Commercial Controller at ASCENDING LLC – Reston, Virginia

Title: Commercial Project Controller
Location: Reston, VA, Miami, FL, Houston, TX , Atlanta, GA (preference for Northern VA but mostly a remote role with occasional business travel if necessary).
Term: Full Time, Direct Hire
Position Overview
Our client delivers turnkey clean energy and power infrastructure solutions across the Americas. We design, build, and operate advanced Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and mission-critical networks for data centers, utilities, and industrial clients. Our technology-first mindset powers systems from SCADA to cloud—and everything in between.
About The Position
The Commercial Project Controller plays a critical role in supporting the sales process by ensuring that new project opportunities are financially sound, commercially viable, and aligned with the company's risk appetite. This role partners closely with cross-functional teams to evaluate deal structures, translate contractual terms into financial outcomes, and support informed decision-making throughout the sales cycle. By strengthening deal quality and improving financial visibility, the Commercial Project Controller helps optimize margins, reduce risk, and enable successful project execution.
What You'll Do

• Develop project financial models, cash-flow forecasts, and profitability analyses for new sales opportunities.
• Assess and structure commercial terms, including payment schedules, warranties, guarantees, and liquidated damages (LDs), to align with financial targets and risk guidelines.
• Partner closely with Sales, Sales Engineering, Procurement, Project Management, Legal, and Finance to evaluate assumptions and support contract negotiations.
• Translate contractual language into clear financial implications and provide actionable recommendations to leadership.
• Identify key financial risks within project proposals and prepare concise financial summaries for internal approval processes.
• Apply a strong understanding of revenue recognition principles to ensure deal structures are accurate, compliant, and support proper financial reporting.
• Support the standardization of pricing tools and continuously improve modeling accuracy across the sales cycle.
• Ensure a seamless handover from sales to project execution by providing complete and accurate commercial documentation.
• Contribute to margin optimization and improved forecasting accuracy through scenario analysis and benchmarking.
• Strengthen overall deal quality and financial outcomes across the project pipeline

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong financial modeling, cash-flow forecasting, and project profitability analysis skills.
• Solid understanding of commercial contract terms and their financial impact
• Knowledge of revenue recognition principles and financial compliance requirements
• Experience working cross-functionally with sales, legal, project, and finance teams
• Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder-management skills
• Ability to clearly present financial insights and recommendations to leadership
• Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to risk identification and mitigation

What You'll Bring

• A commercial mindset with strong financial rigor
• The ability to balance growth opportunities with risk management
• A collaborative approach and comfort working in a fast-paced, project-driven environment