Investments Associate

Lightedge•Kansas City, MO

About The Position

LightEdge Solutions is developing the IT solutions that will propel businesses forward over the next 10 years. Using a combination of shared and private/dedicated platforms, LightEdge has been successful in offering businesses alternatives that streamline operations, improve reliability and reduce costs. If you are passionate about creating real solutions that help businesses with cutting-edge technology, want to be challenged to think out of the box and be in a position where you can impact change on a daily basis, then LightEdge can offer you a dynamic corporate environment built on teamwork and personal responsibility. Lightedge is seeking an Investments Associate to lead the review of site acquisitions and development projects. The Investments Associate reports to Vice President of Strategic Finance and plays a key role in Lightedge’s five-year plan to deliver 20MW of IT capacity per year across the portfolio. This role owns the financial modeling and underwriting behind new sites and expansions and prepares the investment materials for senior management and the Board of Directors.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or equivalent is required
5+ years of experience in real estate or infrastructure investments, investment banking, private equity or corporate development
Advanced financial modeling skills, including building project-level and consolidated models from scratch and applying IRR and ROI analysis
Experience underwriting development or capital projects and owning capital budgets; data center, industrial or other capital-intensive real asset experience preferred
Ability to analyze and interpret property-level information
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare board- and executive-level materials that present complex analysis clearly and concisely
Strong analytical skills with exceptional attention to detail and accuracy
Extensive experience in working with large data sets and financial modeling
Ability to meet deadlines, handle multiple priorities and perform job responsibilities while working in a fast-paced and vibrant environment
Self-starter attitude with strong interpersonal skills and teamwork ability
Extensive experience working with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint

Responsibilities

Lead the review of site acquisitions and development projects in support of Lightedge’s five-year plan to deliver 20MW of IT capacity per year across the portfolio
Work with internal stakeholders and third parties to qualify and disqualify potential acquisitions and development projects
Lead financial modeling and underwriting for land and asset acquisitions, greenfield development and in-place capacity expansions
Build and maintain project-level and consolidated return models, including IRR, NPV and yield-on-cost, with sensitivity and scenario analysis on power, cost, timing and absorption
Review and own project budgets from initial underwriting through construction completion, tracking committed spend, actuals and forecast-to-complete against approved capital
Create investment memos for board approval of projects, including transaction summary, market analysis, underwriting assumptions, returns, key risks and mitigants
Build and maintain relationships with brokers in target markets to generate a steady pipeline of site acquisition and development opportunities
Support monthly and quarterly board reporting on the development pipeline, capital deployment and project performance versus underwriting
Coordinate due diligence with engineering, facilities, sales, legal and third-party consultants
Evaluate power availability and utility economics, land basis, entitlements, construction cost and incentive packages as inputs to site selection
Research and report on data center market supply, absorption and comparable transactions to expand market knowledge and support pipeline development