Associate, Origination (CA)

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus is shaping the future by making reliable, low-cost clean energy a global reality. Our legacy of leadership in next generation solar energy includes developing one of the nation’s largest solar clusters and one of the first projects to beat fossil fuel prices back in 2016. Today, we are expanding the boundaries of existing technologies to build one of the largest portfolios of smart power plants with integrated storage, capable of providing millions of people with affordable, zero-emission energy – day and night. Through our relentless pursuit of better, we are decarbonizing our planet at the gigaton level, and bringing the advantages of clean energy to all of us.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking a highly motivated and organized candidate for an Associate, Origination position. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound industry knowledge, superior communications, and detail-oriented organizational skills. This role reports into the Vice President of Origination.

The Associate would support a team of Originators who source, negotiate, and execute Power Purchase Agreements (“PPA”) and other structured power offtake arrangements for solar and battery energy storage projects.  This position would also support new business development efforts in growing areas of the renewables landscape.  The position requires an individual who thrives in a fast-paced, unstructured environment, constantly collaborating with various internal and external teams to meet customer driven deadlines.  The individual would ultimately be responsible for managing day-to-day execution of Requests for Proposals (“RFP”), performing various market analyses and supporting efforts to optimize new product structures. 

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

• RFP Strategy:

• In conjunction with senior Originators, develop strategy for each RFP, including determining optimal projects and product structure for the specific customer.
• Communicate origination strategies to other Avantus stakeholders.
• Track overall pricing trends and understand our competitors’ strategies and relative advantages.

• RFP Execution

• Assist senior Originators with the preparation of bid submittals and related materials (Avantus qualifications, project development details, etc.). 
• Quarterback and project manage the inputs to an RFP, including the assumptions required to run the pricing models.  This includes developing schedules/lead times, running check-ins, and ultimately being responsible for on-time delivery of the RFP.
• Track status of submitted bids and work to address any customer questions.

• Lead Generation

• Ability to monitor and react to customer and market indications.
• Prepare presentations for third party meetings.
• Coordinate and lead discussions with potential customers and / or business partners.
• Support Originators in converting customer conversations into actionable submission plans and ultimately PPAs.

• PPA Negotiation

• Assist in negotiation of commercial, project financeability and legal issues.
• Manage the various parties involved (off-takers, legal, consultants, internal Avantus Subject Matter Experts).
• Business Development / Product Strategy
• Assist business development team in performing qualitative and quantitative market analyses for potential new, innovative product structures.
• Work with energy markets team to support financial analysis of various offtake structures.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 2 years in Renewables/Power & Utilities, or related space with demonstrated interest in renewables.
• Minimum four-year bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline
• Expert proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Microsoft Excel, including experience with project financial modeling.
• Experience with or understanding of power markets, project development and/or generation plus storage projects.
• Manage RFP submission process, coordinate cross functional teams and collecting various inputs.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders.
• Ability to build and maintain relationships with customers to answer questions, gather feedback and coordinate responses.
• Ability to distill, arrange, and convert large sets of raw data into useful and actionable information.
• Experience managing large projects with multiple stakeholders on tight timelines.
• Working knowledge of structured finance and power offtake agreements.

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