Chief of Staff

ABOUT AVANTUS

Avantus develops, owns, and operates utility-scale clean energy projects across California and the Desert Southwest. Our development pipeline represents one of the nation's largest portfolios of solar with integrated storage, capable of providing dispatchable power to 17 million Americans, day and night. With over a decade of industry leadership and strategic investment from KKR and EIG, Avantus delivers affordable, reliable clean energy solutions that meet America’s growing energy demand.

ABOUT THE POSITION

We are seeking an experienced Chief of Staff (Sr. Director Level) to serve as liaison and perform all necessary functions in support of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This role requires superior communication, analytical, and presentation skills, and comfort working in a fast-moving, dynamic environment. Knowledge of U.S. power markets, infrastructure investing, and/or utility-scale solar development is preferred.

Reporting to the CEO, the Chief of Staff should be highly organized, responsive, thoughtful, self-directed, and committed to producing a high level of quality of work.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

Strategy & Business Management

• Organize the agenda for key meetings. Prepare or oversee materials to facilitate discussions and decision making. Key internal meetings include Investment/Risk Committees, Operations Committee, Quarterly Execution Review, Annual Strategic Planning, and others.
• Serve as a thought partner to the CEO and Executive team. Support the strategy for project execution and growth, focusing on strategic direction and real value creation.
• In partnership with the CEO, convene and facilitate teams on priority topics. Manage team efforts and deadlines to ensure that the right information arrives at the right point in the Executive team’s decision-making process.
• Ensure that action items are completed without the CEO having to check; leverage CEO to hold teams/functions accountable as needed.
• Drive the annual refresh of the Avantus Business Plan (5-year horizon) and Annual Operating Plan (1-year horizon). Develop and own the workplan to ensure all cross-functional inputs are delivered on time and in an appropriate sequence.
• Assist with other tasks or special projects as needed.

Communications

• Coordinate with the KKR/EIG Board with a focus on aligning strategy and execution plan, maintaining trust and open communication, and ensuring consistent flow of high-quality information.
• Prepare and distribute Board meeting agendas, presentations, and reports in partnership with the Executive team. Attend Board meetings and manage follow-up requests.
• Support, prepare, and accompany the CEO for important meetings.
• Represent the voice of the CEO and act as a liaison between the CEO, Executive, and Senior Leadership teams. Work cross functionally and build consensus aligned with the CEO’s and Executive team’s strategic vision.

People & Culture

• Collaborate with the People team and employee groups (e.g., Culture Forum, Collaboration Taskforce) to design people and culture initiatives, secure Executive support, and champion the initiatives to the broader company.
• Address gaps and institutionalized what works, with focus on embedding processes and broadening sense of ownership. Ensure that successful people & culture initiatives become our standard way of working

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of 5+ years’ experience serving Executive and/or Board stakeholders (e.g., management consulting, corporate strategy, Chief of Staff roles)
• Minimum of 3+ years’ experience in U.S. power markets, infrastructure investing, and/or utility-scale solar development is preferred.
• Must be an exceptional problem solver, detail-oriented, and experienced in leading highly visible projects.
• Strong interpersonal skills to develop good working relationships with internal and external stakeholders and to resolve issues. Ability to provide effective supervision and cross-functional management.
• Strong analytical skills to interpret market and renewables project data to make recommendations and draw conclusions. Understands business financials and applies mathematics in problem solving.
• Reading comprehension to understand technical and legal documents.
• Ability to work on multiple projects or high-priority topics simultaneously.
• Ability to manage projects effectively and meet firm deadlines.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel).

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