Principal Consultant, Climate Policy, Finance and Carbon Markets

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Our Project Sourcing team works hand in hand with project owners and developers, active in the carbon markets and renewable energy space, to identify, negotiate and contract new emission reduction projects. By acquiring new projects within our portfolio, we ensure that South Pole always has the right mix of carbon credits available to meet the demands of our clients. If you’re an ambitious and dynamic sustainability professional with a strong passion to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, this position may be right for you!

Job summary:

South Pole is looking for a Principal Consultant to strengthen our team in LATAM and play a key role in international consultancy assignments and business development efforts. The Principle Consultant will ensure the timely delivery of high-quality consultancy assignmentsto international clients oncarbon markets/finance/climate policy topics for the mainly the public sector.

You will befully accountable for the development and overall management of proposals on climate change policies, carbon markets and climate finance and for the implementation of projects. You will manage a small team of consultants and be expected to support its growth. You will provide technical guidance to project teams and act as the main point of contact for clients. You will also leverage your vast technical expertise and your network to drive business development activities and generate new leads. In addition, you will contribute to the development of new products and solutions at South Pole to address carbon challenges.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

• Lead the planning, management and execution of highly complex/very large consulting mandates for the finance/public sectors on carbon markets/finance/climate policy to ensure the most efficient and highest-quality implementation

• As a senior expert, provide supervision, guidance onand technical leadership in international consulting mandates and proposals, as well as lead their technical review

• Develop new consulting business opportunities and collaborate closely with the Key Account Management team

• Interact and build relationships with our local and international clients, and contribute to the winning and timely delivery of consulting mandates

• Develop and improve specialised skills and knowledge linked to the topics and services offered by South Pole

• Lead the development of South Pole’s thought leadership, services, products, marketing materials and offerings

• Lead and directly manage small teams of consultants in a multi-stakeholder and multi-geographies context

• Participate in business strategy and leadership-relevant internal discussions to position our consulting activities within South Pole's overall business and offering

• Topics of engagement include Carbon Market Instruments, Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, climate policy implementation and financing, Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) advisory, CORSIA advisory, and carbon offset procurement strategies

• Other topics of engagement may include: climate mitigation and adaptation finance, innovative financing solutions, policy recommendations, blended/concessional finance schemes, sustainable development plans and strategies (e.g. NDCs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Requirements:

Essential -

• University degree, ideally at a Master’s level or higher, in a sustainability-related field such as Finance,Economics, Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Political Sciences, or related disciplines; Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Finance, Economics or related disciplines

• Relevant knowledge of Green/Climate Finance both nationally and internationally; climate policy, carbon markets, climate finance and/or corporate sustainability

• Awareness of current national and international policy developments with regard to climate change and sustainable development

• Relevant work experience (the expectation is a minimum of 10 years), at least partly in corporate consulting

• Excellent technical project supervision skills and ability to guide project teams

• Excellent stakeholder and client management skills, including ability to lead contract negotiations

• Industry-relevant connections, with a network of potential clients, collaborators and other relevant stakeholders such as governments, development finance institutions, development agencies, and other public or private donors/stakeholders, particularly in LAC region

• Deep understanding of environmental sustainability challenges and specific consultancy experience in the relevant areas of the practice

• Commercial skills and good business sense so as to be able to identify and seize opportunities in a challenging and competitive market environment

• Leadership and strategic management experience.

• Excellent oral and written skills in English and Spanish, Portuguese will be an asset

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with specific communication experienceto senior decision makers (such as C-Suite) and across a range of stakeholders.

Desirable - 

• Experience working with and implementing activities with large multilateral funding mechanism and/or multi-stakeholder platforms

• Demonstrable interest in working on climate change mitigation projects, programmes or instruments across sectors and technologies, especially in Latin American countries

• A Master’s degree will be an advantage

• Practical experience in change management and sustainability strategy development

• Good working knowledge of all Google Suite applications and MS Word

• Diligent, reliable and proactive

• Fully comfortable operating in a fast-paced international environment

• Excellent prioritisation and time management skills

• Ability to work in Englishand/or Spanish

What we offer:

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organisation. 

We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make and South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.