How to apply for Director of FP&A

About Nautilus Solar Energy

Nautilus Solar Energy develops and manages community solar farms locally. The company focuses on equitable, affordable clean energy. This role is remote within the US and sits at the intersection of renewable energy finance and advanced analytics.

About the role

The Director of FP&A leads budgeting, long-range planning, quarterly forecasting, and monthly performance reporting for Nautilus Solar Energy and its subsidiaries. The role partners with Operations, Asset Management, Community Solar, Development, Capital Markets, and Executive Leadership. A key differentiator is leading the integration of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics into forecasting, reporting, budgeting, and business intelligence.

A typical day

A typical day may include reviewing monthly performance data, updating forecast models, and meeting with Operations, Asset Management, or Development partners to interpret results. You might also work on AI or analytics improvements to reporting and budgeting processes. The role is remote, so much of the coordination happens through video calls and shared financial systems.

Who Nautilus Solar Energy is looking for

• Has renewable energy industry experience, ideally in community solar or distributed generation.
• Brings operational finance expertise: building and maintaining financial models for projects and corporate initiatives, and evaluating performance against plan.
• Has led annual budgeting, long-range planning, quarterly forecasting, and monthly reporting processes across a company and its subsidiaries.
• Has hands-on experience integrating AI and advanced analytics into finance workflows such as forecasting, reporting, budgeting, or business intelligence.
• Can partner with executive leadership to translate operational performance into financial outcomes and strategic actions.

Tips for this application

• Quantify your FP&A process ownership: state the number of entities or subsidiaries you consolidated, the size of budgets you led, and the frequency of forecasts and reporting you managed.
• Describe specific AI or advanced analytics projects you led in a finance function. Name the tools, the data sources, and the outcome for forecasting, reporting, budgeting, or business intelligence.
• Include renewable energy or community solar project finance examples. If you lack community solar experience, highlight comparable project-based or asset-heavy finance work.
• Show cross-functional partnership with Operations, Asset Management, Development, or Capital Markets. Name the teams you worked with and what decisions your analysis supported.
• Address the remote nature of the role directly. Note your experience working remotely with distributed teams and how you manage reporting cycles across time zones.

What to cover in your cover letter

Emphasize your renewable energy industry experience and any community solar exposure. Highlight your track record leading budgeting, long-range planning, quarterly forecasting, and monthly reporting for a company and its subsidiaries. Detail a specific AI or advanced analytics initiative you led in finance and the result. Show how you have partnered with Operations, Asset Management, Development, Capital Markets, or Executive Leadership to turn operational performance into financial decisions.

Research before applying

• Research Nautilus Solar Energy's community solar portfolio: project locations, size, and how locally managed solar farms operate.
• Understand the community solar business model, including subscription structures, revenue timing, and capital requirements.
• Review Nautilus Solar Energy's other activities beyond community solar to understand the full scope of the FP&A role.
• Check the company's recent news and project announcements to understand current growth areas and capital needs.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would build and maintain financial models for community solar projects and corporate initiatives.
• Your approach to leading annual budgeting, long-range planning, quarterly forecasting, and monthly performance reporting across NSE and its subsidiaries.
• A specific example of integrating AI or advanced analytics into forecasting, reporting, budgeting, or business intelligence, and the measurable impact.
• How you evaluate business performance against plan and provide actionable recommendations to improve profitability and cash flow.
• How you partner with Operations, Asset Management, Community Solar, Development, Capital Markets, and Executive Leadership to translate operational performance into financial outcomes.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a general FP&A resume without renewable energy or project finance context.
• Claiming AI or advanced analytics experience without a concrete example of implementation and results.
• Ignoring the subsidiary consolidation and multi-entity reporting aspect of the role.