Regional Head of Climate Strategies - UK, the Netherlands & Spain
Regional Head of Climate Strategies - UK, the Netherlands & Spain
South Pole
Amsterdam or London
Job summary:
This regional Consultancy leadership role is to create environmental impact and drive South Pole’s Climate Strategies consultancy business regionally. The main purpose is to apply and adjust our consultancy offering developed by the global Practices, in alignment with the region’s vision and business strategy. This role leads the regional Climate Strategies consultancy team and ensures the establishment, development, knowledge building and delivery of a coherent and regional consultancy service offering.
You will be accountable for the quality and commercial viability of our consultancy engagements and related client relationships in your region. You will guide the regional strategy and budget process on behalf of Climate Strategies and in close collaboration with the Practice Leads and Regional Head CS of your region. Consequently, you will be responsible for the execution of that regional Climate Strategies strategy and its business performance.
To achieve this, and to anticipate and respond to the regional evolving market trends and client needs, you will coordinate closely with the Regional Head of Climate Solutions, the regional BD/KAM team, the regional marketing lead and the Climate Strategies’ Regional Coordinators. You will lead, develop, train and inspire our regional Climate Strategies consultancy team to deliver value to all our clients and advance the climate agenda with impact.
Main tasks & responsibilities:
- Solutions Implementation: Guide the regional Climate Strategies team to implement consultancy solutions effectively, at high quality and coherent with SP policies and processes. Hereby, apply current solutions consistently in close collaboration with the Practice Leaders. Manage and supervise large/complex consulting mandates throughout their entire project cycle: initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring, controlling and closure.
- Solutions Development: Respond to evolving client needs, based on regional market feedback and in close collaboration with our sales team to adjust current solutions directed by the Practice Leaders or contribute to developing completely new consultancy products for your region.
- Innovation and Standardisation: Drive standardization and push for digitization of scalable solutions in your region together with respective global Solution Owners. At the same time, free up resources for tailored services to innovate our offering and work with regional sustainability leaders to inspire new global SP solutions.
- Collaborate: Collaborate with your global peers to ensure the transfer of best practices, client demand and knowledge transfer through SP regions and participation and representation in global meetings.
- Client Management: Ensure the highest client value generation through our consultancy services regionally. Build and develop new strategic client relationships in close coordination with sales - the KAM/BD and support the regional sales team.
- Business development: Grow Climate Strategies’ client base and market presence in your region by supporting business opportunities identified by the regional sales team. Additional business development through the identification of cross-sale opportunities or new opportunities in close alignment with the regional sales team is highly encouraged. Contribute to the objective of a more coherent implementation of the climate journey by identifying ways to link individual solutions even stronger.
- Team development: Allocate and develop regional consultancy resources effectively and in line with regional market needs as well as in close collaboration with the Practice Leads. Coordinate with Practice Leads and Regional Heads on headcount planning and effective recruiting measures. Coordinate and manage regional recruiting efforts on behalf of the Practice Leaders and Regional Heads. Closely work with Ops and HR to lead, develop and inspire a high-performing regional consultancy team.
- Strategy: Lead the development of our regional Climate Strategies offering based on our practices expertise and solutions and in alignment with the region's vision and strategy. For your region, define target audiences and criteria for resource allocation, together with practice leads and regional heads, to maximize environmental impact and commercial results.
- Budget Responsibility: Contribute to the annual process for the regional Climate Strategies budget, in close collaboration with the Head of Climate Strategies, relevant Practice Leads and the Regional Head. Be accountable for the financial performance of the Climate Strategies in your region.
- Represent & Inspire: Represent South Pole and Climate Strategies in meetings and at events and inspire clients, partners and employees to accelerate the transition to a climate-smart society.
Essential Profile Requirements:
- Relevant work experience (the expectation is a minimum of 8 years), including several years of proven track record in corporate sustainability consulting, carbon markets, renewable energy and business development roles and in a people management capacity.
- University degree, ideally at a Master’s level or higher, in Environmental Sciences, Finance, Business, Engineering or another relevant sustainability-related discipline.
- Deep knowledge and expertise in sustainability consulting and climate action.
- Strong business acumen, with the ability to understand the specific needs of the clients in your region, anticipate market trends and lead the development of compelling solutions that are financially sound.
- Specific consultancy experience for corporate clients in the following areas: Environmental impacts & risks; target setting (SBTs) and net-zero; sustainability roadmap and strategy development, and stakeholder engagement.
- Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to contribute to a compelling vision that enables South Pole to achieve its longer-term ambitions for impact and growth.
- Experience in scaling up a regional but fast-growing team in the context of a highly competitive market environment.
- Demonstrable commercial skills and good business sense so as to be able to identify and seize opportunities in a challenging and competitive market environment.
- Experience in establishing consultancy-based client relationships, with a proven track record of growing complex client accounts over time.
- Outstanding interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills to partner effectively with key internal and external stakeholders.
- Solid financial and planning skills, with experience leading strategy and budgeting processes.
- Experience managing cross-functional, high-performing, diverse, remote and global teams and achieving strong results through them.
- Comfortable operating with multi-stakeholders in a fast-paced high-growth global environment.
- Outstanding oral and written skills in English.
