Lead - Contract and Commercial (BESS)

Role Mandate

We are looking for a commercially sharp and financially rigorous leader to run the BU's commercial + finance governance engine - so the BESS business wins competitively and stays profitable as it moves from early reference projects to repeatable scale

Core objective: Architect and protect BESS profitability by owning:

• Pricing architecture (hardware + EPC + O&M)
• Contract/commercial governance (warranty, performance guarantees, LDs, inclusions/exclusions)
• BU controlling (forecasting, margin bridge, cash & working capital)
• Lifecycle profitability (degradation/augmentation assumptions, service liabilities, warranty reserves)

Key responsibilities

1.Commercial strategy & pricing architecture (Hardware + EPC + O&M)

• Design Suzlon's pricing framework for containerized BESS across:
• Supply-only systems
• Supply + EPC projects (turnkey execution)
• Long-tenor O&M/service (5–20 years where applicable)
• Build and continuously improve the cost-per-kWh and lifecycle profitability model, translating technical drivers—DoD, RTE, degradation/augmentation, availability commitments—into bid pricing, contingencies, and provisions
• Establish pricing corridors + approval matrix (deal thresholds, exception process, escalation path) to enable bid speed while preventing margin leakage

2.Contracting, risk allocation & commercial ops (hardware/EPC/O&M)

• Lead commercial structuring for:
• Warranty (terms, exclusions, claim process)
• Performance guarantees / availability
• LDs
• Acceptance criteria (FAT/SAT/COD)
• Clear inclusions/exclusions and interface boundaries
• Build a Suzlon BESS Contract Playbook: redlines, fallback positions, risk pricing logic, and time‑boxed internal approvals to avoid matrix slowdowns.
• Maintain a live Commercial Risk Register across deals/projects:
• FX risk and cell price volatility exposure
• Delivery schedule / LD exposure
• Warranty and lifecycle liabilities
• Payment security / counterparty risk

3.Bottom-up cost modelling and design-to-cost principles; understanding of battery supply chain dynamics (cell pricing, localization, FX exposure

• Own the margin model (BOM, conversion cost, logistics, installation/commissioning, contingencies, warranty provisions) and run a monthly margin bridge from bid assumptions → execution reality → as-built
• Run scenario/sensitivity analysis on:
• cell price movements and indexation
• FX movements
• yield/scrap, rework and cost-of-quality
• logistics volatility and site conditions
• schedule compression risks
• Partner with CTO + Manufacturing Head on design-to-cost and localization decisions; quantify financial impact to support make/buy roadmap and tender competitiveness.

4.Bid finance + deal desk governance

• Run the BU Deal Desk: bid/no-bid inputs, pricing corridor recommendations, risk quantification, and sign-off pack to BU Lead
• Ensure bids stay anchored to the standard product catalog to prevent unpriced bespoke commitments
• Support Wind BD/Sales with structured bid economics for C&I/B2G/utility tenders (e.g., SECI/NTPC/state utilities) where compliance, guarantees, and execution windows drive material risk.

5.Working capital, cash conversion & inventory exposure

• Own BU cash levers: advance structure, LC/BG terms, milestone billing, receivables discipline, payables strategy
• Define inventory norms for cells/BOP/containers/spares; maintain strict governance on working capital exposure and slow-moving risks; coordinate with S&OP

6.Supplier commercial governance & back-to-back alignment

• Partner with Procurement to secure:
• LTAs / price protections / indexation approaches
• delivery safeguards for Cells and critical components (MOQs, lead times, penalties)
• warranty pass-through and claims support and ensure back-to-back alignment to customer commitments wherever feasible.
• Maintain supplier commercial risk register (indexation, FX, MOQ, penalties, warranty terms, counterparty risk)

Good to Have:

1. BU controlling, forecasting & performance management

• Lead annual budget + quarterly reforecasting, revenue recognition logic (as applicable), and BU dashboarding (revenue/margin/cash/risk)
• Run monthly performance reviews with BU Head; create fact-based narratives for steering committee decisions

1. EPC financial governance & project controls

• Design & implement project-level financial governance: baseline margin, milestone cash plan, cost-to-complete (EAC), and early warning triggers
• Drive robust change order governance: scope freeze, variation valuation, approvals, billing—prevent scope creep and margin erosion

1. O&M / lifecycle profitability & provisioning

• Structure long-tenor O&M commercials (5–20 years): pricing, escalation, SLA/KPI penalties, augmentation assumptions, and lifecycle margin protection
• Establish provisioning logic for warranty reserves and service liabilities aligned to product baseline and performance risk
• Ensure finance readiness checks at key delivery stage gates: Design Freeze → FAT readiness → dispatch → SAT/COD handover (commercial readiness + documentation completeness)

Success Measures

Outcome - Measures

Profitability - Gross margin/ kWh and per project within approved limits; EBITDA in line with BU plan; leakage tracked & actioned (bid → actual)

Cash & working capital - WC days within target; inventory exposure within thresholds; milestone cash collection discipline; timely cash conversion on projects

Execution control - Change orders governed; project margin tracked weekly/monthly; stage-gate readiness checks in place

Supplier protections - LTA coverage for majority of cell volumes; price/FX protections in place; supplier commercial risk register maintained

Operating cadence - Forecast accuracy; timely management dashboards; decision turnaround times (e.g., bid approvals within 48–72h where required)

Candidate Profile

Experience & Background

• 8–12+ years (flexible; higher experience welcome) in commercial finance / BU controlling / pricing / project finance / contract commercial roles within renewables, EV / energy storage, EPC, power infrastructure, or industrial manufacturing
• Demonstrated ownership of pricing + margin governance (not only reporting) and experience operating in performance‑guaranteed, high-capex environments
• Comfortable in matrix/hybrid operating models—able to drive outcomes through shared functions using governance, SLAs, and decision systems

Domain Expertise

• Strong grasp of BESS economics (₹/kWh modelling, degradation, augmentation, availability guarantees, warranty provisioning)
• Working knowledge of EPC project commercials: stage-gates, LDs, change orders, milestone billing, cost-to-complete
• Bottom-up cost modelling and design-to-cost principles; understanding of battery supply chain dynamics (cell pricing, localization, FX exposure)
• Ability to translate technical specs into financial implications (DoD, RTE, cycle life, thermal impacts, availability)
• Solid contract risk capability: balanced risk allocation, back-to-back supplier terms, and quantification of contingent liabilities.

Education

• CA / MBA (Finance) / CFA preferred
• Engineering background (Electrical / Mechanical / Industrial) strongly advantageous