Why choose us?
Choosing to work for SMS means choosing to make a difference. We are changing how businesses and consumers use energy for the better, helping achieve a greener, sustainable, and more affordable energy system for everyone. Through our range of innovative energy solutions, we are delivering the future of smart energy – working closely with private and public sector partners we are playing a critical role in transforming and decarbonising the UK economy by 2050.
What's in it for you?
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What's the role?
The combined SMS Low Carbon business is at an exciting stage of its development, with a significant market opportunity across the UK and beyond.
The Commercial Manager, I&C will play an important role within the team as the business looks to accelerate its growth. The Commercial Manager role is crucial to the future success of the team through enabling it to efficiently execute on its pipeline of transactions and manage its growing portfolio of low carbon funded projects. The role has a particular emphasis on asset finance, power purchase agreement and Subscription transactions in the I&C space, whilst also supporting the wider Commercial team as required.
The Commercial team are the engine room for our transactions – helping to shape and evolve them from formation through to contracting and then embedding into the business. Sitting between the business development and operational contract management parts of the business, you will be a crucial member of the deal team, ensuring smooth end to end progress of transactions as they move through the pipeline.
The role is varied, covering a range of low carbon asset classes and financial products. HEV is a small, close-knit team with a shared goal of delivering finance to facilitate a material impact in the energy transition space. The job demands a “can-do” attitude and offers a fantastic opportunity for candidates to embed themselves in a central role that will draw upon, and allow the development of, a wide variety of skillsets.
This role is offered on a permanent basis, working hours are 40 hours per week. Hybrid working is available.
Key responsibilities:
Opportunity development oversight and coordination
- Act as a key commercial interface between business development, legal, operations and billing teams, providing expert input on deal structure, pricing and contracts, and managing and assessing risks, including counterparty credit.
- Manage and prioritise technical assessment and development of opportunities.
- Engage with and support the business development team, including attending meetings with external customers and delivery partners to provide expert input on commercial and contracting matters, and nurture relationships with key stakeholders.
- Commercial analysis (including project economic assessments, reviewing assessment papers, pricing assessment and review, deal structuring, counterparty credit and risk assessment & management).
- Ensure agreements are executed efficiently in compliance with company policies and aligned with investment requirements.
E2E Deal management and execution
- Own end‑to‑end commercial deal management for low‑carbon transactions from investment paper through contracting and into operations.
- Manage contracting and documentation, adapting standard templates, preparing credit and deal documentation, and ensuring agreements are executed compliantly and efficiently.
- Project manage concurrent (sometimes complex) leasing, PPA, Subscription and similar deals and their core processes (from investment paper stage through to contracting and embedding into the business post transaction by coordinating with Operations and Billing teams), using internal deal management tools where appropriate.
- Contract input and review (including preparation of financing and other rental and security related agreements through interaction with our in-house legal team – this is typically aligning standard templates to specific transactions).
Project handover for delivery and operation
- Ensure smooth handover of projects to Low Carbon Delivery and Finance for installation and operation, including documentation and engagement to enable continuity of requirements, expectations and approach.
- Post contracting responsibilities, including working with Finance and Operations colleagues to ensure existing contracts are delivering against expectations.
Process standardisation, documentation and optimisation
- Establish tools, templates and processes to fulfil the Pursuit to Close Process for each commercial product.
- Manage the standardisation of techno-economic modelling, technical specification and due diligence on opportunities, including governance of templates and tools.
- Establish and document effective and efficient ways of working for all colleagues to buy into and adhere to.
- Input into product development by applying learnings and making suggestions to assist in refining our proposition.
- Any other duties as required.
To be considered for this role, we would love you to have:
- A relevant University/College degree or equivalent qualification.
- Experience of working in renewable energy and infrastructure, in either consulting, investment management, transaction services, asset finance or other relevant industry roles.
- A strong understanding of the UK energy market and low-carbon infrastructure project characteristics.
- Proven track record of pricing, commercial negotiation, structuring and contracting.
- Strong preference for experience in PPA or asset finance (leasing) contract delivery in the Low Carbon space
- Entrepreneurial acumen.
- Proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint (as a minimum).
- The ability to work closely with and build relationships with different departments - a strong team player with the confidence to challenge and liaise with colleagues and business counterparties at all levels of seniority.