Director, Financial Planning And Analysis

New York is leading the nation in the fight on global climate change and the transition to a clean energy-powered economy. With the passage of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) , New York has codified the most aggressive climate change program in the nation with goals to reach zero carbon emissions in the electricity sector by 2040; install 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, 10 gigawatts of solar by 2030, and 6 gigawatts of energy storage by 2030. With the recent approval of the Climate Action Council’s final Scoping Plan, we have a strong framework to achieve an 85% reduction in GHG emissions from 1990 levels by 2050, and eventually net zero emissions economy-wide.

New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) is a driving force in realizing this agenda. NYSERDA works with stakeholders that span residents, business owners, developers, community leaders, local government officials, universities, utilities, investors, entrepreneurs, and more, to develop, invest, and foster conditions that:

• Enable New York’s communities and residents to benefit equitably from energy efficiency and renewable energy
• Attract the private sector capital investment needed to expand New York’s clean energy economy
• Overcome barriers to using clean energy at a large-scale in New York

Job Overview

Building on the foundation of the Climate Act and the resulting and recently-approved Scoping Plan, the state is now poised to upshift into a new phase of carbon reduction. NYSERDA in concert with other state entities is ramping up transformative investments in clean buildings, clean energy, and clean transportation. With ambitious goals for the next few decades, NYSERDA recognizes the importance of developing and deploying financing solutions at scale, building successful public-private partnerships, and coordinating efforts statewide to ensure that our collective efforts deliver strong outcomes in the most cost-effective manner possible.

In that context, NYSERDA is recruiting for a Director, Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A), a new position intended to provide insightful and impactful financial analysis while curating a suite of integrated financing solutions to advance carbon reduction work, coordinating across NYSERDA and with key external stakeholders to ensure data-based decision-making and an optimized portfolio of offerings. This role will be influential in determining strategic priorities and developing and deploying financial solutions to enable New York’s transformation to a net zero future by mid-century.

This position reports to the CFO and will work closely with and support NYSERDA’s program teams to ensure financing and funding needs are understood, prioritized, and matched to appropriate financing solutions. The Director of FP&A will coach and guide several team members. The position will work closely with in-house legal, economic, and energy experts, as well as thought leaders across state government on topics spanning clean energy financing, decarbonization, and climate resilience. This role is expected to partner with other teams within and outside NYSERDA to understand, assess, and catalogue all possible funding sources for NYS’ energy transition, including potential newer options such as a cap and invest mechanism, and support statewide efforts to match and optimize the sources and uses of funding in a cohesive and realistic roadmap.

Primary Responsibilities

At the highest level, the incumbent will develop and help ensure alignment within a financial plan to support achievement of Climate Act and Scoping Plan goals in the 2025-2050 window, in the lowest-cost manner that provides a strong chance of success. Key elements include the following:

• Additional responsibilities may include:
• Understand the political calculus regarding certain proposals and effectively cross-coordinate to identify those initiatives with the greatest impact on goals achievement that are also likely to gain lasting key stakeholder and public support.
• Assist other teams in conducting value-added business analysis with a comprehensive understanding of key business drivers and sophisticated financial models that enable the team to deliver insightful, value-added analysis and support improved decision-making among key internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate with and support other NYSERDA teams as they work to expand standard measures of relative benefit of investments, considering factors such as GHG reduction, DAC benefit, climate resilience, and the durability of those benefits.
• Optimize NYSERDA investment:
• Work across NYSERDA to understand, assess, and catalogue all viable funding sources for the state’s energy transition, including potential newer options such as a cap and invest mechanism, and support statewide efforts to match and optimize the sources and uses of funding in a cohesive and realistic roadmap.
• Assist with the development of content for external and internal executive level audiences to build a compelling case for investment, translating complex financial concepts to clearly articulate the benefits of our work for the citizens of New York.
• Work across NYSERDA and with other relevant actors to assess and pursue options to reduce the cost of the energy transition to NYS ratepayers over time, ensuring the most promising approaches are staffed promptly and with adequate support to deploy timely.
• Work with federal grant coordinators at NYSERDA and other agencies to match grant funding opportunities with financial needs and develop scenarios and actionable contingency plans to address potential shortfalls.
• Help optimize NYS government investment, providing expertise and assisting in the development of a comprehensive financing plan:
• Assist program teams in identifying the most impactful structure for program investments, providing insight about how economic and market trends are likely to translate into natural solutions vs. those that require government action to catalyze.
• Provide input to the annual financial planning process, coordinating with the Finance & Accounting team to align annual budgets with the longer-term financial plan and broader statewide initiatives and ensure financial plans are complemented with robust financial and cashflow forecasts, using scenario planning and sensitivity analyses to allow proactive response to changing conditions.
• Support program teams and collaborate with the NY Green Bank, a division of NYSERDA, in building public-private and public-philanthropic partnerships that through close coordination attain greater outcomes at lower relative net cost.
• Coordinate with direct reports and across NYSERDA to design, develop, and implement financing solutions that effectively address funding gaps identified by program teams, collaborating to understand “on-the-ground” challenges to deployment of climate-friendly solutions at scale.
• Coordinate with and support other NYS agencies and authorities to help identify optimal allocation paths for available funding to attain top Climate Act and Scoping Plan goals between now and 2040.
• Improve leverage:
• Coordinate across NYSERDA to optimize the timing and approach of funding vehicles, including oversight for bond issuances, participation sales, and other liquidity events.

Minimum Qualifications

• Collaborates broadly; adept at guiding and influencing as well as matchmaking programmatic and market needs with financing solutions that fit those needs
• Familiarity with financial markets and financing mechanisms in US clean energy and housing markets
• Listens objectively to various viewpoints, quickly synthesizes new data, responds appropriately to various stakeholders across multiple communication channels.
• Prepares and delivers compelling, concise persuasive presentations
• Assertively leverages and expands productive networks with key NYS stakeholders
• Innovation combined with practical, on-the-ground leadership to ensure ideas are vetted, prioritized, and put into action in time to hit 5, 10, and 20-year-out state goals
• Practical understanding of government fundraising mechanisms including bond financing, tax mechanisms, and tariff structures
• Strategic and critical thinking, including experience developing and implementing creative but viable fundraising strategies at scale
• Communication Skills
• Able to organize, guide, and inspire direct reports and partner with colleagues to deliver valuable outcomes on time
• Financial planning and analysis including scenario/sensitivity analysis and cashflow forecasting
• Strong understanding of business and economic dynamics; able to interpret and assess major drivers for key market actor behavior to ascertain true market gaps and recommend practical solutions

Preferred

MBA degree and/or CFA certification

Required Salary

• Bachelor’s degree in a business field or equivalent work experience
• 10 years of relevant experience, including:
• 5+ years in a role driving large-scale change initiatives in a significant capacity
• Experience developing and implementing strategies to fundraise, ideally through public-private partnerships
• 3+ years in a team leadership role

The salary range is $143,545 - $180,438. Candidates will be considered based on qualifications and experience. An excellent benefits package is offered.

Please submit one file for the Director, Financial Planning and Analysis position, job# 761, that includes both your cover letter and resume.

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