Research & Business Development Intern at Joule Assets

Position Description

Joule Assets acts as market expert and manager of the Joule ERA fund, a private investment fund designed to invest into Energy Reduction Assets, such as energy efficiency and demand response, across Europe and North America. Joule Assets combines its market expertise with Joule ERA fund capabilities to finance projects that reduce operating costs for customers, moderate environmental impact associated with energy use, and gain above-market returns for investors. The energy reduction asset market, comprised of energy efficiency, demand response, distributed renewables and energy storage, represents greater than a $500 billion investment opportunity. Achieving this potential will transform our energy system and fulfill the environmental demands of the 21st century.

Joule Assets is seeking a candidate willing to understand the energy markets structures, assist upper management in their efforts to develop Joule Assets’ project portfolio in Europe and maximize the value of investments.  We are looking for a candidate who can find, understand, and analyze energy industry information to strengthen Joule Assets’ investment due diligence and operational capabilities.

As a research and business development intern, the candidate will:

• Conduct market research and gather actionable information, required to assess investment opportunities and maximize project’s returns.
• Play an integral role in the development and testing of Joule Assets’ ERA platform, an IT-based investment assessment tool
• Support staff members as they identify, recruit and negotiate with partners (contractors, energy service companies, etc.) that benefit from providing energy reduction financing to their customers.

The candidate must be a self-starter, with a passion for and experience with information gathering and analysis.  The candidate will:

• Get an in depth understanding of energy reduction assets market structure.
• Acquire hands-on experience in the development of a benchmark PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) software solution
• Develop negotiation and business development skills through an active role in Joule Assets’ process to identify and close investment opportunities.

The selected candidate will work in the Brussels office, under the joint supervision of Jessica Stromback and Adrien Gabeur. Candidate will also collaborate and learn from Joule Assets’ experimented team, based out of New York.

Responsibilities – the key responsibilities for this position include:

• Conduct European energy reduction assets market research, in collaboration with research team based in New York:
  • Contact Transmission and Distribution System Operators, utility representatives and other energy market stakeholders, to procure relevant information on their energy efficiency and demand response offerings.
  • Condense complex regulation and market procedures to usable and understandable data.
• Contribute to the development of the ERA platform, by data gathering, processing and storing, formulating data queries and testing the PaaS software solution
• Support business development staff in identifying, recruiting and negotiating with new partner companies. Partner companies utilize Joule Assets project financing to deploy energy reduction projects.
• Perform due diligence on energy reduction project financing
• Actively participate in internal strategic discussions on prioritizing initiatives
• Execute day-to-day administrative and operational tasks

Experience – the ideal candidate will have knowledge in the following areas:

• Market research and analysis
• Energy technology and sustainability
• Proficiency in MS Excel and PowerPoint
• Financial and quantitative analysis (All candidates will be tested with an Excel based analytical test)
• Advanced IT skills, ideally with programming languages (SQL, Java)
• Investment industry
• Business development and communications
• Project management

Attributes – the key attributes for this position include:

• Creativity, initiative, self-starter
• Ability to condense complex documents into actionable information
• Ability to contribute individually, and lead, manage or participate in a cross-functional team
• Doggedness, determination and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Ability to create great working relationships with all levels within the company and across multiple disciplines
• Sense of humor

Compensation and Scope

Full time paid internship for a 6-months fixed period at 40 hours per week located in Brussels, Belgium, with a monthly salary of €1’100. Keep in mind that 90% of our permanent employees started as interns. The successful candidate is expected to start on 1 October 2015.

If you’re motivated, achievement-driven and enthusiastic about the energy industry, be sure to apply online with your resume and cover letter to http://jouleassets.com/careers/. Application deadline is on 21 August midnight CET.

For questions only, contact mpachlatko@jouleassets.com or nwalczak@jouleassets.com or call the Belgium office at: +32 (0)2 513 95 40