Sr Investment & Valuation Associate

RWE•Chicago, IL

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr Investment & Valuation Associate will be a key member of the Investment & Valuation (I&V) team at RWE Americas (RWEA), independently leading valuation assignments and delivering high-quality investment recommendations that support the company's strong US growth ambitions. The Senior Associate will prepare and present investment analysis and recommendations to senior leadership, building stakeholder relationships across key functions over time. The I&V team drives value-added growth through critical analysis, strategic guidance, and rigorous governance of investment decisions across a dynamic and growing pipeline of utility-scale renewable energy investments in solar, wind, and battery storage, supporting approx. $ 20 billion in planned US investment over the next six years. This role offers rare exposure across all three technologies, ideal for a candidate looking to build differentiated market expertise while maintaining depth in project finance fundamentals and integrating technical and financial perspectives in the analysis of renewable energy investments. The I&V team evaluates performance on what is delivered and how, expecting team members to take smart risks, deliver meaningful impact, and collaborate actively across functions.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Engineering, or similar university degree required
Minimum 3 years' experience in Finance or Investment roles required
Deep knowledge of valuation methodologies (especially DCF and project finance) and advanced financial modeling (Excel) required
Demonstrated track record of leading analytical workstreams and producing executive-level outputs required
Communication and presentation skills, including ability to translate complex analysis for non-finance audiences required
Renewable Energy & Market Knowledge: Intellectually curious with demonstrated expertise in renewable energy markets and project finance, consistently building and applying industry knowledge to sharpen investment decisions across solar, wind, and battery storage
Financial Modeling: Expert proficiency in Excel financial modeling, with a proven ability to build complex, flexible models that hold up under scrutiny across a range of non-standard renewable energy investment situations
Presentation Skills: Solid working knowledge of PowerPoint with the ability to structure and present analytical findings clearly and effectively to senior and executive audiences
Stakeholder Management: Builds credibility and trust with cross-functional stakeholders including senior non-finance audiences, independently managing relationships across development, commercial, and technical functions and communicating complex valuation insights with clarity and confidence
Delivery & Prioritization: Manages competing priorities across multiple live transactions without compromising quality, consistently delivering rigorous outputs under tight deadlines in a fast-moving transaction environment. Proactively flags risks to timelines or scope early, without waiting until a deadline is missed to raise an issue
Organization & Coordination: Coordinates effectively across complex transaction processes, aligning inputs from multiple stakeholders and ensuring deliverables are completed accurately and on time
Autonomy & Initiative: Independently drives analytical work while remaining closely aligned with team and organizational priorities, proactively surfacing and resolving issues before they reach senior stakeholders
Attention to Detail & Judgment: Combines meticulous attention to detail with sound commercial judgment, demonstrating a deep understanding of the financial and operational drivers that determine value in renewable energy investments
Ownership & Accountability: Takes end-to-end ownership of assigned workstreams, not just the analysis but the outcome. Anticipates what is needed, follows through on commitments, and ensures work moves decisions forward
Collaboration & Mentoring: Collaborative by disposition, balancing autonomy with alignment and contributing positively to team culture and the development of less experienced colleagues
Continuous Improvement: Actively seeks out challenge and feedback as opportunities for growth, constructively questioning assumptions in others' work while holding their own analysis to the same standard

Nice To Haves

Experience in renewable energy or energy markets strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Investment Analysis, Valuation & Structuring: Leads valuation assignments with increasing end-to-end ownership, applying advanced project finance and valuation techniques across solar, wind, and battery storage investments. Frames risks, assumptions, and sensitivities to deliver actionable insights that inform Executive Leadership and Board level decisions
Decision Process & Materials: Drives the preparation and delivery of investment recommendations and high-quality decision materials to senior management. Synthesizes complex analyses into clear, structured narratives that enable confident and well-governed investment decisions
Stakeholder Leadership & Alignment: Builds and maintains cross-functional alignment across development, commercial, and technical teams. Challenges assumptions constructively and translates technical findings into practical recommendations for diverse audiences including senior non-finance stakeholders. Scopes effort to the decision at hand and ensures outputs are fit for purpose
Model Quality & Governance: Builds and customizes financial models for complex and non-standard investment situations. Ensures integrity through rigorous quality assurance of valuation inputs and outputs, and contributes to shaping best practices in model governance and documentation as the team scales
Technical Leadership & Topic Ownership: Develops deep expertise across key valuation topics and all three technologies, contributing to methodology development and driving consistency in analytical approaches. Supports problem-solving on complex or non-standard transactions, building toward subject matter authority over time
People Development & Mentoring: Actively coaches and supports junior team members and contributes to onboarding and capability building. Supports a culture of accountability and continuous development that grows with the team