Associate - Capital and Investments Team

About Us: Modern Energy is a distributed energy company dedicated to providing affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for all. Our businesses deliver distributed energy solutions, including energy efficiency, energy storage, distributed generation, and demand management, to customers and markets in the United States and Brazil. Modern Energy’s agile capital and industry-leading core infrastructure enable us to rapidly scale new distributed energy asset classes.

The Opportunity: We believe trillions of dollars will be invested in the next few decades to enable the transition to a net-zero carbon economy. Our businesses are on the front lines of an economic opportunity only seen once in a century. This is an exciting time in Modern’s history and an opportunity to combine the resources of a large institution with the flexibility and agility of a small team to make an impact. 

As an Associate, you will have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with senior leadership. Your responsibilities will focus primarily on diligencing  new investments and supporting the growth of our existing portfolio companies. There will be opportunities to rotate into one of our businesses for 3-6 months periods as needs arise. During these rotations, you will work directly with the executives of the businesses on core strategic analyses and business plans, including forecast models, competitive analyses, and capital/resource planning materials that will ultimately be used to determine if and how much capital Modern will raise for/allocate to a given opportunity. 

Associate workstreams in the past have included:

• Evaluating new opportunities for the Capital / Investments Team and providing well-informed analyses
• Supporting early-stage business operations for a new investment partnership 
• Supporting and driving operational efficiency within our suite of companies

Evaluating new opportunities for the Capital / Investments Team and providing well-informed analyses. An Associate would have the opportunity to:

• Advise on the merits of specific investment opportunities based on thorough analysis and evaluation in the context of Modern’s strategic priorities
• Perform due diligence on business models and investment cases, assisting with valuation as necessary
• Prepare pitch materials for presentation to Modern’s Investment Committee
• Participate, jointly with our legal team, in the structuring and negotiation of legal documents (e.g., Indication of Interest, Term Sheet, Letter of Intent, Asset Purchase Agreement/Stock Purchase Agreement, etc.)
• Provide support to facilitate business operations including participating in budget preparation, monthly update reports, etc.
• Monitor the M&A and competitive landscape to help identify and prioritize appropriate opportunities through tracking of companies and other sources

Supporting early-stage business operations for a new investment partnership. An Associate would have the opportunity to:

• Assist with origination pipeline management
• Create go-to-market strategies and work with management to implement them identify bottlenecks in key processes and help design technology-based solutions to increase throughput and enable operational scale 
• Build project and portfolio-level financial models to assist with investment decision-making and outreach to capital providers
• Assess team capabilities and composition and participate in recruitment projects with our Senior Director, People. Evaluate and select vendor partners (e.g., growth marketing, operations, tech)

Supporting and driving operational efficiency within our suite of companies. An Associate could be asked to:

• Running a process to produce quarterly or annual strategies for one or more Modern Energy companies
• Consulting on implementation of incentive alignment regimes, compensation structures, etc.
• Assisting with re-organization of business units

Who You Are

• You are Self-Directed: You are not afraid of ambiguity. You understand that it is your job to create the clarity you seek. You don’t wait for direction and when you are confused, you manage up and ask clarifying questions.  
• You are Relational and a Team Player: You have experience working across multiple teams and levels and are natural in connecting and building rapport easily. You’ve been told you have a high EQ and you are able to effectively call on your relationships to get the work done and manage others laterally. 
• You Demonstrate Humility: You understand that having an ego in this work is dangerous and puts our work at risk. You never feign confidence in an under-researched position and are careful not to lose trust and credibility with your partners who rely on your insights and recommendations. 
• You have a Growth Mindset: You operate with a research mindset and are innately curious. You understand that struggling through a tough question provides unparalleled learning opportunities. When you don’t know something, you go out into the world and grapple with it. When you find something odd, you dig deeper to understand its significance and look for ways that it could affect the model’s output.  
• You have an Attention to Detail: You make sure you cross your Ts and dot your Is. You are a tight operator and appreciate an orientation towards process and organization. 
• You are Numeric: You approach problems with an objective, numerical, and measurable lens. You are comfortable building and running models for in-depth due diligence and beyond, refining those models with feedback, and turning around the next draft quickly. 
• You are Mission-Aligned: You are passionate about the mission of Modern Energy, and motivated by the goal of delivering affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy to all.

What you Bring to the Table

• 3+ years of relevant financial analysis and energy experience Recent experience completing analyst training programs at an investment bank, other financial institution, or working in private equity
• A basic understanding of capital markets is required; more sophisticated experience is helpful
• Willingness to be vocal when issues with an analysis or diligence process are spotted; ability to present, articulate, and defend analyses with key stakeholders
• Strong business acumen and learning agility to quickly comprehend Modern’s business models and product/service offerings
• Advanced quantitative and financial skills. You have had exposure to or experience with financial statements and you can build, critique, and refine quantitative models quickly and accurately 
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills, including high proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Experience preparing investment materials (memos, pitch decks, etc.)Versatility to move back and forth from the detailed view to the big picture

How to Apply

• Applying for the Role: Our application process requires two steps to be completed by our deadline. Once the application deadline passes, our selection committee will review only completed applications. 
• Step 1: Submit your application on our website (~15 mins)
• Step 2: Complete your guided 5-question interview before the application deadline (~45 mins)

Benefits: This will be a full-time position including competitive salary, annual bonus structure, other short-term incentives, employer-subsidized health and dental insurance, and a 401k plan with employer match. 

Location: The position is based in Durham, NC. and preference will be given to local candidates. We will, however, consider remote working for the right candidates. Currently, all staff are working from home until our offices reopen. We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. We encourage applicants from historically marginalized communities to apply.