Commercial Controller

ASCENDING•Reston, VA

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Commercial Project Controller plays a critical role in supporting the sales process by ensuring that new project opportunities are financially sound, commercially viable, and aligned with the company's risk appetite. This role partners closely with cross-functional teams to evaluate deal structures, translate contractual terms into financial outcomes, and support informed decision-making throughout the sales cycle. By strengthening deal quality and improving financial visibility, the Commercial Project Controller helps optimize margins, reduce risk, and enable successful project execution.

Requirements

Strong financial modeling, cash-flow forecasting, and project profitability analysis skills.
Solid understanding of commercial contract terms and their financial impact
Knowledge of revenue recognition principles and financial compliance requirements
Experience working cross-functionally with sales, legal, project, and finance teams
Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills
Ability to clearly present financial insights and recommendations to leadership
Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to risk identification and mitigation

Nice To Haves

A commercial mindset with strong financial rigor
The ability to balance growth opportunities with risk management
A collaborative approach and comfort working in a fast-paced, project-driven environment

Responsibilities

Develop project financial models, cash-flow forecasts, and profitability analyses for new sales opportunities.
Assess and structure commercial terms, including payment schedules, warranties, guarantees, and liquidated damages (LDs), to align with financial targets and risk guidelines.
Partner closely with Sales, Sales Engineering, Procurement, Project Management, Legal, and Finance to evaluate assumptions and support contract negotiations.
Translate contractual language into clear financial implications and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.
Identify key financial risks within project proposals and prepare concise financial summaries for internal approval processes.
Apply a strong understanding of revenue recognition principles to ensure deal structures are accurate, compliant, and support proper financial reporting.
Support the standardization of pricing tools and continuously improve modeling accuracy across the sales cycle.
Ensure a seamless handover from sales to project execution by providing complete and accurate commercial documentation.
Contribute to margin optimization and improved forecasting accuracy through scenario analysis and benchmarking.
Strengthen overall deal quality and financial outcomes across the project pipeline