Director of Commercial Development - EV North America

JOB DETAILS

Director of Commercial Development - EV North America

LOCATION

Chicago, USA strongly preferred but willing to consider candidates from other geographies (both US and Canada)

ABOUT ZENOBE

Our mission is to make clean power accessible. We are passionate about making a positive impact on communities and the environment where we work.

We’re designing, financing, building and operating the world’s most sophisticated battery systems to enable the take up of more renewable power, electrifying fleets for cleaner air, and providing clean, portable power including repurposed electric vehicle batteries. Our proprietary software and data analysis optimises operational performance for our customers to reduce emissions and costs.

Since we began in 2017, we’ve raised over £2.7 billion in debt and equity funding and transformed it into >1.2GW of grid-connected batteries live or under contract and c.3,400 electric vehicles supported, including transit buses, school buses and trucks. We have operations in the USA, the UK, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand, with a global headquarters in London.

With offices in Chicago and New York, our rapidly growing company is looking for highly talented and motivated people to join us.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are looking for a Director of Commercial Development with strong financial and/or infrastructure acumen reporting to the EVP of Development and Partnerships.

Zenobe has recently announced several landmark transactions in the e-bus Public Transit and e-truck leasing in North America. We are now seeking to establish a dedicated team to sell, execute and deliver our turnkey electric vehicle solution across both B2B and B2G customers [namely, Truck, Bus, Commercial fleets].

You would drive new business forward working cross functionally with our Business Development, Corporate Finance, Legal, Technical Sales, and Delivery teams. This would involve the origination and execution of transactions, including bidding into large Government infrastructure/P3-style tenders.

You will also mentor and develop more junior members of the team. Key stakeholder relationships will include customers within Public Transit Authorities, Bus Operators, other Fleet Companies and OEMs of eBuses and chargers.

The role would particularly appeal to those with a strong track record in P3/Infra or Project Finance but looking to broaden their role out commercially. Experience in the functional skillset (structuring, finance, bidding/tenders) will be prioritized over specific experience in Electric Vehicles or Charging. Vehicle and Equipment Leasing background is also viewed favourably.

A BIT ABOUT THE DAY TO DAY

• Supporting origination and execution of Zenobe’s EV, battery and charging finance products and services, including managing customer relationships.

Core activities: Bidding to Government and other public sector customers (PPP / P3):

• Identify bidding opportunities such as Requests for Proposal and ensure Zenobē is appropriately registered and pre-qualified for key opportunities

• Pro-actively support the origination of opportunities in cooperation with the VPs and other Business Development leads for unsolicited bids and other non-competitive opportunities

• Develop complex financial models to assess the viability of PPP bids, including forecasting revenues, costs, and profitability.

• Identify, assess, and mitigate financial risks associated with PPP projects, such as construction delays, cost overruns, and revenue fluctuations.

• Working with legal and commercial teams to negotiate favourable terms in PPP contracts, particularly regarding financial provisions and payment mechanisms, and ensuring broad alignment with sub-contract risk positions.

• Prepare papers and present these to Investment Committee

Secondary activities: Bidding to private, commercial customers (School Bus Operators and other Fleet Owners):

• Land customer mandates for Zenobē’s finance/as-a-service propositions to generate targeted levels of income meeting the necessary levels of returns and executing the customer transaction.

• Prepare client presentations, transaction proposals, term sheets and investment committee papers, presenting these to customers and senior Internal stakeholders

• Manage commercial negotiations with customers and execute new contracts/ transactions

Other:

• Develop and tailor Zenobe’s commercial, financing and service propositions across North American markets

• Implement transaction processes including risk control mechanisms

• Contribute to the strategic direction of the business and key areas of sales focus / target customer base

• Help train and mentor junior members of the team, developing their modelling and financial skills and improving presentation capabilities

• Working in conjunction with our Corporate Finance team, ensure our transactions are bankable and our financing partners such as banks are comfortable with the terms of our contracts. For the avoidance of doubt, execution of debt raises does not sit within the scope of this role.

Health and Safety

• Actively contribute to Zenobe's commitment to health and safety, wellbeing and sustainability by; integrating these principles into daily responsibilities, ensuring a safe and supportive work environment, promoting both the physical and mental health of self and colleagues, and adopting sustainable and energy-efficient practices to minimize environmental impact. By doing so, each employee at Zenobe plays a vital role in fostering a culture that prioritises overall safety, holistic wellbeing, environmental sustainability in our business operations.

YOUR EXPERIENCE

• Competent in managing, developing and building customer relationships (familiarity with government tender and procurement processes would be a significant advantage).

• Origination skills to be able to identify and develop new transaction opportunities

• Strong Structured Finance background such as Project Finance / P3-Infra experience (experience on the Lender or Financial Advisor side would be viewed favourably as would experience on the Sponsor/Borrower side leading commercial bids)

• Excellent credit risk skills and a high-level knowledge of accounting and tax

• Experience in vehicle and equipment leasing would be highly beneficial

• Excellent presentation skills

• Ability to lead client proposals / pitches / tenders and internal credit / capital approval processes

• Help manage legal and commercial negotiations and be able to execute transactions, with a strong attention to detail in the execution phase

• Comfortable in a fast-paced working environment with multiple ongoing tasks

• A background in Civil and/or Electrical Engineering would be highly beneficial

• Leadership and management skills

For Ilinois / NYC / Toronto Compensation Description (annually):

Please note that the base salary range is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location.

Base pay is one part of the total package that is provided to compensate and recognise employees for their work and any role at Zenobē, regardless of the location, is eligible for additional discretionary bonuses.

Base salary per annum:

USD$190,000 - USD$195,000

CAD$265,000 - CAD270,000

OUR BENEFITS

We have an open, honest and trusting culture here at Zenobe. Apart from the unparallel opportunity to be at the forefront of the Net Zero revolution we are proud of the culture we have built. Here is what we can offer when you join the Zenobe community;

• At Zenobe we all work hard and go the extra mile so it’s important to rest and regenerate with 20 days holiday which increases after 5 years’ service

• 401k Scheme – Up to 4% matching

• Excellent opportunities for personal growth and responsibility plus a training budget

• Up to 33% performance related bonus

• Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance (We offer 3 Robust medical plans including one that’s 100% employer-paid coverage for employees and 75% paid for the dependents/spouse)

• Refer a friend bonus scheme

• Enhanced maternity and paternity benefits

• Flex commuter programme

• Fertility leave

OUR APPROACH TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Zenobe is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment which is as representative as possible of our society. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership pregnancy /maternity, race, nationality, religion or belief, gender, political beliefs and sexual orientation. Our culture values meritocracy, openness, fairness, and transparency.