Director Project Finance (New York)

About Syncarpha

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York City, Syncarpha Capital develops, finances, owns, and operates solar and energy storage projects across North America. Our portfolio spans community solar, on-site systems for municipalities, utilities, and businesses, and small utility-scale projects. We partner with experienced developers, EPC contractors, and engineers to take projects from site acquisition and financing through decades of operation.

We are a lean, entrepreneurial team. Analysts here work directly with senior leadership, see their analysis shape real investment and financing decisions, and are mentored by a management team with deep experience in investment management, project finance, and renewable energy.

The Role

The Director – Project Finance owns the path to financial close for the Company’s solar,

solar + storage, and standalone storage projects. The role leads Financial Closing for all project-level Tax Equity and Debt financings, serves as the internal Deal Manager who drives the cross-functional closing process to completion, and is responsible for all aspects of project financial modeling prior to commercial operation.

Responsibilities

• The Director will report to the Chief Investment officer
• Own Financial Closing for all project-level Tax Equity and Debt transactions (including construction, term, and back-leverage debt), from term sheet negotiation through diligence, documentation, satisfaction of conditions precedent, and funding
• Serve as the internal Deal Manager for each financing: set the closing plan and timeline, assign and coordinate workstreams across Development, Construction, Engineering, Legal, Tax, Accounting, and Operations, track open items, and hold internal teams and outside advisors accountable through close
• Own all aspects of project financial modeling prior to commercial operation, from early-stage screening and Investment Committee through construction and financial close, including advanced analysis of Tax Equity and Debt structures for solar and energy storage projects and ensuring models reflect final negotiated terms
• Oversee the work of the team of analysts and associates supporting Project Finance function
• Lead the process to ensure Development/Construction deal teams have the tools and information to screen new investment opportunities (self-developed projects and M&A) across solar, solar storage, standalone storage projects, as well as managing projects through construction
• Manage relationships with Development, Construction, Operations and Accounting teams re: their needs and interactions with financial models for construction and development projects up to and including all financial closings
• Lead and execute key underwriting functions including project valuation, forecasting and negotiating key components of financing documents
• Work with Development deal team leads to execute Investment Committee process and seamlessly navigate diligence and credit processes for financing partners
• Manage the IRR Monitoring process for all projects under construction in conjunction with Deal teams
• Drive internal/external teams to address all financing related issue and leverage subject matter experts to optimal execution path
• Additional responsibilities as assigned

Experience & Qualifications

• 7+ years of relevant experience in renewable energy finance, M&A, or related sectors, 10+ years business experience
• Demonstrated success modeling transaction capital structures, risk assessment, and basic financing agreement negotiation
• Successful track record of managing complex projects from beginning to end
• Successful track record of managing a team of analysts/associates
• Understanding and ability to work with financial models and perform sensitivity analyses, particularly regarding features specific to tax equity partnership and debt transactions
• Apply critical, out-of-the-box thinking, work on multiple workstreams in a dynamic, cross-functional team environment
• In-depth understanding of energy markets, solar, energy storage, offtake structures
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation skills

Experience & Qualifications

• Proven ability to drive multiple concurrent workstreams to close, including workstreams owned by people and organizations that do not report to you; leads through influence, clear expectations, and consistent follow-through rather than authority
• Proactively surfaces issues early: asks probing questions, coaxes out risks and open items from internal teams, counterparties, and advisors, and resolves them before they threaten timing or economics
• Understands the interdependencies across a closing (diligence, third-party reports, interconnection, permitting, construction milestones, insurance, tax, and legal documentation) and how a change or delay in one area affects the others
• Diagnoses and manages the critical path, both within the Company and with outside professionals (legal counsel, independent engineers, insurance and tax advisors, appraisers, and investor/lender teams); identifies gating items, re-sequences work, and escalates when needed
• Holds outside advisors accountable for scope, quality, timing, and budget
• Translates model outputs and document terms into clear business implications, and ensures the financial model and final transaction documents are consistent