Director, Climate and Environment

Palladium: Make It Possible; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Palladium: Make It Possible seeks a Director, Climate and Environment to lead and secure a portfolio of climate and environment contracts in the UK. The role focuses on market-facing leadership, client relationships, and delivering projects to Palladium standards.

The successful candidate will drive growth, oversee complex delivery, and shape compelling offers for donors, governments, and private sector partners, while leading a team in Palladium’s London office.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated programme leadership experience in climate, environment, forestry, land use or natural resource governance.
• Proven success winning work for FCDO and with other donors.
• Experience overseeing large, complex delivery portfolios with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong strategic thinking, systems view and commercial judgement.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development and capture efforts to win new contracts.
• Oversee contract delivery, ensuring alignment with client expectations and financial targets.
• Provide technical leadership and quality assurance across the project portfolio.
• Serve as Project Director where required, ensuring governance and results.
• Coach, mentor staff and foster a high-performing, inclusive team culture.
• Collaborate across teams to deliver integrated client solutions.

Skills

Programme leadership

Climate & environment

Forest governance

FCDO bidding

Stakeholder management

Job description

About Palladium

Operating in over 50 countries, Palladium is a global consulting and implementation company working in partnership with governments, businesses, investors, and communities to design and deliver solutions that create lasting positive impact. We address some of the world’s most complex challenges across infrastructure, economic growth and natural capital, health, energy, climate and environment, and digital transformation—strengthening systems, institutions, and markets to support inclusive and sustainable development. Our more than 2,100 staff worldwide work as trusted advisors across diverse contexts, combining deep technical expertise, implementation techniques, and innovative technology to deliver locally informed, client-focused solutions that help organisations achieve measurable, sustainable impact.

Palladium is part of GISI’s global family of companies, which aims to create solutions for the world’s most complex challenges. With annual revenues of $14 billion, GISI’s approximately 15,000 employees are engaged in projects across 100 countries worldwide providing construction, program/project management, and engineering consulting services.

This Opportunity

The mission of Palladium’s UKEA Partnership Climate and Environment Practice is to support governments, donors and the private sector to deliver climate-resilient, nature-positive development through policy and institutional reform, landscape- and jurisdiction-level approaches, mobilising private capital and large-scale delivery that strengthen forest governance, sustainable land use and climate resilience.

Palladium is seeking a Director, Climate and Environment to continue the growth of the business by successfully securing and delivering a portfolio of contracts. Acting as a primary client-facing representative of the company, the individual is expected to develop trusted relations with their clients by understanding their needs; addressing those needs in market leading proposals; and delivering services to meet their expectations. The post holder will be responsible to ensure that the projects are delivered to client requirements and Palladium quality standards and against forecast with technical solutions remaining at the forefront of industry requirements. The ideal candidate is a seasoned programme director with specific experience leading FCDO funded programmes including teams (40%), but also has the demonstrated know how in shaping compelling offers to diversify winning business with other donors, governments or private sector clients (60%).

Location

The position will be based in Palladium’s London office. Please note that applicants must have the right to work in the UK, as visa sponsorship is not available for this role.

Palladium follows a hybrid working model, with three days in the office and two days remote.

Reporting Lines

• The Director, Climate and Environment will report to the Practice Lead, Climate and Environment
• This role will lead a corporate team of 6-7 individuals + line reporting for team leaders for programmes where they serve as Programme Director
• This role will liaise with Group finance, strategy, business development, and communications as well as senior government officials, private sector clients and strategic partners

Primary Responsibilities

Drive Business Growth

• Lead business development and capture efforts, mobilizing teams and partners to win new contracts
• Build and strengthen client relationships, positioning Palladium as a trusted partner
• Identify and pursue new opportunities that drive sustainable portfolio growth
• Assess client needs, market trends, and bid requirements to inform strategy
• Monitor bid performance and proactively address risks and challenges

Deliver Impactful Contracts

• Oversee successful contract delivery, ensuring alignment with client expectations and company standards
• Deliver projects on time, on budget, and in line with financial targets
• Provide technical leadership and quality assurance across the project portfolio
• Serve as Project Director where required, ensuring strong governance and results
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance project quality and performance
• Collaborate across business units to deliver integrated client solutions

Raise Palladium’s Profile

• Strengthen Palladium’s market position to enhance contract opportunities and win rates
• Lead targeted business development and marketing initiatives in priority markets
• Develop and promote thought leadership that showcases Palladium’s expertise
• Build trusted client relationships through networking, events, strategic engagements, and advisory support
• Collaborate across teams to advance intellectual property, service offerings, and delivery excellence

Supporting Responsibilities

• Coach, mentor, and develop staff while fostering a high-performing and inclusive team culture
• Contribute to business leadership and strategic decision-making
• Champion Palladium’s sustainability, diversity, inclusion, and safeguarding commitments
• Model Palladium’s values, behaviors, and professional standards
• Support continuous business growth through strong leadership, project delivery, and client engagement

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrated programme leadership experience in climate, environment, forestry, land use or natural resource governance
• Demonstrated track record in forest governance, nature-based programmes, climate adaptation, or relevant areali>
• Proven success winning work for FCDO and with other donors
• Experience overseeing large, complex delivery portfolios with multiple stakeholders

Core Skills

• Strategic, systems-level thinker with strong commercial judgement
• Able to communicate complex climate and environmental issues clearly to technical and non-technical audience
• Strong people leader committed to performance and accountability
• Exceptional communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent written communication skills with a strong focus on quality, accuracy, and attention to detail

Desirable Criteria

• Experience working with climate adaptation and climate resilience
• Existing relationships with DFIs, MDBs, climate and nature initiatives
• Experience designing and delivering adaptation and resilience programmes, including locally led adaptation approaches

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply early as the position may close once a suitable candidate is found. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion - Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice. We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics. These include: (but are not limited to) socio-economic background, age, race, gender identity and expression, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, veteran, marital or Indigenous status.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made during the recruitment process (due to disability, neurodiversity, or for any other circumstance), please email our team at [e-mail] and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding - We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.