Principal/Associate Director - Financial Expert

Overview

Role: Principal/Associate Director - Financial Expert

Location: UK Flexible / Spain / Johannesburg

Role ID: 2022-1672

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Energy & Environment, one of Ricardo plc’s five operating business units, is a leader in sustainability consultancy, solving complex environmental challenges through industry-leading analysis, advice and data. With more than 40 years of heritage in addressing air quality, environmental and sustainability issues, our customers value us for our deep understanding and breadth of services covering the entire value chain from evidence, policy & strategy to implementation.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced “winner-doer” financial expert to join our team. You will be contributing to project delivery, bidding, the development of junior financial analysts.

For clarity we are looking for a Principal Financial Expert & Sustainable Finance Lead, whose location can either be in the UK (Flexible), Spain (Flexible) or South Africa (Johannesburg).

The team

You will be working across several of Ricardo Energy & Environment practice areas, including:

• Power Planning & Solutions – provides a range of services including electricity tariff and affordability studies, hydrogen strategy and feasibility studies, renewable energy due diligence, policy and regulation studies.
• Waste & Resource Management – provides a range of services including policy support, waste strategy development and business planning, service design and delivery.

Our clients include multi-lateral lending agencies, governments, local authorities, regulators, utilities, and corporate clients in the UK and across all 5 continents.  About you You will be an experienced consultant with a track record in developing financial models and carrying out financial analysis and assessments in the energy sector.

Your role on projects will involve producing / reviewing financial models to underpin due diligence type assessments of energy projects and/or utility business plans. For example this could include:

• Review tariff application from electricity utility on behalf of regulator in the Caribbean region, and advise on potential impact of decision on utility financial sustainability.

• Develop business case and assess financial viability of a waste treatment project in the Middle-East.

Throughout projects and other engagements, you will mentor and contribute to the upskilling and personal development of junior financial and economic analysts.

You will be involved in bidding activities, including writing the methodology and developing the costing strategy for prospective work in your area of expertise.

You will have support from the wider business for your career to develop into a wide range of future opportunities within Ricardo Energy & Environment.  In return for your commitment, drive and enthusiasm, we offer an attractive benefits package, tailored personal development plans, and the opportunity to make a difference in a challenging and rewarding field.

Skills and experience Must have:

• Strong degree in Finance.
• Strong experience in designing financial models and carrying out financial analysis to recognised standards (FAST, etc)
• Excellent understanding of financial instruments (e.g. accounting, taxation…) underpinning financial analysis.
• General understanding of financial theory underpinning weighted average cost of capital calculations (e.g. capital asset pricing model)
• Proficient with MS Excel ©
• Experience with project management and client engagement.
• Passionate about developing people.
• Strong interest in sustainability and energy transition.

Desired:

• Experience in the energy sector and in a consultancy environment.
• Strong accreditations in financial modelling (e.g. FAST)
• International experience in financial analysis and modelling for energy sector projects.
• Experience with utility financial management.
• Strong experience managing teams and mentoring junior members of staff.

Fluency in English is essential, fluency in French or Spanish is desirable.

Working here

Ricardo is an exciting and rewarding place to work and you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work with teams of talented, dedicated, and supportive individuals. Alongside having a fantastic opportunity to develop your career with us through our broad range of projects, mentoring opportunities and a personalised approach to your learning and development. We are always keen to hear from people who have driven, ambition and a flair for innovative thinking.

Wellbeing and work life balance

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that's working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Our People are important to us, and we take pride in our wellbeing programmes and policies that support individuals including flexible working, carers policy, mental health first aiders and readily available support through our extensive Employee Assistance programme.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.