Financial Analyst

Socket.dev; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Nova Clean Energy, headquartered in Chicago, seeks a Financial Analyst to own FP&A, cash forecasting, and budgeting. You will develop BI dashboards, support development spend tracking, and assist in transactions and diligence with a fast-moving clean energy platform.

The role requires 2+ years in corporate finance or related analytical roles, a finance/economics/engineering background, and advanced Excel. On-site work in Chicago with a competitive salary and bonus potential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Engineering (required).
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to build multi-tab models from scratch.
• Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) preferred.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and analyze forecasts weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually; report variances.
• Build and maintain long-range cash forecasting models across project portfolio.
• Track development budgets and actual spend across active projects; explain variances.
• Develop dashboards and automated reports for leadership; enhance forecasting models.
• Support diligence on divestments, acquisitions, partnerships, and capital raises.

Skills

Advanced Excel

BI tools

PowerPoint

Strong written and verbal comms

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Engineering

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Excel (advanced)

Job description

Who We Are

Nova Clean Energy is a renewable energy company focused on developing and constructing utility-scale projects across the United States. We have the patience, creativity, and capital to take a long-term view of the evolution of US energy markets. We are investing in the large-scale projects needed to advance the energy transition.

About the Role

Reporting to the Commercial Finance Manager, the Financial Analyst will serve as a key analytical and operational resource across Nova's finance function. This person will own day-to-day FP&A support, maintain long-range cash forecasting models, track development budgets and project spend, and build the BI visualizations that keep project managers informed. The role also extends into transaction and diligence work as Nova evaluates new development opportunities and capital partnerships. This is a high-visibility, hands-on position for someone who wants to grow alongside a fast-moving clean energy platform.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Analysis

• Prepare and analyze forecasts on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual basis; report on variances against budget and prior actuals
• Assist with monthly cash reporting and work closely with accounting to ensure accurate reporting across operating entities
• Spearhead the annual budgeting process and manage report distribution to stakeholders

Cash Forecasting

• Build and maintain long-range cash forecasting models across Nova's project portfolio, incorporating development spend, financing milestones, and funding requirements
• Enhance internal cash basis and accrual forecasts to improve taxable income forecasts and tax planning

Development Budgets & Actuals Tracking

• Maintain project-level development budgets; track actuals vs. approved spend across all active projects
• Produce regular variance reports and work with project managers to explain budget-to-actual differences
• Build and manage budget templates to standardize tracking across the portfolio
• Identify spend trends and flag potential overruns early

Business Intelligence & Reporting

• Develop dashboards and data visualizations to communicate financial and operational performance to leadership
• Build automated reporting tools that reduce manual effort and improve data accuracy
• Maintain and enhance the long-term strategic forecast model at a consolidated, entity, and project level

Transaction & Diligence Support

• Support financial diligence on divestments, acquisitions, partnerships, and capital raise processes
• Research and analyze wholesale electricity markets, offtake structures, incentive programs, and policy developments relevant to Nova's portfolio
• Prepare investment memos and presentation materials for internal and external audiences
• Coordinate with legal, development, and external advisors to support deal execution

About You

You're analytically sharp and detail-oriented, with a bias for building things that work the first time. Excel comes as second nature, and you enjoy building complex financial models and automating reports. You're comfortable working in an unstructured, fast-paced environment and are curious enough to pick up new domains quickly. You communicate clearly — able to translate a dense model into a one-page summary a board member can act on.

• This is an in-office role. Candidates must be able to work out of the Chicago office 5 days a week
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Engineering
• 2+ years experience in corporate finance, FP&A, investment banking, or a related analytical role
• Demonstrable advanced Excel skills, including: index/match, lookups, pivot tables, SUMIF, and comfort building multi-tab models from scratch
• Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau, or similar) preferred
• Excellent PowerPoint skills; able to build and present materials to senior stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication — concise, clear, and accurate
• Renewable energy or project finance experience a plus

The salary range for this role is $70,000 - $90,000, with a performance-based bonus. This range is an estimate; the offered salary will be based on experience, location, and qualifications.

A diverse and inclusive team is critical to innovation. Please get in touch even if you don't match these qualifications 100%.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance, including HSA & FSA accounts
• Paid parental leave for all new parents
• 401(k) plan with discretionary company match
• Generous professional development and/or degree program reimbursement
• Unlimited PTO policy and encouragement to take PTO with a pre-tax vacation stipend