Sr. Operations Controlling Associate

RWE•Chicago, IL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Associate, Operations Controlling is a key role, serving as a trusted financial partner and advisor to RWE Americas (RWEA) Operations leadership to support in delivering on their core financial targets. This role drives the financial reporting and forecasting for a 13 GW portfolio of Onshore Wind, Solar, and Energy Storage operating assets, analyzing asset performance and cost drivers to explain results and identify opportunities to improve financial and operational outcomes. It also plays a critical role in driving process improvements and solutions that are scalable with RWEA’s ambitious growth targets.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in finance / accounting / economics / business or equivalent professional experience
Minimum 4 years of relevant experience
Basic knowledge of the core accounting concepts and principles; advanced knowledge is a plus
Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and comfortable interfacing with senior management
Strong interpersonal skills
Actively drives collaboration across functions; explains findings clearly to internal stakeholders; acts as finance partner with asset managers and technical teams
Proven ability to empathize, build relationships, and effectively communicate with people from a diverse set of backgrounds
Focuses on building relationships to standardize processes and solve problems
Applies strong conceptual and analytical thinking; independently runs forecasts and builds models; explains financial trends effectively to business partners; interprets financial data in light of business dynamics
Proficient understanding of forecasting, variance analysis, asset performance metrics and systems/reporting tools (e.g., Power BI)
Detail-oriented, has strong business acumen and analytical mindset, and a sound understanding of business concepts
Motivated self-starter, goal-oriented, and strong problem-solving abilities
Strong organizational skills and ability to coordinate multiple tasks and deliverables
Identifies issues and modifies processes and methods as needed
Demonstrated desire to learn about the Company and the renewables space
Responds well to direction, is easy to challenge and develop, and is coachable
Leads assigned tasks with management direction/guidance
Guides interns/graduates/new joiners
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. RWE Americas is unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time.

Nice To Haves

CPA is preferred, but not required
Experience in an FP&A role and/or within the renewable energy sector preferred, but not required
Strong technical background, with advanced proficiency in Excel, SAP, SAC, PowerBI, and/or Tableau a plus

Responsibilities

Lead monthly and quarterly financial reporting activities for a portfolio of Onshore Wind, Solar, or Energy Storage operating assets and internal support teams, ensuring accuracy and completeness of actuals, commentary, and KPIs (OpEx, Ops CapEx, Inventory)
Manage the full forecast lifecycle for a portfolio of operating assets-from collecting assumptions to inputting and analyzing data to review
Conduct deep-dive variance analyses to explain trends in operating costs, equipment maintenance, lost production, and asset underperformance
Coordinate with other Controlling sub teams to ensure alignment on performance reporting standards, intercompany allocations, and consolidation of local and global KPIs
Present performance results and forecasts to Operations and Asset Management leadership, offering insights into asset performance and strategic recommendations
Track ongoing optimization efforts for operating assets to evaluate cost saving ideas, performance improvement initiatives, and capital expenditures
Support initiatives to improve automation, reporting consistency, and data quality in SAP, Power BI, and other planning tools and systems
Act as a trusted financial partner to Site Operations and Asset Management leads helping translate operational plans into KPIs