Finance & Rates Analyst

Aqua, an Essential Utilities company, employs people in a variety of roles within our eight-state footprint, ranging from field workers and customer service representatives who are on the front lines working with customers, to scientists and engineers who help ensure we're delivering reliable water and wastewater services to our communities. If you're looking for a rewarding career helping improve our environment and protect our natural resources, we encourage you to join our team!

About Essential Utilities: Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities. Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities. We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

The Finance and Rates Analyst I prepares, coordinates and documents financial reports, models and analysis for regulatory operation and compliances and internal financial reporting of annual operating budgets and strategic business plans.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Prepares forecasts and analysis of trends in finance and general business.
• Identifies trends and developments in competitive environments.
• Reconciles accounts.
• Collects and analyzes financial information.
• Tracks organisations progress against financial goals.
• Creates financial models.
• Assists with the annual compliance and financial reporting.
• Assists in preparing the quarterly and annual filings.
• Assists with updates to the company's tariffs.
• Ensures tariffs posted to internal and external websites.
• Assists in preparing rate cases.
• Provides general accounting assistance.
• Analyzes and forecasts timing and rate increases.
• Prepares answers to interrogatories, assists with revenue and billing analysis, provides support for witness litigation processes and interfaces with other departments to determine future rate case adjustments.
• Supports Manager of Rates and Planning and the Regional Controller on potential acquisition due diligence including: financial modeling, valuation analysis, finance and accounting due diligence, tariff and rate design, expense analysis, presentation preparation, application preparation and original cost study filings.
• Assists in the preparation, analysis and submission of the annual operating budget.
• Assists in the analysis of expenses, labor, capital expenditures, revenue and income taxes.
• Performs other assignments as required.

Qualifications:

• BA/BS Degree in Accounting or Finance required.
• 1-2 Years of Related Experience.

Qualities of a Successful Analyst in this Position:

• Flexible, logical, accountable, approachable, and passionate about work.
• Maintains positive team-building role during pressure-filled, deadline-driven crunch times.
• Possess strong organizational/multi-tasking and project-planning skills.
• Exhibits professionalism with internal and external contacts.
• Organized with strong attention to detail and time management skills.
• High degree of initiative; self-starter.
• Communicates with accuracy and precision in writing and speaking.
• High degree of confidentiality required.
• Trustworthy; strong personal integrity; emotional maturity.
• Demonstrates high level of accountability and ownership.
• Executes with discipline and urgency.
• Collaborative/Team oriented.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Expertise in analytic problem solving.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to perform complex computer model development.
• Advanced level of technical writing ability.
• A clear understanding of cost of service rate-making and utility regulation is an asset for this position.
• Strong intermediate to advanced ability with Microsoft Office suite: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access and other technologies applicable to job.
• Proficient with technology and re-evaluates process to increase efficiency, accuracy and appropriate level of documentation through the skilled application of technology tools; must be proficient in MS Excel, able to work independently and synthesise large amounts of information.