Sr. Contracts Manager, Asset Management

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 a highly motivated and organized candidate for the Senior Contracts Manager, Asset Management position. The successful candidate will demonstrate sound industry knowledge, superior communications, and detail-oriented organizational skills. This role reports to our Sr Director, Asset Management. 

The Senior Contracts Manager, Asset Management will be primarily responsible for negotiation, drafting, and structuring a variety of Asset Management related contracts, in coordination with counsel.  Candidates for this role are expected to have experience with commercial and technical aspects of PV and BESS Service Agreements, and be able to lead a cross functional team. Beyond contract preparation, this role will also require interface with services provider, including onboarding and coordination with construction period contractor(s). The role requires a candidate who is capable of overseeing project related obligations from negotiation through to commencement of services and beyond.  

Additional responsibilities will include oversight of start-up and Operations period responsibilities and compliance obligations related to major project contracts such as Interconnection Agreement, Power Purchase Agreement, Financing Agreement(s) and ancillary contracts.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

Contract Negotiation & Management 

• Assume responsibility and leadership of contract negotiation related to O&M Agreements, Long Term Service Agreements, Asset Management Agreements, and related contracts.
• Coordinate between legal, engineering, tax, procurement, accounting and construction teams to drive negotiated positions for major contracts. 
• Own the project onboarding of O&M vendors from contracts management perspective.
• Distill negotiated outcomes into concise presentations for presentation to management for review / approval 
• Develop relationships and strategic partnerships with potential suppliers and service providers
• Identify issues related to contract compliance and carryout on a proactive basis and identify and communicate solutions internally.  
• Refine template documents and tailor such to projects undergoing development / financing.  Respond to ad hoc internal requests on Operations related issues that affect the drafting or negotiation of construction or financing related agreements.  

Compliance Management 

• Monitor compliance with major project contracts (Financing Agreements, Power Purchase Agreements, others) and prepare / submit compliance related items.
• Coordinate with internal and external parties for fulfilment of compliance related matters, including signoff from legal and related stakeholders.
• Submit compliance related materials and maintain relationships with counterparties on those submittals.  

Additional Responsibilities 

• Maintain database of benchmark contract terms and pricing for services and materials and update changes to benchmarks to internal optimization team.  
• Prepare RFPs for services for O&M and Asset Management related requirements, including evaluation matrices and coordination of RFP 
• Distill results of contract negotiations into post-hoc reports and kaizen presentations.
• Create budgets for plant O&M related costs based on contract outcomes. 
• Coordinate between O&M providers, EPC contractors, telemetry providers, and other related parties for the setup of 
• Drive process improvement in contract negotiations and securing of terms that drive a balance between minimizing risk and managing cost.  

REQUIRED SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS: 

• At least 5 years’ experience in Contracts Management, Asset Management, or Development of renewable or conventional power generation.  
• Contract negotiation, drafting and structuring of PV / BESS Operations & Maintenance Agreements and or / Long Term Service Agreements is preferred.
• Experience with compliance and reporting matters related to Power Purchase Agreements, Debt / Tax Equity financing agreements, Interconnection Agreements, and related contracts. 
• Proficiency with MS Project, MS Excel, and other MS Office suite products.
• Understanding of interconnection and PPA processes with major California and Western utilities and ISOs. Development and implementation of report templates, analytical tools, and other asset management specific tools.
• Must be detail-oriented with exceptional analytical and organizational skills.
• Proficient at extracting and summarizing large amounts of data and analyzing information.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and priorities within a fast-paced environment.
• Must be able to work independently.
• Work across many different functions including finance, technical, accounting, legal, operations.
• Effective interactions with colleagues, investors, and lenders.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.