Investment Associate - Octopus Australia

We’re excited to offer an opportunity to become part of the Octopus Australia team in our Melbourne or Sydney office.

The successful applicant will join Octopus Australia on our mission to harness capital and expertise to accelerate the renewable energy transition.

We are looking for an Investment Associate, reporting to a senior member of the investment team at Octopus Australia. This exciting role will work across renewable investment and development opportunities to build and shape our future portfolio.

As a member of the investment team, the successful candidate will help deliver on our M&A and deployment ambitions across all renewable technologies. The successful candidate will get to play an active role on transactions across different technologies and jurisdictions in Australia broadening your skillset and capabilities.

You will be a forward-thinking person who is inquisitive in nature and is comfortable working in the detail and pivoting to a portfolio view. Just as important as what you achieve in this role, is how you perform the role.  We’ll need you to be an engaged team member, able to bring your experience and capabilities into both the investment and development environment, while building strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Be ready for a dynamic work environment, with a start-up mindset. You’ll be encouraged and supported to be bold in your thinking and leadership, whilst being a helpful colleague to those around you.

Octopus Australia

Established in 2018, Octopus Australia is a renewable energy fund manager and developer. Our dynamic multi-disciplinary team of over 70 highly skilled people have the expertise required to manage a renewable energy fund and operate a renewable energy and storage portfolio.

We have an existing multi‑GW portfolio of operating and development assets, including utility‑scale solar, wind and battery storage facilities across the country. We are continuing to grow to create a long‑term business that can deliver a firmed energy product to meet the evolving needs of Australia’s energy future.

The successful candidate will be expected to be able to demonstrate the following:

• Renewable Energy Industry; Understanding and interest in the Australian energy sector.
• Deal Process; Understanding of M&A deal processes, demonstrating ability to be involved across multiple work streams with internal and external stakeholders or advisors.
• Teamwork; Strong verbal communicator and demonstrated ability to be a key member of a team.
• Financial Modelling; Financial modelling experience, able to assess risks and bankability of projects and update/build financial models.
• Investment Committee/ Board Reporting; Strong communication skills and proven ability to effectively present ideas within the team and support writing investment committee papers for senior management.

Ideally, you will have some or all of the following qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Prior relevant experience ideally in an investment bank, private equity house, or in a corporate finance team of one of the big 4 accountants
• Professional financial qualifications (accountancy, CFA/CA) and/or MBAs desirable but not essential.
• Eligibility to work in Australia – visa sponsorship is not offered.
• Core finance related business skills required:
  • A commercial mindset, able to present conclusions and recommendations on investment decision making and articulate the impact of these decisions on potential investments.
  • Strong written and verbal communication.
  • Strong project management and organisational skills. The role will require balancing complex and regularly changing workloads and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
  • Strong financial modelling and risk analysis.
  • Ability to communicate with a broad range of individuals, ranging from team members and external advisors/partners.
  • A team player with the confidence to engage and work with colleagues at all levels of seniority.
  • A self-starter with tenacity, initiative, and a strong desire to succeed and be part of a team environment,

• And to really stand out from the crowd, you will display the following qualities and characteristics:
  • Self-motivated with the ability to work in a fast paced environment with support to develop and grow.
  • Communicates in a straightforward way, effective at giving feedback while open to receiving it
  • Able to find and create opportunity, develop solutions to problems.

What we offer

• 💰 A competitive salary package including annual bonus
•  🩺 A generous contribution to your private health insurance, when you join the Octopus Australia-sponsored Medibank policy.
• ✈️ An extra five days’ annual leave entitlement
• 🏡 Hybrid working arrangement.
• 💼 Ongoing learning and career development opportunities including a LinkedIn learning subscription.
• 📱Monthly mobile phone allowance.
• 🧘‍♀️Access to our employee wellness program, including an annual wellness allowance and Headspace subscription.
• 🚗 Access to novated leasing
• ☀️ The opportunity to apply your skills to the renewable energy transition.

Octopus Australia has built an exciting and inclusive high-performance culture where employees feel empowered. We understand the value of diversity, and we are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace environment. We welcome people of all backgrounds to apply. 

Our Values 

At Octopus Australia we don’t just focus on what we do but also how we do it. Everyone shares our values of being straightforward, helpful, bold and empathetic. Our culture is critical to our success and is built around four principles that underpin how we pursue our goals:

We empower people to:

• Be Bold – make decisions quickly and be OK changing your mind if it turns out there’s a better way of doing things.
• Be Helpful – behave like it’s always day one and remember that without our customers, there is no business.
• Be Straightforward – have opinions and express them in a way that’s respectful and easy to understand.
• Be Empathetic – care about others and take the time to understand different perspectives. It’s about listening, supporting, and creating an environment where everyone feels valued – so we can send our people home happy.