EAEnergy Policy Analyst
EA
Career

Energy Policy Analyst

By the numbers
Typical pay
$82,220 / yr
Education to start
Bachelor's degree
Future demand
+4.4% by 2034
People in this job
89K
Figures shown for ·closest of 3 O*NET occupations
The work
A day, hour by hour
08:30
News & legislation scan

Skim overnight energy news and flag any new bills that shift the landscape.

09:00
Data deep-dive

Pull government emissions and consumption data; hunt for trends worth flagging.

10:00
Economic modeling

Run cost-benefit model on a proposed grid rule — tweak assumptions, check outputs.

11:30
Stakeholder interview

Call a utility rep for input; decide if it's genuine insight or just lobbying.

13:00
Policy brief drafting

Write the recommendation section — revise until the argument holds under pressure.

14:30
Internal review

Senior analyst tears apart the draft; defend every number and framing choice.

15:30
Lawmaker briefing

Present findings to agency officials; field hard questions, stay evidence-first.

16:30
Revise & wrap

Fold in briefing feedback; decide whether to flag that inconvenient data point.

Things you do
  • Research how energy laws and regulations affect real people and businesses.
  • Write policy briefs recommending how governments should handle energy issues.
  • Build economic models to predict what a new energy rule would cost or save.
  • Present findings to lawmakers, executives, or agency officials who make decisions.
  • Interview utility companies, environmental groups, and community members for input.
Decisions you’ll make
  • Does my analysis reflect the evidence, or am I shading it toward what my employer wants to hear?
  • Is this the right moment to push for a bold policy, or will that kill the whole proposal?
  • Should I flag this inconvenient data point in my report, or does it distract from the real story?
  • Am I oversimplifying this tradeoff to make it digestible for decision-makers?
  • Is this stakeholder giving me genuine input, or just lobbying me?
Education Pathways · how you get there
100 in 100 went the college route · 0 in 100 found another way in None, typically
Education mapped from O*NET: