Senior Policy Advisor, Sustainable Finance

This role based in E3G’s London headquarters will lead on work driving reform within International Financial Institutions to enable a low-carbon economic transformation.

E3G is a European think tank working to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. We build the broad-based coalitions necessary to deliver a safe climate. We pride ourselves on bringing independence to an extremely polarised discussion and holding policy makers to account on their promises. E3G was ranked the fifth most influential environmental think tank in the world by the University of Pennsylvania’s “Go To Global Think Tank” Index in 2016 and 2017.

If we are to limit average global temperature rises to 1.5-2°C then the transformation to a global low carbon economy must happen over the next 40 years. Achieving this will require the shifting of capital from high- to low-carbon projects and businesses. This, in turn, will require the realignment of investment incentives from high- to low-carbon and the targeted use of public funds to lever private capital from high- to low-carbon sectors. E3G’s Sustainable Finance program works towards green finance reforms and redirection of financial flows.

This new Senior Policy Advisor role take a leading role on several important projects focusing on driving reform of International Financial Institutions: getting to 1.5-2°C. For this role excellent qualitative and quantitative analytical skills are essential. The role will also involve contributing to a growing stream of work on climate risk and resilience. They will proactively work to shape through analysis and advocacy the financing frameworks required to support delivery of resilient low-carbon economies. There will be a particular focus on promoting cross-fertilisation of ideas and best practice between the different countries/regions in which the E3G team has networks.

This role is offered on a 1-year fixed-term basis with the possibility of further extension.

Key Responsibilities

• Identifying barriers: Engaging at the national level in key countries and through international networks and initiatives to identify the political, institutional and policy barriers to scaling up investment in resilient low carbon economies.

• Generating solutions: Identifying and communicating how public and private finance can be deployed to catalyse transformational change and accelerate understanding and support for mechanisms and institutional responses that achieve this.

• Building support: Disseminating successful approaches to refocusing public and private finance to support resilient low carbon development and creating opportunities for accelerating learning, replication and scale-up of these approaches.

• Influencing and shaping: Setting out opportunities and benefits of green growth and the role of policy and public finance in overcoming barriers and managing the risks of low carbon and resilient investments. Includes a focus on policy, financing and other institutional responses.

• Helping lead and manage multi-stakeholder coalitions: building and maintaining E3G relationships and networks with key political, investor, business and civil society coalitions; including strategic relationships with a small number of key organisations.

• Offering support on project work within the wider E3G team and contributing to the wider development of E3G as an organisation.

• International travel will be required.

Person Description

You are an intellectually curious and highly motivated self-starter with a strong interest in the opportunities and challenges around developing low-carbon and resilient economies. You are a creative thinker, able to learn fast and to work flexibly with a range of people. You are prepared to go the extra mile to deliver high quality outputs to challenging deadlines.

You are comfortable with complex research projects and have excellent numeracy skills. You are confident running analytical processes and managing ad hoc collaboration. The work you will undertake will make full use of your analytical, research and communication skills. You will be able to identify and engage with a range of external stakeholders to effectively communicate your ideas and findings to a varied audience.

Experience and skills

The successful candidate will:

• Have 8 years+ of relevant professional experience with progressive levels of responsibilities and a track record of significant achievements;

• Have a good undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (required) and post-graduate qualification in a relevant discipline (desirable);

• Have a good and demonstrable working knowledge of finance and investment in relation to climate change;

• Experience working in the Asia region (desirable)

• Be a strong team player, committed to achieving E3G’s objectives and capable of inspiring and facilitating action by others, and demonstrate strong strategic and political understanding of the challenges of sustainable development;

• Demonstrate a track-record of leading and managing stakeholder partnerships, ideally on climate finance or a low-carbon investment agenda, and have experience of working closely with or within developing countries;

• Be confident operating in an international context and influencing senior decision-makers from government, business, finance and civil society;

• Have strong written and spoken English.

A salary in the range of £40,000 to £46,000 based on qualifications and experience is offered.

Please email your application in English to info@e3g.org. Please write ‘Senior Policy Advisor January 2019' as well as your first name and surname in the subject line.

Please include:

• A CV of maximum two pages;

• A cover letter of no more than one page outlining your motivation for the job and when you would be able to start;

The deadline for applications is Monday 21st January 2019. Interviews will be held in the first half of January.