Chief Financial Officer Greater Boston, MA Area

Description

About Us

Great River Hydro is New England’s largest producer of conventional hydropower. We own and operate 13 generating stations and three storage-only reservoirs along the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers, providing clean, renewable, and reliable energy to New England.

Our mission and vision guide our work every day—to be a trusted leader in New England’s energy transition by growing and diversifying our generation while leveraging our legacy assets. Backed by more than 100 skilled professionals, we operate with a strong safety culture and a commitment to responsible stewardship.

Together, our mission, vision, and values drive a strong safety culture and operational excellence, enabling GRH to deliver reliable, renewable energy while serving as a trusted partner to the communities and region we proudly support.

We are seeking dynamic individuals who thrive in fast-paced environments and prioritize safety in every task, ensuring a secure atmosphere for all. Our ideal candidates will demonstrate a commitment to delivering reliable solutions while embracing a culture of stewardship—taking responsibility for their actions and the impact they have on our community and environment. Trustworthiness is at the core of our operations; we value team members who build strong relationships based on integrity and transparency. Join us in shaping a future where these values drive success and innovation.

Role Summary

Great River Hydro is seeking an experienced, strategic, and growth-oriented Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead the organization's financial operations, capital strategy, treasury, regulatory finance, and risk management functions.

Reporting directly to the President & CEO, the CFO serves as a core member of the executive leadership team and a strategic business partner to the Board of Directors, ensuring financial discipline aligns with the expectations of our shareholder, Hydro-Québec—including the consistent generation of robust cash flow and shareholder dividends. In this uniquely comprehensive leadership scope, the CFO directly oversees Accounting, Payroll, Procurement, Human Resources, and IT, consolidating all critical internal support and operational infrastructure touchpoints under a single executive umbrella.

While asset optimization is driven by Commercial Operations, the CFO plays a vital, partnership-driven role in major capital deployment and commercial strategy. The position works closely with the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) to evaluate and optimize commercial strategies across GRH’s mix of long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and a material merchant position in the ISO-NE market, capitalizing on the operational flexibility of our ~600 MW hydro asset base and material storage capabilities.

Equally important, the CFO works hand-in-hand with the Chief Operating Officer (COO) to ensure that the operational and financial elements of every investment underwriting model are accurate, complete, and sustainable. Specifically, every investment thesis must incorporate a rigorous undertaking by the GRH operations team to reliably deliver on generation (MWhs) over the life of the project while maintaining strict discipline on operational expenditure (Opex) baselines to safeguard projected ROIs.

Furthermore, the CFO is a key participant in the Board-approved Investment Committee, providing rigorous review, financial underwriting, and stress-testing of all investment theses and capital allocation requests.

This role requires occasional travel to asset sites, located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont.

Responsibilities

Executive Financial Strategy, Governance & Shareholder Alignment

Formulates and executes long-term financial strategies aligned with GRH’s core mission: optimizing ~600 MW of flexible hydro assets in New England, capturing seasonal and peak-market premiums via material storage capabilities, and advancing decarbonization goals;

Serves as the primary financial liaison to the Board of Directors, presenting multi-year financial forecasts, capital expenditure plans, cash flow analyses, and risk mitigation strategies;

Drives financial planning, working capital management, and capital structuring designed to meet the strategic and operational expectations of shareholder Hydro-Québec, prioritizing long-term value creation and reliable dividend generation;

Capital Deployment, Investment Committee & Operational Alignment

Serves as a core partner in the diligence, financial review, and executive sign-off for all major capital deployment decisions;

Acts as a primary stakeholder in the Board-approved Investment Committee, facilitating robust, institutional-grade reviews of all GRH underwriting models, capital budgets, and strategic investment theses;

Partners closely with the COO to ensure every investment thesis includes a reliable, binding undertaking by operations to deliver projected generation (MWhs) over the asset lifecycle and stays disciplined on Opex baselines necessary to achieve target ROIs;

Commercial Strategy & Market Partnership

Partners closely with the CCO to optimize GRH's commercial positioning, balancing the revenue stability of long-term PPAs with the value-capture of a material merchant footprint in the ISO-NE market;

Assesses financial implications of FERC relicensing, state clean energy mandates, environmental compliance, and infrastructure modernization initiatives;

Directs enterprise risk management (ERM), evaluating energy price volatility, interest rate exposure, counterparty risk, and physical asset insurance strategies;

Treasury, Capital Markets & Project Finance

Oversees enterprise cash management, working capital, debt covenant compliance, and credit facility administration;

Structures debt and equity financing arrangements to optimize the company’s capital structure and reduce the weighted average cost of capital (WACC);

Manages relationships with institutional investors, commercial lenders, rating agencies, insurance brokers, and financial advisors;

Core Financial Operations (FP&A, Accounting, Payroll & Tax)

Leads the annual budgeting, rolling forecast, and long-range planning processes, translating operational fleet metrics and ISO-NE market dynamics into clear financial models;

Directs full-scope financial accounting operations, revenue recognition (ISO-NE energy, capacity, and ancillary services markets), tax compliance, payroll processing, and GAAP/FERC audit integrity;

Maintains a robust internal controls environment to safeguard company assets;

Cross-Executive Support Oversight (HR, Procurement, & IT)

Provides strategic executive oversight for Human Resources, driving talent acquisition, organizational development, executive compensation, and cultural alignment;

Directs Procurement and Supply Chain functions to optimize capital project delivery, vendor contract negotiations, and fleet-wide operating expense efficiency;

Oversees Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, enterprise cybersecurity, digital transformation initiatives, and OT/IT integration to secure operational data and enhance analytical capabilities; and

Performs other duties as required.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or Business Administration required. Master of Business Administration (MBA) or CPA/CFA preferred;

Minimum of 15+ years of progressively responsible financial leadership, with 5+ years in a CFO, VP of Finance, or equivalent senior executive capacity within the power generation, renewable energy, utility, or infrastructure sectors;

Direct experience managing financials for generation assets (hydro preferred), working within wholesale power markets (ISO-NE), and leveraging asset flexibility/storage for commercial optimization;

Proven capability managing multi-disciplinary corporate functions (Finance alongside HR, IT, and Procurement) within an asset-owning operating company; and

Exceptional executive communication, negotiation skills, and a collaborative approach to driving enterprise-wide value creation.

Salary Range: $250,000-$300,000/year BOE + Bonus

Great River Hydro is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Great River Hydro is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected status.