Principal consultant - climate change

This is an exciting opportunity for a professional and consultative technical leader within an innovative and fast-paced consulting business to make a significant impact on climate change and global environmental agendas.

Our mission is to support and guide our clients to achieve low-carbon climate-resilient development. We do this through catalyzing systemic transformation, by helping them establish strong foundations for impact. We add value by speaking the language of many (through our technical, financial, cultural and local understanding), working with agility to align with our clients, and at the interplay of finance and the wider context.

As a Principal, you will bring extensive experience delivering low-carbon climate-resilient development. You will lead and manage a team of direct reports setting and managing expectations, leading quality management, managing and coordinating the work of team members on consulting assignments, and planning and managing resources to deliver assignments within time, scope, and profitability. You will be driven to “wow” our clients, through understanding and managing client expectations, reflecting those in team deliverables, and identifying opportunities to go above and beyond. You will ensure your direct reports fulfill their internal obligations with respect to strategy, policies, and processes by setting an example and leading them in line with our core values.

This position is based in our offices in London, but a potential other location can be considered for the right candidate.

Key Responsibilities

1. Through the guidance of the Head of Consulting, provide input into the direction and strategy of the company.
2. Consulting assignment opportunity development.
3. Possess a strong commercial acumen and demonstrate a track record of creating, selling, and delivering large-scale engagements.
4. Cross-sell existing and develop new opportunities by promoting E Co’s value propositions, capabilities, and maintaining ongoing client relationships.
5. Create opportunities by bringing in new, profitable clients.
6. Work in partnership with the business development team to identify, plan, formulate, champion and quality control opportunities.
7. Lead bids and manage the negotiation process through to signing of the engagement letter.
8. Oversee the setting, management, and delivery of client expectations across all assignments in the portfolio.
9. Be able to effectively shape, plan, and staff engagements.
10. Lead large engagements and supervise (quality manage) a portfolio of smaller engagements led by senior consultants.
11. Take responsibility for assignment financials, including planning, forecasting, and invoicing to the client.
12. Manage risks to protect the interests of both the client and E Co.
13. Support the design and build of teams to get the right mix of people and capabilities to best serve the client and strengthen the relationship.
14. Coordinate inputs from internal consulting team members and external contractors to deliver our services on time, within budget, and consistent with our quality standards.
15. With guidance from technical, service area, and client leads, manage the delivery of assignments and tasks, using E Co’s methodology.
16. Ensure assignment teams fully use and comply with all E Co. assignment management systems and processes.
17. Quality management of assignments.
18. Following an understanding around client acceptance criteria, oversee the setting, management, and delivery of client expectations across all assignments in the portfolio amongst assignment team members.
19. Define the response to client expectations and acceptance criteria and communicate this to the team.
20. Monitor progress through regular check-ins and provide further support and guidance as needed.
21. Prior to submission, verify that the team members have produced a draft in line with client expectations and acceptance criteria.
22. Build and maintain relationships through regular contact with the client’s assignment managers, procurement officers, and other relevant operational staff.
23. Represent E Co. at client-facing events and meetings.
24. Follow-up with client counterparts to obtain views and perspectives on client satisfaction level.
25. Take a selfless interest in the development, success, and happiness of assignment team members working for you.
26. Support the personal and professional development of others by acting as a mentor to a small group of consulting team members.
27. Ensure direct reports fully use and comply with E Co’s systems and processes.
28. Work in partnership with the marketing team to leverage opportunities, assignment developments, and results in line with technical, service area, and client strategies.

Career Development Opportunities

As a principal consultant, your career at E Co. can develop in many ways including as a technical lead, service area lead, client account lead, or project/assignment management lead.

Minimum Requirements

1. Postgraduate degree – MBA, MA, MSc, PhD in a relevant technical subject.
2. An outstanding academic and career record.
3. Sound knowledge and experience in climate change mitigation/adaptation/resilience.
4. Experience providing consulting and advisory services upstream of financing decisions.
5. Proven track record of technical consultancy delivery in one or more relevant fields.
6. Experience working with one or more of our public sector clients.
7. Proven track record leading teams to deliver projects and other assignments on time, on budget, and to high-quality standards.
8. Strong track record in project management in a multi-stakeholder developing country context.
9. Experience in contract management including managing change control.
10. Excellent ability to design, organise, execute, and deliver consulting solutions to international clients.
11. Able to build and maintain relations with existing and potential clients.
12. Possesses good negotiating skills.
13. Experience writing or contributing to the writing of assignment reports and proposals.
14. Experience acting as Quality Manager on assignments, proposals, and for other outputs.
15. Experience guiding small teams of consultants.
16. People management skills.
17. A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience.

Highly Desirable

1. Experience with an as-yet-unexplored relevant client, technical or service area would be an advantage.
2. Significant relevant experience in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and/or Asia.
3. Fluency in English and another language.
4. A wide network of contacts in the sustainable and international development sector.

In return, we'll offer flexible working hours and a competitive package within a purpose-driven, B Corp-certified organisation. If based in London, you'll be given membership to our dynamic offices at London Bridge.

Our Core Values

Our Core values govern the company's underlying decisions and reflect the culture of the way we do business. Our core values are:

1. Deliver excellence. We aim to WOW our customers, co-workers, contractors, and partners.
2. Empathetic. We listen, reflect, empathise, and are open and honest.
3. Connected. We connect financing that seeks to redress the imbalances caused by climate change.
4. Diverse. In skills, in scope, and across environmental, financial, legal, gender, and social criteria.
5. Driven. We are persistent, determined, and passionate about what we do.
6. Impactful. Our short-term decisions are guided by their long-term impacts.

About the Company

Climate finance & project design experts for 20+ years.