Associate Director - Power & Utilities - Projects

Job description

Infrastructure Advisory Group (IAG), a part of KPMG Advisory in the UK, consists of about 400 professionals and is widely recognised as a leading independent business, financial and regulatory adviser in the infrastructure space. The group has won many awards, including Financial Advisor of the Year (Infrastructure Journal) for several years. The group has presence across the UK and is organised on a national basis, operating under a single national cost centre.

We provide in-depth advice on strategic, financial, regulatory and commercial issues driving investments in infrastructure across Transport, Power & Utilities, and Social Infrastructure in the UK and globally. Our work includes market and policy design, economic and regulatory analysis, deal structuring and execution, as well as strategic and transaction advice to enable private and public capital to fund infrastructure. We work closely with other functions within KPMG to advise clients on mergers and acquisitions, valuations, tax, accounting, and due diligence.

Power & Utilities (P&U) is one of the large business area of the IAG and encompasses work for major clients in the sector, including all UK utilities as well as some of the largest energy and water companies in Europe and beyond. We provide in-depth strategic and technical advice on strategy and business planning and analysis, funding and financing of projects, regulatory finance, corporate finance, regulatory policy as well as in other areas to help our clients create value for both shareholders and customers. Our work combines elements of policy, finance, economic and strategy to assist our clients in structuring investments, securing financing, supporting regulatory regimes for the benefit of customers as well as maximising shareholder value. We are widely recognised by many industry stakeholders as market leaders influencing the future of the utilities sector.

Our P&U business is currently divided into 7 practices: Finance, Projects, Strategy, Water regulation, Energy regulation, Transactions, and Benchmarking, and is continuously expanding with double digit growth over the last 10 years. As such we are looking for high quality candidates to support our growth and development of existing and new service lines, while building on the work already undertaken in the Group.

The Role

We are looking for an Associate Director to support the fast-growing Power & Utilities Projects team covering water and energy infrastructure including new nuclear generation, onshore and offshore networks, interconnectors, and other major assets.

The Projects business is focussed on designing new markets and advising on in-house and competitive delivery models for major infrastructure projects and programmes.  We advise companies, developers, bidders and regulators on all aspects of delivering major infrastructure assets and competitive procurements. Some of the projects we have advised on include Hinkley Point C, potential investor in Sizewell C, Thames Tideway Tunnel, Hydrogen Transport Business Model, multiple Direct Procurement for Customers (DPC) projects, OFTOs, Special Infrastructure Projects Regime (SIPR), Cap and Floor Interconnectors, Competitively Appointed Transmission Owners (CATOs) and new nuclear projects (NNPs). Our clients are typically based in the UK and across Europe.

Services provided by the P&U Projects team include:

• Strategic and policy advise to major developers, bidders and other stakeholders, including government bodies and regulators on delivering utilities infrastructure and in particular large projects
• Design of bespoke delivery models—this includes funding models (such as RAB, PPA, CfD), financing strategy and structures, Government or third party support packages, and State aid / UK subsidy control approval strategy and applications.
• Procurement and commercial advice including construction contract approach, commercial terms of contracts, incentive regime, packaging.
• Market analysis and benchmarking of sector and key players including supply chain and technology
• Business case preparation for various stakeholder approvals and grant applications
• All aspects of financial advice on major infrastructure projects
• Raising of finance (development capital, equity and debt)
• Financial modelling and scenarios analysis
• Our work for bidders include advising on bidding strategy, bid response preparation including commercial and financial bid responses, finance competition, coordination with lenders, and supporting on contract negotiations
• Other advisory services such as sector analysis

The candidate should have a very good understanding of utilities and energy sectors in the UK, with a special focus on the utilities infrastructure and major projects. The candidate should also have a good track record of working in financial advisory, including leading a team, and both winning and delivering advisory services, supported by a proven reputation in the sector. The role also involves bringing together different advisory services to identify opportunities, developing and maintaining strong relationships with key players in the sector while working closely with other parts of KPMG Deal Advisory, to originate and structure our combined utilities infrastructure offering.

Responsibilities

As a senior member of the Projects team within Power and Utilities the individual will be responsible for:

• Leading financial advice on large and complex projects;
• Leading client engagements on a day-to-day basis;
• Managing our advice on engagements typically involving several different; workstreams and specialist teams;
• Producing, reviewing and overseeing development of high quality client outputs;
• Operating at the senior management and higher level with developers, investors and regulators;
• Building enduring client relationships and becoming the go to person for our clients on structuring and financing major projects;
• Maintaining a good technical understanding of the key sectors in P&U
• Developing sector specific market intelligence;
• Coaching and mentoring other staff;
• Being a role model for less experienced staff and for the firm's values;
• Providing senior leadership to people providing financial advice on projects;
• Ensuring KPMG's quality and risk management procedures are completed to the appropriate standard;
• Performance management, coaching and mentoring of junior team members;
• Being a role model for staff and for the firm's values; and
• Any other duties commensurate with the nature of the role

Business development activities will include:

• Developing and maintaining business relationships with investors, companies and developers, regulators and other stakeholders involved in major projects in the Power & Utilities sector;
• Working closely with colleagues across IAG, Power & Utilities team and other parts of KPMG Advisory;
• Targeting key stakeholders in-line with our strategy and developing a pipeline of opportunities to support the growth of the utilities infrastructure business as well as wider P&U team;
• Building external and internal network to promote our services and the value provided;
• Development of thought leadership and speaking engagements; and
• Pro-actively promoting our services.

The Person

We are looking for a person who can work at pace and during intense periods of engagements, bring experience and best practice and collaborate closely with other parts of the team. The person should have experience of advising on projects in utilities and other infrastructure sectors with strong skills in client relationship management and a track record of delivering high quality outputs and securing further work. The person is expected to have relevant experience and proficiency to support our delivery of significant business areas and initiatives.

The person must have in-depth knowledge and good working experience in at least two of the following area:

• Construction contract terms and conditions (for example NEC4)
• Experience in building new financial models and/ or review of financial models (for example PFI or RAB based models)
• Understanding of alternative funding models (CfD, RAB, PPA, etc)
• Financing structures and financing terms for infrastructure projects (for example, PF2 or financing agreements for infrastructure project)

Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Expertise in financial advice, project finance and corporate finance
• In depth knowledge and experience of working on major projects
• Understanding of key value drivers in projects including policy, regulation, financing, investments, markets etc
• Experience in financial analysis using core techniques and methodologies in project finance and corporate finance;
• Have strong report and business case writing, Excel and Power-point skills;
• Ability to identify and analyse key value drivers for projects;
• Skilled in financial modelling and complex financial analysis. A good understanding of scenario modelling and risk analysis;
• Understanding of typical financial structures and financing solutions in the sector;
• Experience of investment appraisal, development/build of financial models;
• Experience working in professional services, including managing a small team, and both winning and delivering advisory services;
• Being comfortable managing staff and stakeholders across a wide range of disciplines including economics, finance, legal, and engineering;
• Understanding of key value drivers in infrastructure projects including policy, regulatory and market framework, financing, delivery, operations etc;
• Assured and experienced in a client and market facing role;
• A go get attitude and a will to succeed, with experience of opening up opportunities;
• Being an independent thinker with the ability to identify and solve problems;
• Strong presentation and communications skills;
• Skills successfully to develop and manage client relationships; and
• Strong commercial awareness.

How we work

Our Deal

If the chance to work with interesting clients and innovative technology wasn’t rewarding enough, we’ll motivate you in other ways too. At KPMG you can expect real responsibilities and opportunities to grow professionally.

‘Our Deal’ sets out all the different ways you’ll be rewarded at KPMG. Among other things you can benefit from honest conversations about your career as well as a range of other rewards. In all these ways and more, we have created an environment that can bring out the best in you.

Our Commitment to Diversity

Our employees have many varied work schedules to suit their individual needs! Our intelligent working options range from role sharing and flexible start and finish times, to home working and more informal arrangements agreed within teams. Check out examples of KPMG employees enjoying different working patterns on our website and please do share your own individual requirements with us. We are proud of the value we place on individuality. We want you to bring your full self to work and maximise your potential. KPMG is a place where everyone can thrive, whatever their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and socio-economic background. We also value the wealth of experience and knowledge that people who have taken a career break can bring to us, so the role welcomes applications for individuals who have been out of work for 12 months or more and who have previous relevant experience.

Applying with a Disability

While some of our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, we are supportive where possible of helping you to achieve a balance between your home and work demands. We are happy to discuss individual requirements and our range of flexible working arrangements could be of interest. Furthermore, as part of the recruitment process, we can put you in touch with people who work flexibly so you can understand from them what our culture is like.

Flexible Working

While our client-facing professionals are required to travel regularly, and often based at client sites, we are supportive where possible of helping you to achieve a balance between your home and work demands. We are happy to discuss individual requirements and our range of flexible working arrangements could be of interest. Furthermore, as part of the recruitment process, we can put you in touch with people who work flexibly so you can understand from them what our culture is like.

A final word from us…

Everybody likes to say they’re different... but we really think we are.

We’re hugely proud of what we’ve managed to achieve so far, but we’re only just getting started. We’re looking for people to grow with us and are committed to helping everybody reach their destination, regardless of what that is.