Strategy Associate

systemiq; Greater London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Systemiq in London is seeking a Strategy Associate to grow its Sustainable Finance practice, with Kenya or London locations, focusing on public and development finance to mobilise climate and nature finance.

You will join small, collaborative teams, delivering strategic advisory and opportunities to shape your own workstreams within sustainable finance. Strategy consulting experience is welcome but not essential, and strong English communication is essential.

Qualifications

• Degree/Masters in Economics/Finance/International Development welcomed.
• 2–5+ years of relevant experience in strategy consulting, public/sovereign finance, or related fields.
• Strong analytical, research and client-facing skills; fluent English.

Responsibilities

• Support or lead workstreams on public and development finance for climate and nature outcomes.
• Develop structured analyses and client-ready materials (strategy decks, technical notes, briefing packs).
• Drive sovereign financing strategies considering macroeconomic context, debt sustainability and credit dynamics.
• Help design financing approaches including concessional and blended finance, sustainability-linked bonds/loans, and debt swaps.
• Engage stakeholders across ministries, central banks, IFIs/DFIs, donors and private sector partners.
• Contribute to proposal development, thought leadership and knowledge building within the team.

Skills

Strategy consulting

Sustainable finance

Public finance

Stakeholder engagement

English communication

Analytical thinking

Project discipline

Entrepreneurial mindset

Education

Economics/Finance degree

Job description

Company Description:

Systemiq is the system change company, working to accelerate the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive and more inclusive economy. As a certified B Corp, we partner with business, finance, policymakers and civil society to transform five interconnected systems: energy, nature and food, materials and circularity, sustainable finance, and urban transformation.

We bring together strategy, policy, market design and capital mobilisation to deliver tangible results in the real economy. Founded in 2016, Systemiq has grown to a global team of more than 300 people across Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, united by a singular focus on sustainability.

Location: Kenya (Nairobi preferred) or London, UK

Contract : 12-month FTC (very likely to extend / convert to permanent)

Team / Platform: Sustainable Finance

Reporting to: Sustainable Finance leadership

About the role : Systemiq is looking for a Strategy Associate to join our growing Sustainable Finance practice in Kenya, focused on public and development finance. You will help governments and public finance institutions to strengthen financing strategies and mobilise capital for climate, nature and development priorities.

This is a strategy advisory role: working within small, collaborative teams, you will support complex advisory engagements and multi-stakeholder initiatives spanning governments, IFIs/DFIs, bilateral donors and the private sector. You will contribute to workstreams that draw on expertise across Systemiq and external partners, and over time you will have opportunities to shape and lead your own workstreams within the sustainable finance space.

This role blends macro-level strategic thinking with strong research and analytical skills, excellent stakeholder engagement and communication, and the ability to deliver high-quality outputs in fast-moving, stakeholder-heavy contexts. Strategy consulting experience is welcome but not essential.

What you'll do

• Help support or lead workstreams and deliver high-quality advisory support on public and development finance for climate and nature outcomes.
• Develop structured analysis and synthesize complex information into client-ready materials (strategy decks, technical notes, briefing packs).
• Drive development of sovereign financing strategies, including consideration of macroeconomic context, sovereign risk, debt sustainability and credit dynamics.
• Help design, shape, and assess financing approaches and instruments, including concessional and blended finance, sustainability-linked bonds/loans, debt-for-climate/nature swaps, and risk-sharing structures.
• Support stakeholder engagement across ministries, debt management offices, central banks, IFIs/DFIs, donors and private sector partners, including workshops and convenings.
• Contribute to proposal development, thought leadership and knowledge building within the team.

Mindset, skills & experience

Essential

• Degree/Masters - Economics/Finance/International Development especially welcome
• 2-5+ years of relevant experience, for example in:
• strategy consulting (sustainable finance focus)
• international financial institutions (e.g., IMF, World Bank, AfDB),
• central banks or debt management offices,
• credit rating agencies,
• sovereign research / strategy teams,
• finance ministries or public finance roles,
• development finance / advisory roles with strong sovereign finance exposure.
• Familiarity with the sovereign financing landscape, including concessional finance, blended finance and/or climate and nature instruments e.g. sustainability-linked bonds/loans, debt-for-climate/nature swaps etc.
• Strong problem-solving, analytical and research skills - able to synthesise complex material into clear, structured outputs.
• Excellent communication in English (written and verbal), and demonstrated stakeholder engagement skills
• Strong project discipline and ability to deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Collaborative team player with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong mission alignment.

Desirable

• Formal study in economics, with a focus on macroeconomics, development economics, climate economics and/or nature economics
• Exposure to public-sector policy or planning, for example within finance ministries, environment ministries, or IFIs/DFIs.
• Familiarity with Sub-Saharan African sovereign contexts and financing priorities.
• Experience supporting stakeholder consultations, convenings or government-facing processes.
• Additional languages (e.g., Swahili, French).

Candidate profile

You are mission-driven and excited by the opportunity to help governments and financial institutions mobilise financing for climate and nature outcomes. You combine intellectual rigour with pragmatism and strong relationship skills. You thrive in small teams, enjoy working across disciplines and stakeholder groups, and want your work to influence real-world decisions.

You will also align naturally with our v