Commercial Finance Manager

Downing is dedicated to delivering investments that matter – for our economy, our health, our society, our local communities and our environment. As a certified B Corp, we take our responsibilities, to our investors, our stakeholders and society, seriously. We invest for return while always considering our impact on the world.

The Energy & Infrastructure (E&I) Asset Management finance team consists of two key components:
Finance Operations and Commercial Finance. These teams collaborate to manage the financial, commercial, and valuation work streams of the assets under management.

The finance team operates from London, Glasgow, and Stockholm, collectively overseeing assets-owned by two Downing-managed investment funds. These funds encompass over 100 entities and assets, including holding companies and special purpose vehicles focused on solar, wind, hydro, grid, battery storage, and shunt reactor technologies.

The E&I Asset Management team includes technical and commercial experts, ESG specialists, data analysts, and finance professionals. Team members are distributed across the three main offices, similar to the finance team. We work in close partnership with the wider Downing teams to drive growth for the Downing-managed investment funds.

Reporting to the Finance Director based in London, this role will be responsible for overseeing all financial management activities for the operational solar portfolio, which includes operations in the UK and Ireland. As the renewable energy portfolio in these regions expands, you will also be expected to manage any new renewable energy assets and technologies that are introduced. Additionally, this role will oversee the Debt Management team, ensuring strong relationships with external lenders and full compliance with all lending requirements.

Responsibilities include maintaining and updating quarterly debt models, managing debt-related submissions, and ensuring timely and accurate compliance reporting to lenders.

This role is pivotal in ensuring smooth communications with all stakeholders, both external and internal, and managing all finance operations to the highest standard and on time. The Finance Manager will play a crucial role in process optimisation and will work closely with all stakeholders of the Energy & Infrastructure team.

• Establish a dedicated debt‑management specialist team within the Energy & Infrastructure division, working in close partnership with the investment and asset‑management teams to support all debt‑raising initiatives.
• Develop robust processes, controls, and policies to ensure effective governance and ongoing oversight of all existing external debt facilities.
• Lead financial & commercial management for a solar portfolio of approximately 150 assets (including ground‑mounted and rooftop installations), ensuring robust stakeholder engagement and effective communication across internal and external parties.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including auditors, tax advisors, regulatory bodies, external lenders, external investors and internal teams.
• Prepare and present financial reports for internal and external stakeholders, providing insights and recommendations for financial strategy and decision-making.

Responsible for all financial reports in the solar portfolio ensuring it is prepared to the highest standards and timely. This includes but not limited to the following:

• Monthly financial performance including variance analysis, profits & cash projections, budget assumption changes and compliance tracker.
• Quarterly debt reports (consolidated financials, debt model, compliance certificate).
• Quarterly debt management report for internal use.
• Bi-annual solar performance for interim financial statement reporting.
• Annual consolidation of financial statements.
• Other ad‑hoc reporting.
• Coordinate with external auditors to facilitate financial audits, ensuring timely and accurate provision of required documentation and information.

• Ensure timely and accurate preparation and submission of all tax filings in…