Green Finance Policy Principal Consultant

Overview

Role: Green Finance Policy - Principal Consultant

Location: Hybrid role based in Oxfordshire, Manchester, Glasgow, London or Madrid.

Role ID: 2023 - 1849

Our vision is to create a safe and sustainable world

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company, listed on the London Stock Exchange. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Energy & Environment, one of Ricardo plc’s five operating business units, is a leader in sustainability consultancy, solving complex environmental challenges through industry-leading analysis, advice and data. With more than 40 years of heritage in addressing air quality, environmental and sustainability issues, our customers value us for our deep understanding and breadth of services covering the entire value chain from evidence, policy & strategy to implementation.

We are currently looking for a Green Finance Policy - Principal Consultant to join our Environmental Policy Team.

Role Purpose

Working in multi-disciplinary teams, you will help to win, manage and deliver high-profile projects that play an integral role in contributing to our climate finance service offer including financing instrument for low-carbon and/or adaptation projects. The successful candidate will also play a pivotal role in shaping the green finance landscape across Europe by advising the European Commission on policy development, regulatory frameworks and investment strategies.

You will use your technical skills to analyse the options for investing, financing, advisory, structuring, distribution, and business development on green transition and provide insights that support policy decisions. You will develop and implement strategies relating to the EU’s Green Finance policies and funds, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, EU Taxonomy and Green Bond Standards. You will advise on sustainable investment strategies, including Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration.

You will be involved in climate finance related projects requiring skills for designing climate finance strategies at the international, national and subnational level. Such strategies require expertise and knowledge on the supply and demand side of climate finance, including public financing tools such as green bonds and how to coordinate them with central banks’ structures, but also how capital markets and impact investing products work.

You will have a good understanding of strategic and finance decisions across various sectors with a focus on green transition in both established and emerging markets. You will be familiar with providing advisory support services to public and private investors and related actors supporting the identification, preparation, development and implementation of viable sustainable investments at project and corporate level by enhancing the capacity of project promoters and financial intermediaries to develop and implement such financing and investment operations.

You will also have opportunity to support the development of more junior colleagues.

Key competencies and experience

• Qualified to a Master’s degree level in finance, economics or environmental sciences.

• Previous experience in leading or working on proposals and projects for international organisations and/or European Commission and/or national governments.

• Demonstrable experience in some of the following.

• Capacity building, market development and investment advisory.

• Advise on capacity building.

• Select quality projects through a rigorous process.

• Develop & conduct webinars.

• Run training sessions.

• Produce guidance materials.

• Create mentors’ scheme to pass on learnings to other cohorts.

• International climate funds (e.g. CIF, GCF, CFA) and Sustainability investments.

• EU Green Finance policies, including on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, EU Taxonomy and Green Bond Standards.

• Ability to explain complex green finance concepts to a non-finance audience.

• Highly numerate, with a track record in carrying out quantitative analysis. Ability to develop and implement innovative strategies and solutions in the field of green finance, sustainability and climate change.

• Capacity to manage projects, set the technical direction and delegate to deliver work effectively and efficiently. providing subject matter expertise and fostering collaborative environment.

• Stakeholder engagement: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders.

• An understanding of environmental issues, and national/EU/international policy, gained during studies or work experience.

• Fluency in English.

Desirable

• Track record in writing winning proposals.
• Experience in wider business development activities and relationship building.
• Fluency in Spanish or other European languages.

Skills and behaviours

• Demonstrate a passion for the drive to create a more sustainable world, and a clear motivation to work for Ricardo and align with its values.
• Enjoy solving complex analytical problems.
• Demonstrate exceptional critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills.
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Come to work with flexibility, resilience and enthusiasm.
• Be accurate and attentive to detail.
• Be an effective and proactive team worker.

Working here

Ricardo is an exciting and rewarding place to work and you have the opportunity to make a difference. You will work with teams of talented, dedicated, and supportive individuals. Alongside having a fantastic opportunity to develop your career with us through our broad range of projects, mentoring opportunities and a personalised approach to your learning and development. We are always keen to hear from people who have driven, ambition and a flair for innovative thinking.

Wellbeing and work life balance

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that's working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential. Our People are important to us, and we take pride in our wellbeing programmes and policies that support individuals including flexible working, carers policy, mental health first aiders and readily available support through our extensive Employee Assistance programme.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and ensure a culture of inclusivity, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next Steps

Once you have submitted your application a member of our Recruitment Team will be in touch. Please be aware that the timing can vary dependent on the volume of applications that we receive for each role and in some cases, we may start to review applications prior to the closing date.