Jay Rutovitz has worked in renewable energy and energy efficiency since 1994. Prior to that, she worked as an electrical contractor for 15 years, before gaining a first class degree in Environmental Science. After working in the UK as energy coordinator for a large metropolitan council, a renewable energy consultant, and a science campaigner for Greenpeace UK, Jay came to Australia in 2001 and has since worked as an energy consultant to government, environment groups, and the private sector.

Jay was the main author for the NSW Bioenergy Handbook in 2004, and the lead consultant on Energy Smart Urban Solutions, a major case study of low energy development in Western Sydney, and has continued to advise on low energy urban development. She developed the Green Electricity Watch survey methodology and undertook data collection, analysis and reporting on behalf of a consortium of environment groups from 2005 to 2007.

Since joining the Institute for Sustainable Futures in 2008, Jay joined has worked on many aspects of energy market transformation, developing a range models to examine distributed energy options and their interactions with electricity networks. Jay has led a number of research projects aimed at reforming electricity markets to better integrate distributed energy, including a recent project on the Social Access Solar Garden model. Jay was a lead author for the REN21 2018 Global Status Report for Renewable Energy. Jay has particular expertise in modelling energy sector employment outcomes for energy scenarios on a state, national, regional, and global basis, and led this work at ISF since 2009.

Jay has particular expertise in energy sector employment modelling, and has undertaken global, regional, and more than 17 national or state analyses under various energy scenariosfor clients including Greenpeace International, the Climate Institute, Environment Victoria, the Electrical Trades Union and National Electrical and Communications Association, and the Clean Energy Council.