Sr. Associate, Project Finance

Avantus; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) matching

Medical and dental plan

Flexible PTO

Job summary

Avantus in San Diego, CA, USA is seeking a Sr. Associate, Project Finance to join a team responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and executing project sales and structured financings.

The role requires independent modeling and collaboration across Origination, Development, Construction, and Engineering to meet deadlines. The successful candidate will support day-to-day execution, develop project valuations, and analyze market dynamics while thriving in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in project finance, corporate finance, or investment banking.
• Experience building, maintaining, and auditing complex project finance models, including debt sizing and tax equity structures.
• Strong knowledge of project finance structures including tax equity monetization and construction financing.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage project financial models for development assets.
• Support and lead project sale and financing processes including due diligence and data room management.
• Prepare materials for Investment Committee and Risk Committee reviews.
• Monitor debt, tax equity, and cash equity markets to inform valuation and pricing.

Skills

Project finance modeling

Excel modeling

Deal execution

Lender interaction

Communication skills

Tools

Excel (Advanced)

VBA

Job description

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus develops, owns and operates utility-scale clean energy projects across California and the Desert Southwest. Our development pipeline of solar with integrated storage will generate enough dispatchable power to serve more than 10 million Americans, day and night. Backed by strategic investment from KKR and EIG, and building on more than a decade of industry leadership, Avantus is growing its position as an independent power producer, delivering affordable, reliable clean energy solutions to meet America’s growing energy demand.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking a highly motivated and organized candidate for the Sr. Associate, Project Finance position. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound industry knowledge, superior communications, and detail-oriented organizational skills.

The Sr. Associate would support a team of Project Finance professionals who source, negotiate, and execute project sales and structured financings, including whole or partial cash equity sales, construction financing, back leverage debt, and tax equity financing. The position requires an individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment, constantly collaborating with various internal and external teams to meet project and transaction deadlines. The individual would ultimately be responsible for supporting day-to-day execution of these transactions and performing analysis on the market and investors to develop project-specific valuations and economic sensitivities.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Valuation and Modeling

• Able to work independently and collaboratively with a cross-functional team.


• Own every aspect of the project financial model for both mid-stage and late-stage development assets, including significant time working on project offtake bidding and structuring.


• Monitor the debt, tax equity, and cash equity markets for appropriate valuation techniques and pricing


• Prepare and explain capital structure sensitivities, becoming intimately familiar with the potential capital permutations and value levers


• Understand the various development, construction, and operational inputs to the model, working closely with cross-functional experts in various functional groups such as Origination, Land Acquisition, Development, Construction, Engineering/Optimization, Storage, Interconnection, etc.

Transaction Support

• Support (and eventually lead) various aspects of a project sale and financing, including but not limited to:


• Due Diligence


• Process Timelines


• Data room Management


• Term Sheet and Transaction Document Support


• Market/Transmission Reports


• Appraisal and Cost Segregation Reports


• Insurance Consultant Reports


• Project Closing activities


• Support Project Finance lead on marketing of project capital structure to outside parties, interacting with lenders, tax equity investors, infrastructure funds, and strategic buyers


• Preparation and delivery of materials for Investment Committeeand Risk Committee review and approval

Transaction Monitoring

• Support projects that are in construction or operational and financed by Avantus, including construction loan draws, refinancing activities, consent processes, financing document compliance, and modeling


• Apply learnings from closed financial transactions and Avantus' operational project portfolio to revise financial underwriting assumptions for development asset modeling and pricing

Marketing Analysis

• Macroeconomic analysis, including impacts of tax law change, interest rate environments, and broader sector trends


• Monitoring of the power markets, including structured energy transactions, to help ensure project finance ability and valuation

Cross-Functional Support and Collaboration

• Support other functional areas in ways such as:
  
  
  
  • PPA Pricing and Finance ability analysis
  
  
  • Design/Engineering Optimization
  
  
  • EPC and O&M Contract Negotiations
  
  
  • Corporate FP&A Rollup analysis
  
  
  • Lease vs. Buy analysis
  
  
  
  

Other Responsibilities

• Support transaction team in various approval stage-gate and committee review processes


• Manage various tracker and tool updates and dissemination, as needed

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in project finance, corporate finance, or investment banking, with direct exposure to renewable energy or infrastructure transactions


• Demonstrated experience independently building, maintaining, and auditing complex project finance models, including full capital structure sensitivities (debt sizing, tax equity structuring, cash equity returns)


• Strong working knowledge of project finance structures, including tax equity monetization (partnership flip, sale-leaseback), construction financing, and back-leverage debt


• Proficiency in discounted cash flow analysis across pre-tax, after-tax, unlevered, and levered return frameworks, with ability to explain value drivers to non-technical stakeholders


• Track record of engaging directly with external capital providers (lenders, tax equity investors, infrastructure funds, or strategic buyers) in a deal execution capacity


• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent transaction workstreams (due diligence, data room management, closing activities) under tight deadlines


• Advanced Excel modeling skills required; VBA or similar automation experience a plus


• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing materials for Investment Committee or Risk Committee review


• Comfortable operating with significant autonomy in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment

NICE TO HAVES

• Investment banking experience, particularly in renewable energy, infrastructure, or project finance coverage


• Experience creating marketing materials (teasers, CIMs) and managing data rooms for live transactions


• Experience with power markets, PPA structuring, or transmission/interconnection analysis

Avantus offers competitive compensation with an excellent benefits package, including 401(k) matching, comprehensive medical and dental plan options, and flexible PTO. We are an equal-opportunity employer. The base salary range for this full-time position is listed below (plus bonus and benefits). Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position in California. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the applicable location during the hiring process. Please note that the compensation details listed reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus and benefits.

Pay Range: $138,000 - $150,000 USD

Location: San Diego, CA, USA

Work arrangement: Hybrid