic relationship manager for key market participants and large electricity customers, focusing on transmission-connected industrial loads and their trade associations. This role is central to resolving complex customer issues, enabling effective participation in markets and programs. By developing strategic account plans and providing insights on industry trends and engagement opportunities, the Advisor helps position the IESO as a trusted, responsive partner in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

What you’ll do

• Independently identify and manage specific market participant and association accounts to coordinate and encourage communication with IESO staff at all levels.
• Identify, support and facilitate engagement opportunities with senior leaders across the organization, including identification of opportunities with conferences, working groups, roundtables and/or other forums.
• Apply a customer-centric approach to independently manage customer issues by collaborating and negotiating with internal staff, market participants and key industry players and be a driving force of action, identifying a path forward to resolve complex issues.
• Use professional judgement to assess risks (i.e. reputational, potential for escalation, legal, etc.) related to issues and flag appropriately.
• Independently identify key influencers and key channels for the successful implementation of IESO initiatives.
• Based on independent internal engagement with relevant lines of business and key individuals, build a solid knowledge base of markets, settlements, programs and key initiatives.
• Use this knowledge and expertise to provide technical advice and guidance to market participants and others regarding the technical, economic and legislative parameters governing the energy industry and the marketplace, including the market rules design, obligations and processes.
• Respond/consult accordingly and where appropriate, seek subject matter expert advice.
• With minimal direction from the direct Manager, maintain expert market knowledge consistent with corporate strategic direction (e.g. market operation issues, market rules, IESO business processes).
• Keep abreast of industry developments, government policy and regulatory changes and sector and economic developments in Ontario and other jurisdictions and provide key accounts and other IESO staff with updates, interpretations and customer impacts.
• Provide advice and support to senior staff in identifying trends, risks, uncertainties, and actions or strategies required to ensure business plan objectives are met and IESO core values are upheld.
• Identify needs for training/education materials. Assist in the development and delivery to relevant customer and stakeholder groups as required (e.g. public information sessions, website enhancements, training material).
• On an ongoing basis, review the effectiveness of existing processes and recommend changes to processes, systems, procedures and market documents as necessary.
• Identify information and reporting requirements as required.
• Independently document and maintain detailed contacts, account notes and insights and synthesize information for internal and/or external briefings and/or reporting purposes.
• Independently prepare briefing notes to support senior leaders’ meetings with key external parties.
• Independently liaise with various lines of business to solicit content and prepare concise and insightful notes and questions for executive meetings.

In a typical day, you will:

• Manage and own the relationship with key accounts as the central point of contact to manage complex issues, build trust, educate and inform on market obligations and gather support for IESO corporate themes/initiatives.
• Support re-direction of transactional issues to Customer Relations inbox leads.
• Provide sound advice, guidance and information directly to market participants, associations and their agents related to their business relationship with the IESO.
• Assist in the preparation of customer communications, using professional judgement to consider known customer concerns, knowledge bases and areas of interest that would be achieved through regular engagement with the key accounts.
• Prepare briefing notes to support executive-level meetings with your key accounts, identifying the discussion items as well as the key messages, insights and questions that should be brought forward in those meetings.

Role Requirements

To succeed in this role, you’ll need:

• Academic training in business, commerce, accounting, or engineering to understand and apply the technical/economic legislative parameters governing the energy industry and market place.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills.
• Superior knowledge of communication techniques and theories at a level to develop comprehensive instructions, policies, practices, and procedures for effective communication to customers in relation to the complaints, inquiries, advice and guidance on Market Participant requirements.
• Experience in methods of discovery, investigation and process design, which involves having good analytical, reasoning and negotiating skills to resolve unique market related problems or questions.
• Significant experience in the utility business and/or understanding of IESO’s structure and functional areas including markets, settlements, contracts and procurements.
• Significant experience in building and maintaining relationships (internal & external to the IESO) in a professional and service‑focused environment with minimal oversight.
• Requires experience and superior professional judgement to effectively deal with complex inquiries as well as escalated and sensitive situations.
• Experience to be familiar with the scope and responsibilities of the position, organization and operation of related work groups, public participation programs, procedures, practices, and facilities.
• Experience in an account management or sales/marketing environment is beneficial.
• This knowledge is normally acquired either through the successful completion of 4 years University education or by having the equivalent education. A period of 8 years, up to and including 10 years, is considered necessary to gain this experience.

How We Support You

From a comprehensive total rewards program to dynamic learning and development opportunities—including job rotations to broaden your expertise—we empower you to define and shape your own success. When you join the IESO, here’s what you can expect:

• Best-in-class benefits and long-term support in the form of a defined benefit pension plan.
• Work in a dynamic and evolving sector that offers exciting opportunities and the chance to explore new career paths.
• Leadership that values meaningful discussions, welcomes feedback, and prioritizes career development.
• A strong, inclusive culture and a collaborative team environment with a shared passion for impactful work.
• Compensation packages that are regularly reviewed to remain competitive and to best accommodate the diverse needs of our employees.

Deadline November 6, 2026. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Please note that the successful candidate must be legally eligible to work in Canada and will be subject to applicable background checks. The IESO currently has a 3-day in-office work week for applicable roles. We believe in opportunities for everyone. At the IESO, we know that achieving great results depends on embracing diversity by attracting, developing, and retaining people from a wide variety of backgrounds.