Senior Accountant

THE ROLE

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, passionate finance professional to lead in the delivery of finance asset management services to one of our most important clients in Italy.

We are looking for someone who genuinely cares about the people they work with, naturally seeks to collaborate and enjoys the buzz of good camaraderie. Although, as with all finance roles, you will need to have exceptional attention to detail, this role is not suitable for someone wanting to lock themselves away – you will need the right balance of introversion and extroversion to be comfortable in this role. In other words, you will be a key member of the team who can build and maintain good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 

The successful candidate would be the key responsible person for all financial matters for a portfolio of assets in Italy. The role will be expected to conduct administrative tasks related to the management of portfolios of plants that generate electricity from renewable sources, managed by WiseEnergy for leading investors and financial institutions at national and international levels.

The current model is to oversee deliverables from outsourced service providers. As scale increases, the model is set to evolve with some of the regions setting up offices locally. This role is then expected to manage the provision of financial services out of those markets.

There is an expectation of consistency and accuracy of outputs, as well as delivering and maintaining a high degree of customer service (internal and external stakeholders). In view of this, you will be expected to appropriately flag issues and support their resolution through to the end and proactively drive continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The accountant is expected to be able to undertake the responsibilities outlined below with minimum supervision:

Onboarding 

• Ownership of the onboarding checklist and cross-checking information availability in the virtual data room.
• Providing a high-level view of documentation available for onboarding.
• Align financial reporting standards of other jurisdictions in accordance with our Global policy.
• Undertake KYC documentation and all applicable administrative & finance applications.

Reporting

• Review periodic (monthly, quarterly, annual and ad hoc) management accounts for assigned caseload of SPVs and Holding companies ensuring accounting records are maintained to a high quality.
• Full ownership in the delivery of monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting pack.
• Support in the production of a monthly and quarterly Clearance Dashboard (portfolio-level operational review).
• Full ownership of financial deliverables internally within the Group and externally to lenders, investors, and external clients (if any) within the specific timeframe as agreed.
• Manage relationships with auditors providing all necessary deliverables and addressing audit & accounting issues.

Cash management 

• Manage all invoicing and payment processes.
• Full ownership of tracking cash and maintaining liquidity forecasts.

Systems and Processes 

• Implement and maintain finance Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure all documentations are stored in an orderly format in a common shared drive.

Tax 

• Manage all local tax compliance matters supporting the appointed tax advisors ensuring they are filed before the due dates.
• Ensure all tax payments are reviewed and made timely.

Stakeholder Management 

• Collaborate with other Wise delivery functions – Technical and Commercial within the jurisdictions named above (and others assigned in the future).

Ad-hoc 

• Given the dynamic nature of our business in the early-stage sector we operate in, the successful candidate is seen picking up ad hoc tasks as part of the team’s agility to provide the best service to its range of clients.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Time management & prioritization skills - things can get a little hectic, so the ability to effectively manage yourself and your workload is critical.
• Excellent communication skills (in English or/and other European languages) - you must be able to organize your thoughts in a way that others find clear and compelling. You will be expected to together well-written, grammatically correct emails and other communications. When communicating verbally – whether over the phone, on video calls, in person or in meetings – you will need to be articulate, warm and engaging.
• Flexibility - being an effective team player means being flexible in your approach and open to getting involved with new things, even if they are not spelled out in your job description.
• Intellectual Curiosity – Technical Management is a broad and nuanced field, and we are looking for someone who is truly interested in our profession and has the intellectual curiosity to delve deep into topics and bring fresh ideas into the team.
• IT Literacy - you need to be comfortable with IT systems and working with data (you should have at least intermediate-level excel).
• Delivery focus – it may sound obvious, but the ability to proactively churn through work at pace and deliver quality outputs really matters!
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Passion for our mission ‘to generate a more sustainable future by leading the transition to clean energy.
• Our values: be a leader, build trust, be responsible, be innovative and ‘bring your alpha’.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

• 5+ years’ finance experience.
• Experience in using the accounting system Profis/E-solver.
• A passion for process improvement and operational efficiency.
• Experience working for scale-up businesses.
• Experience in overseeing third-party service providers on our or clients’ behalf; notably local accountants, auditors and tax advisors.
• Interest in the renewable sector.
• The right to work Italy.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A busy role in a supportive team, with plenty of opportunities to learn
• International scope – we operate in over 8 countries
• Hybrid working – we will need you in the central Milan office at least twice a week, but you will normally be able to work remotely for the remainder of the week
• Ticket Restaurants
• Annual discretionary bonus

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link to apply or send your application to careers@nextenergygroup.com. If you have been shortlisted for the next stage, we will be in contact within 14 days.

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our approach to diversity and inclusion is a natural extension of our values. Our entrepreneurial culture inspires us to try new things, be open to different viewpoints and be bold. Our Group is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of connectedness that values difference and gives space for individual expression. The collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, talent and hard work form the bedrock of who we are and who we aspire to be.

We are committed to equal employment and advancement opportunity irrespective of race, colour, ancestry, social background, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability and gender identity.

ABOUT US

NextEnergy Group was founded in 2007 to become a leading market participant in the international solar sector.  Since its inception, it has been active in the development, construction, and ownership of solar assets across multiple jurisdictions.  NextEnergy Group operates via its three business units: NextEnergy Capital (Investment Management), WiseEnergy (Operating Asset Management), and Starlight (Asset Development).

NextEnergy Capital manages the Group's investment activities and has invested in over 520 solar plants, exceeding 2GW in capacity across its institutional funds.

• NextEnergy Solar Fund (NESF): Listed on the London Stock Exchange, NESF manages 102 solar and energy storage assets in the UK and Italy, with a total installed capacity of 983MW and a gross asset value of £1,014m.
• NextPower II (NPII): A private fund of 105 solar plants (149MW) focused on Italy, successfully divested in January 2022, delivering net IRRs exceeding its 10-12% target.
• NextPower III ESG (NPIII ESG): A private fund targeting solar infrastructure in OECD countries (e.g., US, Spain, Italy), with $896m raised, exceeding its $750m target.
• NextPower UK ESG (NPUK ESG): A private fund dedicated to new-build solar plants in the UK, with ~£600m raised.
• NextPower V ESG (NPV ESG): A private OECD solar fund investing in solar and adjacent technologies like battery storage. To date, it has raised $745m, targeting $1.5bn ($2bn ceiling).

WiseEnergy® is NextEnergy Group’s operating asset manager.  WiseEnergy is a leading specialist operating asset manager in the solar sector.  Since its founding, WiseEnergy has provided solar asset management, monitoring, technical due diligence and under construction services to over 1,500 utility-scale solar power plants with an installed total capacity in excess of 3.4 GW.  WiseEnergy clients comprise leading banks and equity financiers in the energy and infrastructure sector. 

Starlight is NextEnergy Group’s development company that is active in the development phase of solar projects.  It has developed over 100 utility-scale projects internationally and continues to progress a large pipeline of c.10GW of both green and brownfield project developments across global geographies.

NextSTEP is the venture capital fund of NextEnergy Group, dedicated to investing in innovative startups in the field of environmental sustainability. The fund primarily focuses on investments in Italy and the United Kingdom but also extends its reach to the rest of Europe and the United States, targeting startups in the pre-seed and seed stages. NextSTEP pays particular attention to emerging entities from incubators, startup accelerators, universities, and research centers, supporting projects that address global challenges in crucial areas such as Climate Change, Energy Transition, CO2 Capture and Sequestration, Circular Economy, Sustainable Cities, Sustainable Mobility, Sustainable Fashion, Waste Management, Water and much more.

NextEnergy Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in 2016 by the NextEnergy Group that operates internationally and whose mission is to proactively participate in the global effort to reduce carbon emissions by providing clean energy sources in regions where they are not yet available and thereby contributing to poverty reduction. As the main sponsor of this foundation, the NextEnergy Group donates at least 5% of its consolidated net profits each year. The NextEnergy Foundation has no overhead costs and therefore 100% of the funds raised go to donations for the various projects. Since 2016, in 8 years of operation the foundation has donated more than £1.2 million, supporting over 30 projects in 27 different countries around the world.