How to apply for M&A Associate

About Nautilus Solar Energy

Nautilus Solar Energy develops and manages community solar farms. The company focuses on equitable, affordable clean energy through locally managed projects. This role sits at the intersection of project finance and solar/storage acquisition.

About the role

The M&A Associate leads financial modeling, valuation, and diligence for solar and storage project acquisitions. You will prepare investment committee memos, support negotiations with developers, and evaluate inbound opportunities. This is a remote, full-time role on a cross-functional deal team.

A typical day

A typical day may include updating a project valuation model in Excel, reviewing diligence inputs from engineering or legal, and drafting an investment committee memo. You might also join a call with a developer or internal stakeholders to discuss an acquisition proposal. Ask the hiring manager how the team divides modeling, diligence, and negotiation work across the M&A group.

Who Nautilus Solar Energy is looking for

• Has 2-4 years of experience in project finance, investment banking, or renewable energy M&A, with strong Excel modeling skills.
• Can build scenario and sensitivity analyses for solar and storage projects and explain outputs to non-finance teams.
• Understands commercial diligence inputs: interconnection, site control, permitting, offtake, subscriber assumptions, bill credits, RECs, EPC pricing, and development milestones.
• Is comfortable coordinating with engineering, finance, legal, and construction teams and preparing investment committee materials.

Tips for this application

• Tailor your resume to show solar or storage project finance deals you have modeled, including valuation, return analysis, and sensitivity cases.
• Include a brief note or cover letter line about community solar market trends, policies, or incentives you have tracked.
• Name specific diligence areas from the job description in your application: interconnection, site control, permitting, offtake, bill credits, RECs, EPC pricing.
• If you have prepared investment committee memos or pipeline materials, describe the audience and outcome in one or two lines.
• Apply through the company careers page and check if Nautilus Solar Energy lists a specific application email or portal for this remote M&A Associate role.

What to cover in your cover letter

Show one or two examples of advanced Excel models you built for solar or storage projects. Explain how you performed commercial diligence on interconnection, permitting, or offtake. Describe experience preparing investment committee memos or transaction updates. State why community solar and energy storage acquisition work fits your background.

Research before applying

• Review Nautilus Solar Energy's project portfolio and any public materials on their community solar farms.
• Research current community solar policies and incentives in the US states where Nautilus operates.
• Understand common solar and storage project acquisition structures, including diligence checklists and investment committee memos.
• Check the company website and LinkedIn for recent acquisitions, partnerships, or developer relationships.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a financial model you built for a solar or storage project, including scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• How would you evaluate an inbound community solar acquisition opportunity based on technical, financial, regulatory, and commercial factors?
• What project-level risks do you review in commercial diligence, such as interconnection, site control, permitting, offtake, or EPC pricing?
• How do you coordinate with engineering, finance, legal, and construction teams on an acquisition proposal?
• What community solar and energy storage market trends, policies, or incentives are you currently tracking?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a general finance resume without solar, storage, or project finance deal examples.
• Claiming advanced Excel modeling skills without being ready to discuss scenario and sensitivity analysis in detail.
• Ignoring the commercial diligence language in the job description, such as interconnection, site control, and offtake assumptions.