Commercial Lead - Distributed Energy & BESS

D'Arcy Weil is representing one of Australia's largest and most established downstream energy businesses — a company with a substantial national infrastructure footprint spanning fuel distribution, convenience retail, and commercial energy operations. The business is now actively deploying its distributed asset base as a strategic energy portfolio, transitioning behind-the-meter battery capacity and positioning itself as an active participant in Australia's National Electricity Market.

A DER Commercial Lead is sought to take full ownership of the commercial development and delivery of this program — from investment case through to procurement, contracting, and market participation.

Team Overview: This is a foundational commercial leadership role within a newly established energy business unit. The incoming DER Commercial Lead will be expected to build process where little exists, lead across technology, legal, finance, and operations functions without direct line authority, and translate a large and complex distributed asset base into a commercially optimised, market-facing portfolio. The mandate is genuine, the scale is national, and the resources of a major corporate platform sit behind it.

Job Overview: A commercially and technically capable leader with demonstrated experience in large-scale BESS or DER program delivery is sought to own the end-to-end commercial development of a national behind-the-meter battery portfolio — structuring deals, managing program complexity, and driving deployment at pace across a geographically dispersed asset base.

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Development & Investment

• Develop and own the business case for the BESS program, securing investment approval from senior leadership and relevant stakeholders
• Build and maintain program financial models linking asset performance data to commercial returns
• Define the operating model and commercial framework for the program across the full asset portfolio

Procurement & Contracting

• Lead procurement activities including negotiation of EPC, supply, and O&M contracts at scale
• Structure back-to-back risk arrangements across a complex, multi-vendor supply chain
• Manage relationships with technology vendors, energy market counterparties, financiers, and legal advisors

Market Participation

• Develop the commercial framework enabling direct participation in NEM wholesale and ancillary services markets including FCAS
• Engage with energy market bodies on market entry, registration, and ongoing compliance requirements
• Build and manage relationships with energy market counterparties across wholesale and ancillary services

Program Delivery

• Oversee program budgets, schedules, milestones, and risk across the full delivery lifecycle
• Work across technology, legal, finance, and operations teams to ensure coordinated and effective program execution
• Ensure site-level technical requirements are met without compromising operational integrity across the asset base

Desired Skills & Experience

• Tertiary qualification in Electrical or Power Systems Engineering, Finance, Business, or a related discipline
• Demonstrated experience in commercial or program leadership of large-scale BESS or DER initiatives
• Proven capability negotiating high-value EPC, supply, and O&M contracts; back-to-back risk structuring highly regarded
• Strong understanding of the National Electricity Market including wholesale market participation, FCAS, and ancillary services
• Financial modelling capability — able to build and interrogate models linking technical asset performance to commercial outcomes
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs without direct line authority
• Demonstrated capability building programs and process in environments where structure does not yet exist
• Experience with distributed asset orchestration, aggregation, or VPP operations advantageous
• Experience engaging with AEMO or AER on market entry or registration advantageous
• Eligibility to work in Australia

Career Advancement: A foundational commercial leadership role within a nationally operating downstream energy business at the forefront of Australia's distributed energy transition — with genuine scope to shape the commercial model and build a market-facing energy portfolio from the ground up.

Package & Benefits

• Financial: Competitive remuneration; performance-based bonus; annual remuneration review
• Vehicle: Novated lease options including EV vehicles
• Flexibility: Hybrid working model; Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane location options
• Lifestyle: Access to corporate discounts across health insurance, fitness memberships, travel, and accommodation
• Leave: Generous annual leave entitlements; paid parental leave; personal, carers, and compassionate leave; paid volunteer leave
• Wellbeing: Confidential employee assistance programme available to you and immediate family members
• Development: Genuine opportunity to build a market-leading distributed energy capability within a major Australian corporate platform

Applications: Applications are invited online in the first instance. Alongside a current CV, candidates are asked to submit a concise cover letter addressing the following:

• A summary of BESS or DER commercial and program leadership experience — the scale of assets managed, the commercial frameworks developed, and the outcomes achieved
• Specific examples of EPC, supply, or O&M contract negotiations — deal size, complexity, risk structuring approach, and outcome
• Their understanding of NEM wholesale market participation and ancillary services — the nature of their involvement and the market registration or entry processes navigated
• Financial modelling experience — the models built, the inputs used, and how outputs informed commercial decision-making
• Examples of leading cross-functional programs without direct authority — the stakeholder challenge and how alignment was achieved

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted within 48 hours and provided with a comprehensive candidate pack detailing the role and wider mandate ahead of an initial interview with a D'Arcy Weil consultant.

For further information please contact Ivan Pignataro on 0416 507 856 or (03) 9999 7409 or ***email_hidden***