Financial Consultant

Summary

The Treasury-Corporate Finance Consultant serves as a strategic advisor and subject matter expert in corporate finance and treasury operations. This role works independently to manage liquidity positions, cash forecasting, covenant compliance, credit metrics and reporting and leasing activities. The consultant assumes a lead role in regulatory and accounting reporting requirements, develops solutions for complex financial analysis projects, and provides decision support to senior leadership on key financial strategies. This position requires frequent interaction with senior internal and external stakeholders, often on significant matters requiring cross-functional coordination. This role is responsible for analyzing various financing alternatives and forming recommendations on the most efficient means for raising capital at the holding company and the regulated operating company. The position requires a strong understanding of capital markets, debt structures, credit risk analysis, and regulatory compliance.  The role involves managing financing strategies, optimizing costs of capital, and supporting enterprise-wide financial planning initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Strategy & Capital Markets

• Maintain a strong understanding of capital markets and financial products.
• Analyze and calculate credit risk; evaluate credit ratings and metrics.
• Analyze capital market activities and formulate trading analysis.
• Shape and manage a healthy debt maturity profile.
• Evaluate and recommend strategies for effective interest rate management.

Financing & Debt Management

• Analyze existing and prospective debt and credit structures for refinancing opportunities.
• Assist in executing external financings designed to optimize cost of capital.
• Work with Financial Planning, FBO, Accounting, Legal and Regulatory teams to align financing needs and capital structure.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Prepare and obtain financing authority from regulatory commissions (ACC & FERC).
• Ensure timely filing of compliance documents and regulated filings.
• Assist in developing testimony, exhibits and discovery for rate cases involving capital structure, credit quality, and cost of capital.
• Track and perform all covenant compliance and reporting.

Cash & Budget Management

• Oversee cash forecasting and vehicle leasing activities.
• Establish, track, and report on budget updates.
• Manage, budget, and report on interest rates and interest expense.

Treasury & Liquidity Management

• Independently monitor and report out on daily cash positioning, liquidity optimization, and short-term and long-term funding strategies.
• Lead cash forecasting and variance analysis to ensure liquidity targets are met.
• Oversee covenant compliance and leasing activities, ensuring adherence to contractual and regulatory requirements.

Strategic Advisory & Decision Support

• Undertake complex financial and decision support analyses to inform management strategies.
• Routinely interface with Senior Management and occasionally with Executive Officers to provide recommendations on financial performance and risk mitigation.

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Perform advanced research and analysis on corporate finance, cash management, cost analysis, variance analysis, and key financial metrics.
• Develop and direct the creation of financial models, operational applications, and scenario planning tools.
• Design and deliver comprehensive financial reporting packages for management and regulatory purposes.
• Assist in preparation of Board slides, investor relations materials, and Treasury position reporting.
• Support Treasury reporting responsibilities, including SEC reporting and rating agency presentations.

Relationship Management

• Develop and maintain cross-functional relationships with Treasury, Accounting, Financial Planning, Legal, Regulatory, and other business units.
• Assist in managing external relationships with banking partners, investors, credit rating agencies, and outside counsel.
• Respond to ad hoc questions from investors, creditors, regulators, and rating agencies.
• Facilitate information flow between Treasury and Regulatory groups in utility rate cases; lead process efficiency efforts.
• Provide training and support to internal business partners on new and existing processes, delivering comprehensive training to department staff as needed.
• Evaluate and implement cash management products and services to optimize treasury operations.

Minimum Requirements

• Degree in finance, accounting economics, mathematics or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge, skills and abilities have been achieved.
• Minimum seven (7) years directly related experience in financial analysis, accounting, economic analysis or data analytics in any industry
• OR Minimum seven (7) years business operations related experience in the utility or energy services industry.
• Advanced knowledge of finance and economic analysis, corporate finance, utility regulation, utility operations.
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
• Strong research, data management and effective communication skills. Strong research, strong ability to mine and manage large sources of data and excellent executive management written and verbal communication skills a must.
• Advanced knowledge of Microsoft applications (Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, etc.) and database tools.

Preferred Special Skills, Knowledge or Qualifications:

• MBA or Masters degree.
• Advanced experience with related analytical, financial, database, and/or business operations tools (i.e., Kyriba, Bloomberg, PeopleSoft, Cognos, PowerPlant, Hyperion, Maximo, supply chain and inventory systems).
• Travel may be required.
  
  
  

Major Accountabilities

1) Manages debt covenant compliance, accounting and regulatory reporting related to financing, relationships with banks and commercial paper dealers, cash management and forecast. Acts as the process owner for the long-term sales and financial forecast, including modeling and decision support on financial strategy.

2) Performs a variety of highly complex analyses and reporting to provide ongoing information, compiles relevant information, makes comparisons evaluates results, makes recommendations to management on key strategies including O&M and capital targets to support the annual business planning process, including recommendations on overall spending and financing strategies to support achieving financial objectives.

3) Design and develop financial report packages for the Board of Directors, and Senior leadership. Undertakes complex financial and operational decision support and strategic financial projects.

4) Regularly update current work plans and long-range forecasts based on new information, check and adjust strategies and make recommendations for any changes needed to achieve financial results.

5) Supports the monthly accounting close process including variance analysis, and preparation of variance explanations and communication of financial results and expectations for the year to management. Collaborates with Accounting to ensure financial events and transactions are accounted for correctly in financial model and reports key changes and information to Accounting for proper financial statement recording and accounting treatment.

6) Maintains comprehensive knowledge of the primary emerging issues facing the industry and company business specifics.

7) Compile relevant data, perform variance analyses, tracking key metrics and continuously focused on developing strategies to improve financial performance.

8) Collaborate with department staff in the evaluation of financial business scenarios. Develop ad hoc models to support unique scenarios analysis with the various work streams O&M, Capital, corporate finance, sales and revenue forecasting, tax planning, regulatory, and accounting. Provide direction or support in the formulation of model inputs and processing of data through financial models.

9) Consult with department leadership and management in identifying, recommending, and developing tactical and strategic business case opportunities.

10) Review and ensure that initiatives to be included in the long-term financial plans are strategically aligned with the 10-year strategy.

11) Review and ensure that documentation to support initiative implementation is accurate and complete. Provide recommendations to ensure effective implementation.

12) Provide direction and participate in design, development, compilation, presentation and communication of management reporting including identification of significant findings and conclusions through the use of existing technology and strong understanding of financial and regulatory related data. Ensure financial report packages and communications deliver impactful and relevant messages.

13) Complete and submit required external reporting and filings including ACC discovery requests.

14) Develops expert understanding of company, unit policies and procedures, accounting practices, and federal and state regulations.

15) Provides training and support to business customers to ensure understanding of new or existing processes; develops and provides comprehensive training to others within department.

16) Administers and/or designs department programs / plans by maintaining expert knowledge of each and preparing ongoing analyses of specific topics.

Export Compliance / EEO Statement

This position may require access to and/or use of information subject to control under the Department of Energy's Part 810 Regulations (10 CFR Part 810), the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730 through 774), or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter M Part 120) (collectively, 'U.S. Export Control Laws'). Therefore, some positions may require applicants to be a U.S. person, which is defined as a U.S. Citizen, a U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident (i.e. 'Green Card Holder'), a Political Asylee, or a Refugee under the U.S. Export Control Laws. All applicants will be required to confirm their U.S. person or non-US person status. All information collected in this regard will only be used to ensure compliance with U.S. Export Control Laws, and will be used in full compliance with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of national origin and other factors. For positions at Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Stations (PVNGS) all openings will require applicants to be a U.S. person.

Pinnacle West Capital Corporation and its subsidiaries and affiliates ('Pinnacle West') maintain a continuing policy of nondiscrimination in employment. It is our policy to provide equal opportunity in all phases of the employment process and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. This policy of nondiscrimination shall include, but not be limited to, recruiting, hiring, promoting, compensating, reassigning, demoting, transferring, laying off, recalling, terminating employment, and training for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, disability, age, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other classification or characteristic protected by law.

For more information on applicable equal employment regulations, please refer to EEO is the Law poster. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of every person hired to work in the United States, refer to E-Verify poster. View the employee rights and responsibilities under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

In compliance with the Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988, the Company is committed to a work environment that is free from the effects of alcohol and controlled substances, and free from the abuse or inappropriate use of prescribed and over-the-counter medications. The Company requires employees to be subject to drug and alcohol testing that is job-related and consistent with business necessity, regulatory requirements and applicable laws.