Senior Manager, Climate Diplomacy

We are now looking for a Senior Manager to help the Climate Diplomacy team at Opportunity Green expand its engagement across other high-emitting sectors. We are open to UK and Belgium-based candidates.

About us Established in 2021, Opportunity Green is a fast-growing not-for-profit organisation that helps to identify and unlock opportunities to tackle climate change. We build ambitious coalitions, support climate vulnerable countries in international negotiations and find innovative legal pathways to fight climate change.

The Climate Diplomacy team works to support climate vulnerable countries in their efforts to bring down emissions from high emitting sectors through multilateral negotiations and agreements, with a particular focus on securing the climate finance these countries need. We are well-established in pushing for climate ambition at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), where we are one of the only advocacy organisations systematically engaging delegations in advance of and during IMO negotiations. We support champions directly and provide technical capacity support and policy briefings that meaningfully shift positions.

We are now looking for a Senior Manager to help the team expand its engagement across other high-emitting sectors.

What’s the role? As a Senior Manager, Climate Diplomacy you will support Opportunity Green’s efforts to build ambitious international country coalitions that accelerate climate action and deliver climate justice at international forums across high emitting sectors. Working closely with climate vulnerable countries, policymakers and civil society partners you will develop and deliver diplomatic advocacy that increases ambition, secures equitable outcomes and strengthens participation in negotiations.

Reporting to the Senior Director, Climate Diplomacy, a core focus will be aviation and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), but you will also be expected to provide leadership to and support the work of the wider Climate Diplomacy team across the board and help to ensure that our work at ICAO is aligned with our strategy and work elsewhere, such as in the IMO and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

To achieve this, you will build relationships with key delegations at ICAO, maintain engagement year-round and manage the development and delivery of high-quality technical briefs, reports and factsheets that are shared with delegates in advance of international meetings.

You will also collaborate with OG’s analytics, advocacy and legal teams as required to increase the impact of our work as an organisation, as well as working alongside our communications team to ensure that our messages are delivered effectively. You will likely also be involved in fundraising, whether attending meetings with funders or writing fundraising reports. You will likely have line management responsibilities in time.

Location options UK: London-based (2 days per week in office) or remote elsewhere in the UK, as long as travel to the office in London for two consecutive days per month is feasible. Belgium: Brussels-based (2 days per week in office) or remote elsewhere in Belgium as long as regular travel to Brussels is feasible, with travel bimonthly to London.

About the candidate We are looking for a candidate with the following essential experience: A passion for using their skills to tackle climate change, with an ability to strategically work with global policymakers to provide them with the support they need to increase ambition

Existing international networks – particularly if relevant to our core sectors.

Experience navigating and engaging in multilateral negotiations.

Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Active listening skills, negotiation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders.

Desirable skills and experience: We do not expect any candidate to have all skills listed below but rather we look for transferable skills and potential as well as past experience.

Strong understanding of and experience influencing climate policy in international fora.

Extensive international networks and experience working with a diverse range of policymakers to improve and drive ambition through diplomacy, especially in an international context. As a large portion of your work will involve engagement with rightsholders from climate vulnerable countries, we particularly value applications from those with lived and/or professional experience in those countries.

Experience of generating realistic, ambitious and implementable policy ideas to drive climate ambition, including ‘in the moment’.

Familiarity with aviation decarbonisation, especially in the context of ICAO negotiations.

Experience of working with the media to become a trusted contact and generate strategic communication moments.

An engaging public speaker with experience of communicating to varied audiences.

Ability to think critically, independently and creatively.

Committed to collaboration, curiosity and continuous learning.

Commitment to Opportunity Green’s mission and values.

Diversity and inclusion Diversity and inclusion are important principles at Opportunity Green. We believe that diversity and inclusion make teams stronger and more effective. We are committed to fair and equitable employment practices, and we are striving to ensure that a variety of voices and experiences are included in our organisation. Our commitment to diversity and our parental leave policy are available to view on our website.

We will consider all applicants who meet most or all of the essential competencies regardless of their identity or background. That said, we know that diverse candidates may be reluctant to apply for jobs where they don’t meet 100% of the criteria outlined in the job description. We encourage anyone to apply who can demonstrate the variety of skills and experiences relevant to meeting the requirements of this role.

We recognise that many diverse experiences and perspectives are not represented in our current workforce, and are seriously underrepresented across the non-profit sector in general, and as such, we particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities, people from the global majority, people from marginalised communities, and members of LGBTQIA+ communities.

What we offer – UK The successful candidate will be offered an annual salary of £60,000 plus 10% employer-contributed pension. Please note that Opportunity Green has fixed salary scales, with the possibility of step increases with strong performance. When hiring we always hire at the bottom of a band and do not enter negotiations with new employees as negotiations have been historically shown to disadvantage women and minoritised communities.

For candidates who have an existing temporary right to work in the UK, we are able to offer visa sponsorship after a year of working with Opportunity Green. We welcome applications from global majority candidates, particularly those with experience working in countries on the front lines of the fight against climate change. However, please note that while we are able to support this under current Home Office rules, there is no guarantee that any future visa application will be approved.

We take our team’s well-being and professional development seriously. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:

A commitment to work/life balance, with a 4-day work week at 28 hours.

A generous holiday entitlement of 20 days’ holiday per year, plus bank holidays and office closure between Christmas and New Year’s that does not count towards your holiday entitlement (and expectation that you fully disconnect when taking time off).

A market-leading pension of 10%.

A progressive family leave policy, including 26 weeks’ paid leave for the new parent, as well as other support.

Lots of flexibility within a hybrid working arrangement, with regular opportunities to come together as a team.

Support for your professional development as part of Opportunity Green, with a budget to support your learning & development plus opportunities to lead projects, publish content, learn from experts, work directly with policymakers and stakeholders, and take part in conferences and events.

However, it is important to note that while this role is permanent, employment is always reliant on Opportunity Green continuing to receive philanthropic support from our funders, which we expect every member of the team to play their part in working towards.

What we offer – Belgium The successful candidate will be offered a monthly salary of €5,028.74 plus 8% employer-contributed pension. Please note that Opportunity Green has fixed salary scales, with the possibility of step increases with strong performance. When hiring we always hire at the bottom of a band and do not enter negotiations with new employees as negotiations have been historically shown to disadvantage women and minorities.

Please note that while we are approved to sponsor visas in the UK we are not currently able to sponsor visas in Belgium, and so you will need a permanent right to work in the country.

We take our team’s well-being and professional development seriously. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer:

A commitment to work/life balance, with a 4-day work week at 28 hours.

A generous holiday entitlement of 20 days’ holiday per year, made up of 16 legal annual leave days and 4 extra-legal holiday days, plus Belgian bank holidays. Additional office closure between Christmas and New Year’s that does not count towards your holiday entitlement (and expectation that you fully disconnect when taking time off).

A market-leading pension of 8%.

A progressive family leave policy, including 26 weeks’ paid leave for the new parent, as well as other support.

Lots of flexibility within a hybrid working arrangement, with regular opportunities to come together as a team.

Support for your professional development as part of Opportunity Green, with a budget to support your learning & development plus opportunities to lead projects, publish content, learn from experts, work directly with policymakers and stakeholders, and take part in conferences and events.

However, it is important to note that while this role is permanent, employment is always reliant on Opportunity Green continuing to receive philanthropic support from our funders, which we expect every member of the team to play their part in working towards.