• Move from delivering projects to shaping investment decisions
• Work across emerging tech, renewables, and next-gen climate assets
• Apply your engineering expertise in a high-impact commercial role

Vice President – Investment Engineering
Location: Sydney, Australia

Our client is a climate-focused investment business deploying capital into the technologies, assets, and operating companies enabling the net-zero transition. With a global footprint and a growing presence in Australia, the team invests across a wide range of sectors including energy transition, circular economy, advanced materials, infrastructure, and next-generation industrial processes.
Their model blends deep technical capability with hands-on commercial involvement. Rather than being a passive investor, the team actively partners with founders, operators, and developers to build and scale world-changing climate enterprises.

Why This Role Will Appeal

This is not a traditional engineering, delivery, or developer-side job.

It’s designed for someone who has seen how projects actually get built, understands the realities of technology performance, and is now looking to apply that experience across multiple technologies, investment types, and commercial models.

Ideal for someone who is:

• Eager for more variety than delivering the same project types year after year
• Frustrated by a narrow pipeline and wants broader intellectual challenge
• Motivated to work across emerging technologies, early-stage concepts, and mature assets
• Excited by the chance to bridge engineering, strategy, and investment decision-making
• Curious about how capital shapes the future of the energy transition

If you’re technically strong but commercially minded — and looking to step into a bigger, more strategic role — this offers a unique platform.

The Role

As Vice President – Investment Engineering, you will provide technical and commercial evaluation on a diverse range of investment opportunities across Australia and international markets. Your expertise may come from power systems, renewable energy, process engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a similar technical foundation.
You will assess opportunities from early-stage technology evaluation through to project development, asset acquisition, and ongoing asset optimisation.
Depending on your background, your focus may lean toward:

Process, Circular Economy & Emerging Technologies:
Anaerobic digestion, waste-to-feed, pyrolysis, phase change materials, green concrete, advanced materials, recycling, and related process technologies.

Energy, Storage & Infrastructure:
Solar, batteries, hybrid systems, thermal technologies, transmission, grid studies, system design, commissioning, and network integration.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical & Commercial Due Diligence: Evaluate technology performance, scalability, risks, and bankability.
• Investment Analysis: Translate engineering and operational insight into commercial recommendations for investment papers and decision forums.
• Contract Review: Support review of EPC, O&M, and project agreements to ensure alignment with investment requirements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with developers, operators, advisors, and partners.
• Cross-Border Collaboration: Work with international counterparts to align global investment insights.
• Asset Management: Support post-investment optimisation, performance monitoring, and risk mitigation.
• Technology Assessment: Evaluate technology readiness, supply chain/feedstock risk, system design, grid access, and long-term operating assumptions.

Ideal Background We encourage applications from candidates with diverse technical backgrounds. You may bring:

• 10–15 years’ experience in Process, Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Power Systems or Renewable Energy Engineering.
• Experience delivering or evaluating renewable energy, storage, industrial or process technologies, or major infrastructure assets.
• Project development, engineering design, major project delivery, asset operations, or technical advisory experience.
• Confidence reviewing EPC/O&M contracts and commercial structures.
• Strong analytical and written communication skills.
• An entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to challenge assumptions, form independent views, and drive value.
• Genuine passion for climate, sustainability, and emerging technologies.

Location & Travel This position is based full-time in Sydney.
Some limited international travel may be required.

Diversity We value and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

How to Apply This recruitment process is being managed by Phillip Riley.
For a confidential discussion or to apply, please contact:

Matt Hayes – 02 9044 5732 | matt@phillipriley.com.au