The Company

Our client is a technology driven energy company focused on optimizing renewable energy and grid-scale battery operations through advanced data analytics and machine learning.

Role Overview

Our client seeks an experienced accounting advisor for an hourly consulting assignment supporting its retail electricity business. Based on-site in Houston, this engagement requires Chief Accounting Officer–level expertise to improve accounting practices, financial reporting, and operational controls.

The consultant will partner closely with the Accounting Manager and existing staff to establish effective procedures, provide practical guidance, and prepare them to oversee the function independently. The assignment carries no direct reports or recruitment duties.

Candidates should bring substantial retail power accounting experience, preferably gained as a CAO, Controller, or comparable senior leader. Success requires both strategic insight and detailed execution – from advising executives on control structures to resolving invoicing, market settlement, and period-end accounting issues alongside the Houston team.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Act as our client’s primary technical resource for retail electricity accounting, based at its Houston location
• Establish a documented control structure for the retail business, covering operating guidelines, workflows, and checkpoints for invoicing, market settlements, and financial disclosures
• Recommend updates to the parent company’s account structure, period-end timetable, and accounting standards to accommodate retail activities and continued expansion
• Coach the Accounting Manager, developing the expertise needed to oversee accounting independently once the assignment concludes
• Assist directly with customer invoicing, accrued and unbilled income, outstanding customer balances, supplier payments, intermediary fees, ISO/RTO transactions, and cash balancing
• Facilitate coordination with independent auditors and help the Accounting Manager assemble supporting records and financial statements suitable for examination
• Counsel the business on bank partnerships and readiness for future financing obligations, including covenant submissions, secured bonds, borrowing-base certifications, and collateral or margin requirements
• Help deliver complete, accurate, and punctual regulatory submissions, tax returns, and other required filings in existing territories, including ERCOT and PJM, and anticipated markets such as ISO-NE and NYISO
• Assess handoffs among accounting, finance, trading, retail operations, and settlement functions, and propose solutions for missing information or unclear responsibilities
• Collaborate with trading, operational, and settlement colleagues to capture the underlying financial performance of the retail portfolio correctly
• Evaluate enhancements to financial software, enterprise platforms, and customer billing tools that suit our client’s current needs and expected development
• Produce practical reference materials and operating instructions that enable the internal team to maintain effective controls beyond the consulting assignment
• Brief our client’s senior executives regularly on completed work, emerging concerns, and the effectiveness of accounting processes
• Contribute to other retail finance and accounting initiatives as required

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in accounting or finance, predominantly focused on retail electricity providers, with broader utility, trading, or corporate roles insufficient on their own
• A track record of establishing control structures for retail power businesses and translating GAAP requirements into appropriate financial treatment, including revenue recognition, hedging, derivatives, physical and financial energy transactions, CECL and relevant state-level considerations, and renewable energy certificate obligations
• Comprehensive knowledge of the retail electricity lifecycle across multiple markets, encompassing customer invoicing, financial processes, business operations, regulatory requirements, banking arrangements, and credit facilities, with coverage of ERCOT, PJM, ISO-NE and/or NYISO
• Thorough understanding of U.S. accounting standards, financial statement preparation, and control practices, with practical retail power expertise carrying greater weight than CPA certification
• Background coordinating with independent auditors and producing financial statements and supporting records suitable for audit review
• Demonstrated success coaching junior accounting professionals, preferably including managers transitioning into the retail electricity sector
• Availability to collaborate in person at the Houston office and contribute directly alongside the internal staff
• A practical approach and readiness to handle detailed daily work while the business continues developing its processes
• Strong Excel skills and working knowledge of accounting software such as QuickBooks Online or NetSuite, plus EDI-enabled retail billing tools and/or customer information systems
• An undergraduate qualification in accounting, finance, or a comparable discipline is desirable
• Previous project-based advisory work or service in a part-time executive or temporary leadership assignment is advantageous

Engagement Details

• Arrangement: Hourly contract assignment, available to independent professionals or specialists engaged through a consulting practice
• Work setting: Begins in person in Houston, Texas, with flexibility for a blended schedule or fully remote work once the consultant understands our client’s organizational setup
• Expected term: Roughly three to six months, potentially continuing longer if additional support is needed
• Responsibilities: Partners directly with the Accounting Manager, without supervising employees or overseeing recruitment
• Fees: Negotiated hourly based on the candidate’s depth of retail power accounting expertise, the initial in-person requirements, and the available budget