Associate Director - Power & Utilities - Telecoms and Digital

Job description

The Team

The Infrastructure team, consists of over 400 professionals and is widely recognised as a leading independent business, financial and regulatory adviser in the infrastructure space.

We provide in-depth advice on strategic, financial, regulatory and commercial issues driving investments in infrastructure across Power & Utilities (“P&U”), Transport, Telecoms 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 is the one of the largest business areas for the Infrastructure Group and encompasses work for large clients in the sector, including all of the leading UK energy and water companies as well as some of the largest utilities in Europe and beyond.

We are currently expanding our Telecoms and Digital practice within our Power & Utilities business. Our Telecoms and Digital team deliver expert advice on regulations, policy development, and commercial strategy. Drawing on our diverse expertise in economics, regulatory finance and sector-specific knowledge, we help clients navigate complex challenges and capitalize on emerging opportunities.

Whilst headquartered in the UK, we work extensively with other international KPMG member firms. Working seamlessly with KPMG's global network, we combine international leading practices with deep local market expertise to deliver tailored solutions for our clients across the telecommunications and digital landscape.

Examples of some projects the Telecom and Digital have delivered include:

• Economic analysis across several projects for government departments to support decision making on mobile telecoms strategy and policy.
• Regulatory costing advice for telecoms regulators
• Expert regulatory and costing advice for international mobile and fixed network operators.
• Industry insights on international good practice to inform 5G and fibre strategies for international telecoms businesses.
• Support to operators on regulatory pricing consultations.
• Support for a European regulator in running its regulatory accounting consultation.
• Assessment of 5G policies across countries leading the 5G rollout and lessons learnt from these.
• Strategic review of the telecoms supply chain for 5G services of a large European country.
• Economic review of the telecoms supply chain for 5G standalone, telco cloud, RAN, optical communications and BSS/OSS services for a large European country.
• Benchmarking and assessment of the current regulatory framework and performance of the Communications ministry of a country in the Middle East.
• Support for a large telco in developing its full fibre business case model to get funding approval from its Board of Directors.
• Members of the team led on the design, development, and implementation of a B2B customer profitability solution for a leading global telco across its operating companies in Europe and Africa.

The Role

Our business is continuously expanding and we are looking for high quality candidates to support the growth of the Telecoms and Digital team. We are looking for a highly motivated individual to join our Telecoms and Digital team as an Associate Director.

As an Associate Director you will be expected to manage multiple projects from conception to completion. The work will include a combination of report drafting, preparing presentations for key stakeholders, economic analysis, and engaging with clients.

To support the expansion of the Telecoms and Digital team, you will also be expected to support the business development activities such as drafting proposals and thought leadership materials. This will be a significant part of the role.

Responsibilities:

• Play a key role in our sales efforts, building and maintaining effective relationships with key clients across the sector, as well as with other advisors. Identify and act on new opportunities with both new and existing clients
• Being involved in business development to identify new opportunities and contribute to specific business development initiatives, particularly proposals and pitches
• Maintaining a good understanding of policy and regulatory issues in the Telecoms and Digital sector and the associated financial implications
• Play a pivotal role in running projects and maintaining client relationships with minimal supervision from Directors and Partners
• Ensure that client work is delivered to the highest standards in both content and form, managing client interactions, tracking budgets, and complying with the company’s risk processes
• Lead project teams of 2-12 people, fostering a collaborative spirit and culture of respect. Maintain a positive attitude when the team is under pressure, supporting other team members
• Be involved in the wider management and development of the P&U Telecoms and Digital team, including contributions to recruitment, performance appraisal, mentoring and thought leadership
• Providing effective management, coaching and mentoring of junior staff on specific engagements

The Person

We are looking for someone with the following experience:

Experience and education

• Extensive experience in the Telecoms and Digital sector, whether in specialised consulting, industry, regulation or policy development
• MA/MSc/MPhil or higher in Economics, Finance, Mathematics, or related field (candidates with other relevant degrees will be considered based on experience)

Technical Expertise

• Comprehensive knowledge of UK and international regulatory and policy frameworks for telecommunications, including regulatory mechanics and their practical application
• Deep understanding of the Telecoms and Digital sector structure, key stakeholders, and current policy landscape
• Advanced financial analysis and modelling capabilities with strong theoretical foundation in economics and finance
• Ability to develop compelling, well-reasoned solutions to complex economic and financial challenges

Leadership and Project Management

• Proven track record managing large, complex projects including team leadership, resource allocation, and stakeholder management
• Experience leading teams of varying sizes with demonstrated ability to build trust, foster collaboration, and maintain team morale under pressure
• Strong coaching and mentoring skills for developing junior colleagues

Client-Facing Skills

• Extensive experience in external-facing roles with confidence presenting to senior stakeholders
• Exceptional report writing abilities and advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
• Natural relationship builder capable of engaging effectively with companies, investors, regulators, and diverse internal teams

Highly desirable

• Business development experience
• Track record of thought leadership and innovation within the sector
• International market experience