Business Development Manager

SSE Thermal's Business Development department is seeking a Business Development (BD) Manager to join the Partnerships and Acquisitions team. This is an opportunity to be part of a team advising SSET's leadership on making impactful investment decisions on high profile energy projects. The BD Manager will act as the principle focal point within SSE Thermal for the day-to-day management of early-stage acquisition opportunities and will represent SSE externally with a wide range of stakeholders to source partnership opportunities. The role offers extensive development opportunities by working within a supportive, fast paced, and experienced team, all while supporting the delivery of SSE Thermal's strategic growth ambitions. By performing this role, the successful candidate will further build a proven track record as a business developer as well as gain experience in shaping M&A transactions and delivering energy projects that play a core role in the UK's energy transition.

Key responsibilities will include:

- Market & Business Intelligence: Understand the external business environment and key market developments to inform strategic decision making. Cultivate a strong internal and external network to bring differentiated insights and proprietary knowledge to build on publicly available information.

- M&A Growth Strategy: Contribute to developing and refining SSE Thermal's inorganic growth strategy across key portfolio segments, including power generation, hydrogen production, and hydrogen storage. Development of novel investment hypothesis to test and pursue.

- Deal Sourcing: Originate partnership and acquisition opportunities to deliver SSE Thermal's growth strategy and evaluate inbound processes for strategic fit. Assess early-stage opportunities against target criteria, identify key value drivers and risks, and make recommendations to the Investment Committee on how best to proceed.

- Opportunity Maturation: Lead on a variety of new business and commercial activities/projects. Take full ownership of developing the investment case for opportunities up to the Non-Binding Offer stage, including preparation of a preliminary valuation, structuring options, shaping SSE Thermal's partnership value proposition, and preparation of internal mandates. Participate in the negotiation of new or revised commercial agreements as needed to progress opportunities.

- Transaction Due Diligence: As part of a core M&A transaction team, lead in the planning and delivery of opportunity Due Diligence. Resource and lead a multi-disciplinary team of subject matter experts as part of enabling both buy-side and sell-side transactions. Manage the delivery of key Due Diligence reports including initial "Red Flag" due diligence up to full internal Assurance Reviews to secure Group level investment mandates.

Bachelor's degree in finance, economics, engineering, or a related field preferred with good commercial judgement and acumen with an ability to identify and evaluate key value drivers and risks.

- Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship skills with the ability to establish and manage individual business relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders. Able to represent SSE at senior levels acting independently while demonstrating leadership on SSE's safety culture and core values.

- Ability to lead a multidisciplinary team through a well-managed process to produce and structure high quality papers and presentations for senior executives. Documents will include investment proposals, business plans, Due Diligence reports, business strategies, and presentation of commercial opportunities.

- Collaborative working style with demonstrated ability to deliver results as part of a team and ability to regularly re-prioritise work, remaining organised and resilient in a fast-moving delivery environment.

- A good understanding of the energy industry, in particular thermal power generation, power markets and regulations targeted at delivering the UK's transition to a low-carbon energy system. Experience of working on large capital projects in the energy industry would be an advantage, as well as knowledge of establishing and governing JVs.

SSE Thermal is on a mission to deliver the flexible energy needed today while powering the transition to net zero. Our 600+ employees play a crucial role in keeping the lights on across the UK and Ireland and we're rising to the low-carbon challenge with our teams at the cutting-edge of vital technologies. We're developing ground-breaking carbon capture and storage projects and progressing plans for what could be the world's first hydrogen-fired power station, as well as a major hydrogen storage facility and exploring other exciting options as we decarbonise. We've already achieved a lot - but we're just getting started. As part of SSE, which could invest in excess of £40bn across the next decade, we're at the forefront of the energy transition - so come join us as we continue to grow and power change.

We offer an excellent package with 34 days annual leave entitlement. Enhanced maternity/paternity leave, discounted healthcare, salary sacrifice car leasing and much more, view our full benefits package on our careers site.