Senior Project Manager on Sustainable Finance

2 year contract

The Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is an impact-led institute within the University of Cambridge that activates leadership globally to transform economies for people, nature and climate.

CISL’s Europe office works at EU, member state and international levels to deliver influential projects that include the European Corporate Leaders Group,  the Materials and Products Taskforce and the EU Green Growth Partnership. We work closely with several partners, including as a founding partner of the We Mean Business Coalition and convener of a European group of national business networks working on climate.  This post would also be working with our Centre for Sustainable Finance, which hosts ClimateWise (global insurance), the Banking Environment Initiative and Investment Leaders Group.

About the role

This exciting role is based in the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)’s Brussels office. It is an opportunity to join a dynamic team that mobilises senior business leaders and European policy makers to accelerate the transition to a net zero economy, and help shape a new stream of work on sustainable finance and European Policy.

In this position, you'll have the opportunity of working in a variety of environments - with high level decisionmakers, businesses, finance sector companies or academia - where you will have responsibility for putting together a new project and delivering it on time and on budget.

• Do you want to build finance sector and business advocacy on the need for climate and nature investments
• Are you a self starter who would be keen to kick off a new set of impactful policy work?
• Do you want to work for an organisation that will share your sense of purpose and make an impact in the world?

The candidate would work with the CISL Europe Team Director, Programme Managers and junior members of the team as well with the CISL Centre for Sustainable Finance team based in Cambridge, and other key teams in the Cambridge Headquarters (e.g. the Communications team).

The role would include:

• Project managing a new stream of work aimed at driving the mobilization of private and public financial actors to support climate and nature investments, in view of the new EU institutions and key upcoming files such as the MFF.
• Overseeing a new grant budget and related KPIs and activities
• Key activities within the project include:
  • Stakeholder analysis of finance sector alliances and leaders, as well as the new EU institutions, and relevant policy makers.
  • Organisation of meetings and roundtables between the finance sector, businesses and EU policy makers.
  • Participating in relevant events and meetings on behalf of CISL
  • Drafting of policy briefs and letters on key topics related to the sustainable finance agenda and MFF, support where appropriate with broader research content and delivery of reports
  • Coordinating communications outreach
• Support the Team Director on assessing future opportunities for sustainable finance work in the CISL Europe office, and with future grant applications.

To note this is an atypical role for a University Project Manager – it is more focused on advocacy projects, outreach, administrative and events, projects coordination and engagement than academic research projects.

Applicants must be committed to the values that underpin CISL’s work. You will be someone who has:

• Strong understanding of EU Sustainable Finance policy, and ideally its relation to nature and climate.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, demonstrating a high proficiency in English. Additional European languages are desirable.
• Very good interpersonal skills – ability to maintain relationships with finance and business professionals and high-level decision makers.
• Understanding of the EU policy sphere, engagement and advocacy with decision makers, and ideally European climate, nature and sustainability risks and opportunities.
• Knowledge of different types of actors in the sustainable finance ecosystems
• Strong experience in project management across several different projects, including an ability to manage multiple projects and events with overlapping deadlines and experience of managing project budgets
• Experience of event management, ideally including webinars and in-person meetings.
• Experience of digital communications (Twitter/LinkedIn etc.)
• Ability to work independently towards project deliverables and deadlines.
• Competence across standard software packages including MS Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, plus ideally experience of working with a Client Relationship Management system.
• Commitment to the values that underpin CISL’s work and a keen interest in social and environmental responsibility.

This post is located in Brussels. The team has an office in Brussels and we are currently working flexibly with the expectation that team members work in the office a few days a week.  We are open to discussion on full or part time work for this contract.

The contract is for two years and falls in the pay range of between 4,000 and 5,685 gross monthly.

Candidates should send their CV and application letter to BXLHuman.Resources@cisl.cam.ac.uk

The deadline for applications is 24 June 2023. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for two rounds of interviews and a written exercise.

Applicants must have the right to work in Belgium and be based within a commutable distance to Brussels.

CISL and the University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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