Accountant

THE ROLE

WiseEnergy is a trusted and established solar asset manager, offering all the services clients require to manage and optimise large-scale solar plants, from development and construction through to long-term operational asset management. We have an exciting opportunity for a passionate finance professional to support the delivery of finance asset management services to one of our most important clients in multiple international jurisdictions.

We are looking for someone who genuinely cares about the people they work with, naturally seeks to collaborate, and enjoys the buzz of good camaraderie. Although, as with all finance roles, you will need to have exceptional attention to detail, this role is not suitable for someone wanting to lock themselves away – you will need the right balance of introversion and extroversion to be comfortable in this role. In other words, you will be a key member of the team who can build and maintain good working relationships with various stakeholders.

The role will be expected to be part of the team to manage the finance operations for our assets in Greece. You will also be expected to manage the finance operations for other regions as required either as a lead or supporting role.

The current model is a combination of overseeing services & deliverables from outsourced service providers and managing internally run finance functions. As scale increases, the model is set to evolve with some of the regions setting up offices locally. This role is then expected to support the provision of financial services out of those markets.

Reporting to the Finance Lead based in Milan, the successful role holder will work with other accountants and professionals from other functions of the business who are based outside of Milan. From time to time the successful candidate may be asked to perform tasks at the same level within our other range of funds/clients.

The team you will be part of is a global team, who are based in London, Italy, Spain, India and Poland. You will be working remotely, but there would be an expectation to come to the London office when required, and to travel to our other office locations, most likely to Madrid, Spain for group events. The arrangement is to be discussed and agreed upon with your line manager on a continuous basis and is subject to changes.

There is an expectation of consistency and accuracy of outputs, as well as delivering and maintaining a high degree of customer service (internal and external). In view of this, you will be expected to appropriately flag issues and support their resolution through to the end and proactively drive continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial Reporting

• Manage and review the monthly management accounts of SPVs and Holding Companies, prepared by the local Greek Accounting Subcontractors, ensuring accounting records are maintained to a high quality and in compliance with Greek statutory rules and regulations.
• Manage and review the annual financial statements, prepared by the local Greek Accounting Subcontractors
• Manage and review other financial deliverables internally within the Group and externally to lenders and investors.

Other Reporting

• Support in the production of a monthly clearance dashboard (portfolio regional-level operational review)
• Manage and review other financial deliverables internally within the Group and externally to lenders and investors including but not limited to – OpEx and CapEx detailed transaction report.

Payments & Invoicing

• Manage and coordinate invoicing and payment processes.

Cash Flow & Forecasting

• Prepare cash flow forecasting.
• Support the preparation of the annual operating budget and review updates to the budget on a quarterly basis.

Leases

• Review land lease payment schedule in conjunction with the agreement. The task will be assigned to Wise Commercial department once plants achieve Commercial Operation Date.

Tax

• Manage all local tax compliance matters supporting the appointed tax advisors ensuring they are filed before the due dates. Including but not limited to:
  • Monthly VAT returns
  • Monthly withholding tax reports
  • Annual income tax returns
• Ensure all tax payments are reviewed and made timely

Audit

• Manage relationships with auditors providing all necessary deliverables and addressing audit & accounting issues.

Admin

• Ensure all documentations are stored in an orderly format in a common shared drive
• Bank administration support
• Contract review (e.g. intercompany loan)

Stakeholder Management

• Oversight and management of – Company Secretary, Tax Advisor and Auditors.
• Oversight and management of local Greek Accounting Subcontractors appointed to more than one Greek portfolio.
• In addition to providing oversight and management of the subcontractors in respect of the main portfolio assigned to you, you will be required to support another Greek portfolio assigned to a colleague – this would involve translating/interpreting documents and communication.
• Collaborate with other Wise delivery functions – Technical, Commercial and Debt Management - within the Greek jurisdiction.
• Regular interaction and communication with the Client Portfolio Managers – the managers of the SPVs (the solar farms).

Systems support

• Assist with various financial set-up activities, systems and processes.
• Implement and maintain standard operating procedures.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate:

• Superb stakeholder management and influencing skills
• Time management & prioritization skills - things can get a little hectic, so the ability to effectively manage yourself and your workload is critical
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (in English or/and other European languages) - you must be able to organize your thoughts in a way that others find clear and compelling. You will be expected to together well-written, grammatically correct emails and other communications. When communicating verbally – whether over the phone, on video calls, in person or in meetings – you will need to be articulate, warm and engaging
• Flexibility - being an effective team player means being flexible in your approach and open to getting involved with new things, even if they are not spelt out in your job description
• Intellectual Curiosity – we are looking for someone who is truly interested in our profession and has the intellectual curiosity to delve deep into topics and bring fresh ideas to the team
• IT Literacy - you need to be comfortable with IT systems and working with data (you should have at least intermediate-level excel)
• Delivery focus – it may sound obvious, but the ability to proactively churn through work at pace and deliver quality outputs really matters
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Passion for our mission ‘to generate a more sustainable future by leading the transition to clean energy
• Our values: be a leader, build trust, be responsible, be innovative and ‘bring your alpha’.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

• OEL/ACCA (or equivalent of) qualified or Masters Degree
• Understanding of multiple GAAPs (IFRS, Local Greek GAAP) (essential)
• 2+ years of finance experience (essential)
• Knowledge of NetSuite (advantageous)
• A passion for process improvement and operational efficiency (essential)
• Renewable energy experience (highly desirable)
• Experience working for multi-entity scale up businesses (desirable)
• Experience in collaborating with third party service providers on behalf of clients notably local accountants, auditors and tax advisors (highly desirable)
• Superb presentation and conflict resolution skills, robust, resilient and articulate (essential)
• Fluent in Greek and advanced business level English (essential)

 

WHAT WE OFFER

• A busy role in a supportive team, with plenty of opportunities to learn
• International scope – we operate in over 8 countries
• Remote working – with international travel when required
• Annual discretionary bonus.

HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link to apply or send your application to careers@nextenergygroup.com. If you have been shortlisted for the next stage, we will be in contact within 14 days.

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our approach to diversity and inclusion is a natural extension of our values. Our entrepreneurial culture inspires us to try new things, be open to different viewpoints and be bold. Our Group is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of connectedness that values difference and gives space for individual expression. The collective sum of our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, innovation, self-expression, and talent and hard work form the bedrock of who we are and who we aspire to be.

We are committed to equal employment and advancement opportunity irrespective of race, color, ancestry, social background, religion, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability and gender identity.