Open Job Vacancies at Sun Exchange

About the Job

Sun Exchange has deployed and operates one of the largest fleets of embedded generation commercial solar and energy storage projects in South Africa. The sectors we solar power include education, retirement, retail, non-profit, manufacturing, agriculture and more. 

Sun Exchange operates on a hybrid model. You would need to come to our office in Cape Town on a regular basis.

The candidate we are looking for

The Funding Manager is a key role in Sun Exchange. This role is responsible for working with existing corporate funding partners who fund projects developed with Sun Exchange. In addition to working with existing funding partners this role will work closely with the Head of Business Development and CEO to develop new project funding relationships either for existing pipelines and verticals and/or for new verticals and project types. 

This role will report directly to the Head of Business Development but will also work closely with the CEO and collaborate across both the BD, Engineering, Legal and Finance teams. 

This is a great opportunity for an individual who enjoys a dynamic and active role that engages with many stakeholders. Sun Exchange has recently pivoted to focus exclusively on corporate funding therefore this role has the potential to grow in importance and have impact on the overall strategic directions and opportunities the company explores. 

Key areas of competency

Ideally, the individual will have experience working with deal makers, funding and/or corporate finance. You will work with existing funding partners – where the terms and requirements are pre-determined for funding – meeting with these partners on a regular basis and updating them on new pipeline opportunities and working to close funding on existing opportunities and close out funding milestones on projects in construction. You will also work closely with the BD team to develop new verticals and project types/sizes and the associated/required funding needs – this will be the deal-making side of the role. On this side, you will also work with the CEO and support larger equity funding and other funding requirements. 

Requirements

• University degree in business, finance, economics, engineering (preferred)
• 5+ years experience in business
• Experience working with multiple teams in a remote setting
• Experience with financial models a plus
• Experience with CRM tools, especially Hubspot
• Experience with Excel and Google sheets
• Major plus if you have experience with Microsoft projects
• Experience working with bankers or corporate finance
• Experience developing DD processes
• Deal making experience – closing funding deals
• Structuring funding deals

Responsibilities and tasks

Existing Funding Relationships

• Meet with funders on a regular basis to guarantee funding throughput
• Work to get all relevant projects in the pipeline funded
• Work closely with BD team and Pipeline Manager to guarantee success of funding.
• Maintain relevant documentation and respond to requests from funders to provide documentation where required
• Work closely with Solar Analyst to ensure deal model cash flows meet funder IRR hurdles, whilst achieving internal profit margin hurdles and Asset Management fees. 
• Work closely with legal to maintain Asset Management and Asset Build agreements.  
• Ensure project funding agreements are executed timeously and funder payment milestones are met.

Reporting

• Provide weekly funding forecast updates
• Provide all necessary reports to funders as required
• Work with Pipeline Manager to maintain records
• Work with the Finance Director to provide weekly sales forecasting report.

Future Funding Relationships

• Work with Head of BD and CEO to develop new funding opportunities
• Negotiate commercial term-sheets and agreements with potential new funders. 
• Work with BD team to identify new types of funding opportunities – new project verticals, sizes, technologies

Funding Models

• Work with Head of BD and supported by our Solar Analyst to develop new funding models – with the aim to identify new ways of selling/pricing and funding projects

Corporate Funding

• Work with our Strategic Advisor and CEO on identifying new equity/working capital partners
• Work to strengthen corporate funding partnerships
• Stay up to date with Renewable Energy tax incentives and legislation

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Job Summary 

Sun Exchange leverages financial innovation to drive sustainable energy development. We make the environmental, social, and economic benefits of solar accessible and affordable for all.

The candidate we are looking for

The primary function of this role is to ensure the effective management of O&M activities across Sun Exchange operational assets. This is achieved by developing and maintaining systems for preventative measures to ensure minimal downtime, accurate assessment of problems, and swift rectification of the same, within a defined budget. In addition, the O&M Manager is expected to ensure that all matters impacting the project are understood, and transparently recorded so that root cause analysis and lessons learned can be derived. The ability to focus on the details as well as see the bigger picture is needed as the position involves both analysing and interpreting issues at hand as well as those facing the industry, and the business objectives.

Key Job Functions

Team management of the O&M function

At present, our O&M team is small, and manages the operations of around 80 plants. We expect that the number of plants will double at least in the next year. In addition, new plants are larger and more complex than much of our existing fleet. The O&M manager must build the team, and put in place automation, to ensure that plants perform optimally.

Optimal Performance of Solar Projects

The O&M Manager is responsible for ensuring that the portfolio of projects is operating at its optimal output. Any concerns identified with projects need to be addressed as quickly as possible, and the O&M Manager is required to plan, coordinate, and oversee the implementation of both preventative and corrective maintenance. This may involve occasionally traveling to projects as well as remotely liaising with contractors and site representatives to close out any problems and confirm the quality of the work. The O&M Manager is also expected to manage the provision of reports, drawings, spare parts lists or other documentation needed after maintenance work is completed.

Project Acceptance after Construction

Once projects have been built, the O&M Manager must ensure that a thorough assessment of the plants build-quality and as-built documents has been completed. The O&M manager will facilitate the transition of newly built projects to operational projects by confirming administrative, legal and commercial requirements have been met prior to acceptance.

Monitoring of Solar Projects

The role provides vital insight into issues which could be causing under- performance and leads efforts to correct issues at plants. The O&M manager transparently communicates the status of project performance with the broader Sun Exchange community including internal teams, offtakers and cell owners.

In order to do this the O&M manager must ensure that all monitoring systems are working correctly, and that accurate data is being received and processed. Periodically specific investigative reports may be required to coordinate support with clients, subject matter experts, external consultants or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that have been engaged to assist with any issues.

Warranty and Insurance Management

The O&M Manager is expected to ensure that adequate insurance is provided for each plant and will coordinate with insurance companies to process any claims related to damage identified at operational plants. Furthermore, the O&M manager will coordinate with EPC Contractors regarding the swift correction of all defects identified during the warranty period.

Key areas of competency

Due to the direct connection between the health of the projects and the health of the company, it is important that the projects are operating optimally at all time. This requires a driven person who is invested in making sure that all issues are identified and resolved as soon as they can be. Certain issues may be particularly complex to address, thus for someone to be successful in this role, they must be proactive, have the relevant technical competencies to identify problems and be able to think creatively about new solutions to old problems.

Often a number of issues need to be addressed at the same time, so multitasking and the ability to rearrange priorities without becoming overwhelmed or inundated is important. Record keeping is critical to ensuring transparent information and “communal knowledge” which is a huge driver for success at the Sun Exchange, therefore the role requires a person who is focused, and administratively diligent.

Finally, the O&M Manager works closely with staff in all areas of the business and thus effective communication is paramount. This requires excellent written and verbal communication and the ability to present information clearly and concisely. Real-time feedback to the rest of the team about problems and progress is important to make sure that no efforts are wasted, or work duplicated across the teams.

Requirements

• 5+ year’s experience in solar industry.
• Electrical national diploma, wiring licence or Electrical Engineering degree.
• Experience with monitoring Solar projects on various platforms, including but not limited to Huawei, Solar Edge, Solar Log.
• Experience managing contractors on site by providing clear instructions on scope of work and minimum acceptance criteria, ensuring that the work is executed to the agreed cost, time and quality.
• Extensive experience with onsite trouble shooting and technical report writing.
• Expert level of proficiency in office suite software, including word, excel, and power point.
• Any experience with yield modelling software a plus (PVSyst, Helioscope and similar programs).
• PV Green Card a plus.

Key capabilities and physical requirements

• Positive, focused and solution oriented individual.
• Driven personality, with a keen eye for detail.
• Excellent time management skills, ensuring timeous attendance to meetings, and meeting deliverable deadlines.
• Must have good problem-solving abilities.
• Must be able to walk far distances, and work for extended periods in direct sunlight or on rooftops (at heights).
• Fluent in English.

Responsibilities and tasks

Site hand over and acceptance

• Continuous communication with Sun Exchange project managers and Contractors to address any areas of concern regarding the project handover documents. Ensuring that the documentation is complete, filled out correctly, and valid for the project being accepted. Finally, assisting the project manager by making sure that all documents required to legally operate the facility are obtained prior to Final Completion.

Monitoring of Solar Systems

• Ensuring that accurate monthly kWh yield values needed for the purposes of billing are being recorded no more than 2 working days after the start of the month.
• Ensuring the reliable recording into the O&M Issues Register of all matters affecting the availability or performance of the projects.
• Oversight on monthly generation of reports detailing performance statistics of all projects in Sun Exchange’s portfolio, or as needed by the company.
• Communication with site representatives to understand any factors which may have changed onsite that are affecting the project.

Rectification of issues:

• Coordination with site representatives and contractors to arrange for the swift rectification of issues on site within 1 day of becoming aware of the issue.
• Where needed, collection and assessment of quotations for work needed on site, ensuring that the best available options are used.
• Oversight of contractors that are appointed to maintain or repair projects to ensure that the work has been completed to the quality standard required and that any associated documentation is received and uploaded to the file store before the work is signed off or accepted.
• Coordination with Contractors or OEMs to initiate, track and close warranty and insurance claims for items damaged on site.
• Ensuring that work completed on site is done in accordance with OSH Act and safety regulations

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Job Summary:

Sun Exchange has deployed and operates one of the largest fleets of embedded generation commercial solar and energy storage projects in South Africa. The sectors we solar power include education, retirement, retail, non-profit, manufacturing, agriculture and more.

The candidate we are looking for

The Solar Development Process Manager is a key operational role player in our business. You will coordinate the work of different people and teams inside and outside the company. You will ensure that the workflow is planned and streamlined with all role players in our value chain – from business development and funding, through project construction to final commercial operations.  

This role reports to the company’s Head of Business Development.

This is a Cape Town-based role.

Key areas of competency

This is a dynamic role that touches on all teams and levels within Sun Exchange giving the individual exposure to multiple requirements and stakeholders including executives and external partners. You therefore need to be passionate about solving people-orientated problems while improving processes and improving efficiencies. This is a fast-paced and dynamic role that forms the core engine of the business development processes and is intimately tied to revenue.

Requirements

The Solar Development Process Manager role requires a minimum of 5 years’ experience in project management in the energy space; operations; business process; or general business management. Industry-specific skills and knowledge in renewable energy; due diligence processes; experience in power purchase agreements and financial modeling will be beneficial.

Responsibilities and tasks

Pipeline Management

• Track projects as they move through the development process.
• Push project priorities according to knowledge of the pipeline and business priorities.
• Identify and coordinate type of, and requirements for funding.
• Ensure tempo is kept as projects move through the development process while making sure all required documentation is gathered and filed.
• Support in any blockages that may occur with projects.
• Communicate / report with the broader team on status on pipeline projects.
• Coordinate execution of projects from contracting with the offtaker, appointment of the EPC and management of the funding milestones.

Construction and operations oversight

• Coordinate with the project construction management team to plan for upcoming projects.
• Assist with making sure a project reaches commercial operation.
• Work with all teams to manage expectations around timelines.
• Identify blockages and work with management to resolve.

Process

• Support the development and funding processes of Sun Exchange.
• Facilitate, update and manage internal project development.
• Document and communicate changes to the broader team.
• Implement changes as part of pipeline management.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve processes.

Forecasting & Reporting

• Prepare and manage regular pipeline reporting
• Includes the management of Hubspot (CRM tool) along with other software tools
• Through knowledge of pipeline, work with the Funding Manager and the Financial Director to forecast the project sales
• Deliver other monthly KPI reports and support ad hoc reporting requests

Project Administration & Support

• Manage all project documentation with the support of engineering, business development and finance to ensure project documentation is comprehensive and complete through all stages of development.
• Manage business across various software suits: MS Office / Slack / HubSpot / Google Drive / Dropbox.
• Ensure all aspects of a deal are complete and cross referenced before funding. i.e PPA, EPC Agreement, helioscope, project financial model and costs.