Innovation Financial Manager

Job Description

The Innovation Financial Manager reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) and sits within the Enterprise Strategy Financial and Innovation Branch. The Manager leads the quantitative financial work behind the Authority’s alternative delivery, alternative funding, and commercial optimization strategies for one of the largest infrastructure programs in the United States. The role develops the financial models, capital stack scenarios, and value-for-money analyses that inform executive decisions on procurement strategy, funding blends, and risk allocation across the program. The Manager partners closely with the Commercial Advisor, the federal and state funding teams, and the Program Delivery organization, and supports the CFO in briefings to Authority leadership, the Authority Board, federal partners, and external financial stakeholders.

Position Responsibilities:

Lead Financial Modeling for Alternative Delivery and Innovative Procurement

• Develop, maintain, and stress-test financial models that evaluate alternative delivery structures, including Public-Private Partnerships (P3), progressive design-build, and co-development agreements
• Quantify the financial implications of risk transfer, payment mechanisms, and performance regimes across delivery options
• Partner with the Commercial Advisor on value-for-money (VfM) assessments that compare alternative delivery against conventional delivery baselines
• Produce procurement-stage financial inputs for project agreements, affordability ceilings, bid evaluation criteria, and negotiation positions

Drive Alternative Funding and Capital Stack Strategy

• Analyze and recommend blending strategies across Cap-and-Trade auction proceeds, Proposition 1A bond proceeds, federal formula and discretionary grants (including FSP, CRISI, and Mega), and alternative debt instruments such as RRIF, TIFIA, and Private Activity Bonds
• Build multi-year capital stack scenarios that align funding availability with construction package sequencing and program cash flow requirements
• Develop the financial analyses and briefing materials that support federal grant applications, state funding requests, and capital market engagements
• Track market conditions, peer agency transactions, and emerging financing tools relevant to passenger rail and large public infrastructure

Develop Revenue and Monetization Models

• Build and maintain models that forecast farebox, ancillary, and concession revenues across operating scenarios
• Evaluate transit-oriented development (TOD), station-area land monetization, joint development, and air-rights opportunities
• Quantify revenue risk, ramp-up assumptions, and sensitivity to demand and macroeconomic variables for use in program and corridor-level decisions

Advise the CFO and Executive Leadership on Financial Strategy

• Translate model outputs into briefings, Board materials, and decision memos for the CFO, the Authority CEO, and the Board of Directors
• Coordinate with the Office of Federal Initiatives, Legal, Program Delivery, and the Enterprise Risk and Controls Branch on integrated financial recommendations
• Represent the CFO’s office in working sessions with external financial advisors, underwriters, federal agencies, and oversight bodies as assigned
• Support the development of standards, playbooks, and analytical tooling that make financial evaluation repeatable across future procurements

Basic Job Requirements

• Accredited four (4) year degree or global equivalent in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Public Policy, or a closely related field and ten (10) years of work-related experience
• Ability to communicate effectively with audiences that include but are not limited to management, coworkers, clients, vendors, contractors, and other stakeholders 
• Job related technical knowledge necessary to complete the job 
• Ability to learn and apply knowledge of applicable local, state/province, and federal/national statutes and guidelines 
• Ability to attend to detail and work in a time-conscious and time-effective manner   

Other Job Requirements

• Progressive work experience in project finance, infrastructure, investment banking, public sector financial management, P3 advisory, or commercial advisory on megaprojects
• Demonstrated experience leading or substantially contributing to at least one large infrastructure transaction, such as a P3, design-build-finance procurement, federal credit program loan, or major discretionary grant award
• Public sector or government consulting experience strongly preferred
• High proficiency in Excel and standard financial modeling tools

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA, MPP, or a master’s degree in a quantitative discipline

• Public sector or government consulting experience strongly preferred

• Advanced financial modeling proficiency, including risk-adjusted discounted cash flow, Monte Carlo simulation, capital stack waterfalls, and value-for-money analysis
• Working knowledge of federal credit programs (RRIF, TIFIA, PABs), federal discretionary grant programs relevant to passenger rail, and California state funding sources including Cap-and-Trade and Proposition 1A
• Strong command of P3 commercial structures, including availability payment, revenue risk, and hybrid models
• Ability to translate complex financial analyses into briefings and recommendations that non-financial executives, board members, and elected officials can act on
• Strong written communication and presentation skills, with comfort presenting to executive and board-level audiences
• Ability to work across program delivery, legal, federal initiatives, and external advisor teams to build consensus on financial recommendations
• Experience with Power BI, Tableau, and/or Python for financial analytics is a plus.

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