Associate Director - Regulatory Finance - Cost of Capital & Cost of Equity Advisory

Our client, a large, global advisory and consulting firm is recruiting for its Energy & Utilities team, a team that provides advisory services for many major clients in the sector, including all UK utilities as well as some of the largest energy and water companies in Europe. They provide in-depth strategic and technical advice on strategy and business planning and analysis, regulatory finance, corporate finance and corporate financial management, regulatory policy as well as in other areas to help their clients create value for both shareholders and customers.

Our client's Energy & Utilities team is continuously expanding and they are looking for high quality candidates to support their growth with a particular focus on financial and economic analysis, including cost of capital estimation, financeability assessments, risk and scenario analysis, financial modelling, investment appraisal & valuation. For this role no prior experience in energy & utilities is required and our client will consider applications from candidates with any sector coverage. Candidates must be strong on cost of capital estimation and have experience in WACC cost of equity.

Responsibilities:

• Contributing towards the team’s regulatory finance business in utilities, with opportunities to work in other sectors.
• Working closely with the director for finance in the utilities sector to help lead and further develop the team, increasing their presence in the sector.
• Identifying new opportunities, contributing towards winning work, and coaching junior members of staff.
• Building relationships with key clients across the sector, as well as with other advisors (e.g. legal and engineering).
• Advising on high profile and varied projects, including cost of capital, financeability, risk analysis, financing strategy, financial modelling, state aid, Competition and Markets Authority re-determinations, major transactions and more.
• Applying a structured strategic approach to problem solving, drawing on established economic and corporate finance principles, while having the capacity to think creatively.
• Leading the delivery of key projects, including delegating tasks to team members, constructing project plans, managing client interactions, tracking budgets, and complying with the company’s risk processes.
• Managing, coaching, and mentoring junior staff on specific projects.
• Maintaining a good understanding of regulatory finance issues in the regulated sectors.

Person requirements:

• Educated to a degree level in a quantitative field such as Finance, Economics, Mathematics or similar, although candidates with highly relevant, equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Significant experience in the utilities sector, either as a regulatory policy maker or as a consultant specialising in regulatory or corporate finance, with specific expertise in WACC estimation and the application of the Capital Asset Pricing Model.
• Detailed knowledge of the current UK regulatory regimes and regulatory finance mechanics for utilities.
• Strong working knowledge of economic and financial theory and its application.
• Highly skilled in quantitative economic and financial analysis.
• Experience leading projects with extensive WACC analysis elements, and/or detailed knowledge and experience of financial econometrics and statistics.
• Sound knowledge of finances and financial structures of regulated utilities and their treatment within the regulatory WACC framework.
• Ability to provide compelling and well-thought out solutions to complex economic and financial problems.
• Excellent quantitative analysis skills (Stata or equivalent), Excel and Powerpoint skills.
• Exceptional written communication skills, with a proven ability to produce high-quality, technically rigorous reports for expert audiences.
• Independent thinker with the ability to identify problems and contribute to the development of solutions.
• Experience of managing medium size project teams, with a focus on mentoring and coaching junior staff.
• Proven team player who can demonstrate a clear desire to manage teams.

All UK staff who have not passed a Financial Services Authority (FSA) approved exam will be required to do so.

Our client is an equal opportunities employer, is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from a range of diverse backgrounds. They also have opportunities for role sharing / part time work, flexible working hours, work from home and more flexible working arrangements. They provide a workplace where everyone can thrive, whatever their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic background.

We look forward to your application!