Operations Controlling Associate

RWE•Chicago, IL

4d•$80,000 - $108,000

About The Position

The Operations Controlling Associate serves as a financial partner and advisor to RWE Americas Operations leadership, supporting delivery of core financial targets. The role supports financial reporting and forecasting for a 13 GW portfolio of operating onshore wind, solar, and energy storage assets. It analyzes asset performance and cost drivers to explain results and identify opportunities to improve financial and operational outcomes, and contributes to scalable process improvements that support the company’s growth targets. The associate supports monthly and quarterly reporting, quarterly and annual planning, asset-level cost tracking, variance analysis, KPI reporting, and performance-review preparation. The role works with Site Operations and Asset Management leads to translate operational plans into KPIs, coordinates with stakeholders on action items, and completes assigned tasks with management direction and guidance.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, economics, or business, or equivalent professional experience.
At least 1 year of relevant experience.
Basic knowledge of core accounting concepts and principles.
Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions.
Ability to explain findings clearly to internal stakeholders and partner with asset managers and technical teams.
Structured analytical and problem-solving approach, including the ability to identify insights in financial data.
Understanding of forecasting, variance analysis, asset-performance metrics, and systems/reporting tools.
Strong technical acumen, business acumen, analytical mindset, and attention to detail.
Ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
Self-motivation, goal orientation, strong organizational skills, and the ability to coordinate multiple tasks and deliverables.
Willingness to learn about the company and renewable energy sector, respond to direction, accept coaching, and lead assigned tasks with management guidance.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; the company cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas.

Nice To Haves

CPA certification.
Experience in FP&A and/or the renewable energy sector.
Advanced knowledge of accounting concepts and principles.
Advanced proficiency in Excel, SAP, SAC, Power BI, and/or Tableau.

Responsibilities

Assist with monthly and quarterly financial reporting for operating wind, solar, and energy storage assets and internal support teams, ensuring accurate and complete actuals, commentary, and KPIs, particularly for OpEx, Ops CapEx, and inventory.
Support quarterly and annual forecasting and planning by gathering business input, validating source files, and entering assumptions into models and systems.
Maintain asset-level cost trackers, data logs, and budget support files for operating projects.
Perform variance analyses to identify drivers of deviations from forecast performance and escalate findings to senior staff.
Collaborate with team members to prepare presentation materials for senior-management performance review meetings.
Participate in stakeholder meetings to align on action items and follow up as appropriate.
Assist with data extraction, report formatting, and consolidation of KPIs such as cost/MWh and EBIT.
Contribute to ad hoc work, including cost reclassification and asset benchmarking.
Partner with Site Operations and Asset Management leads to translate operational plans into KPIs.
Identify issues and modify processes and methods as needed.