Climate Projects Technology Strategy Director - Sustainable Technologies
Climate Projects Technology Strategy Director - Sustainable Technologies
South Pole
Multiple Locations
Job summary:
This role aims to lead South Pole's Sustainable Technologies practice within the Climate Projects Strategy team.
Sustainable technologies include projects in the area of renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass & others) and household/community appliances (water filter, purification, efficient cookstoves, off-grid solar, household) for delivery of both CACs (VERs) and EACs (RECs). Reporting to the Climate Projects Strategy Global Director, you are accountable for overseeing all sustainable technologies and global strategy in this leadership role. The Sustainable technologies global strategy is coordinated with regional directors, local experts, and other Practice directors to ensure strategic alignment.
You will develop and continually update South Pole’s vision for the practice in alignment with the Climate Projects business line's overall target. Through your vision and leadership, you will inspire our multifaceted teams worldwide to source and secure world-class carbon emission reduction and EAC projects that powerfully impact the communities around them and the climate action movement.
Main tasks & responsibilities:
- Define, own, communicate and deliver on the global strategy in the area of Sustainable Technologies and closely aligned with the organisation’s global goals and objectives;
- Serve as an expert advisor or board member for Sustainable Technologies project-related activities within the Climate Projects team, both in the global South and in targeted industrialised countries like the US and Australia;
- Establish business performance targets and metrics, and be accountable for the overall performance of the ST practice;
- Contribute to the global annual strategy, and collaborate with other Strategy Directors to achieve results and targets;
- Drive and take accountability for all practice deliverables for all the company’s relevant environmental market products such as carbon credits and potentially other units;
- Lead and structure long-term, complex and strategic partnerships and deal with different stakeholders to support the regions to deploy the strategy to meet the quarterly and yearly goals of the Sustainable Technologies practice;
- Maintain and develop a network of partners, companies, investors, businesses and communities active in the sector;
- Partner closely with other functions, particularly with Regions, the Innovation team, technical team (PDME-Project Design, Management & Evaluation), Partnership and Expansion, to optimise and align the strategy;
- Lead the collaboration with another business line outside Climate Projects in particular with Climate Investment and Platforms Team;
- Gather market intelligence and identify industry trends in the Tech Carbon Removals practice, market players and competitors;
- Serve as a subject expert when required in client meetings, exhibitions and other corporate events and represent South Pole in different forums on the the topic of Sustainable Technologies and environmental markets;
- Drive innovation and entrepreneurship through leadership and decisive action within the Sustainable Technologies practice, including assessing potential projects/companies-related equity investments for consideration by the investment board and proposing potential corporate innovations to the investment board;
- Support and empower staff from regional teams and hire additional high-performing team members;
- Work closely with colleagues across the organisation to empower matrixed teams that deliver on our vision of climate action for all.
Requirements:
Essential
- University degree in Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Business or other relevant disciplines;
- Extensive relevant work experience, including several years of experience in business development roles within the sustainability sector, specifically in Sustainable Technologies;
- Previous entrepreneurial experience in a highly innovative sector, technology company or startups ecosystem;
- Know-how of global corporate best practices related to climate strategies, such as the Science Based Targets Initiative, Net Zero pledges;
- Experience in establishing clear performance targets and metrics, with a proven track record of meeting or exceeding challenging targets;
- Strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to establish a compelling vision for our strategy unit;
- Strong business acumen, with the ability to structure and negotiate deals that are commercially sound and profitable for South Pole;
- Outstanding interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills to partner effectively with key internal and external stakeholders;
- Strong quantitative skills and the ability to use data and metrics to inform decisions;
- Excellent leadership skills, with the ability to inspire action and get the best out of people;
- Ability to present ideas to executive/internal stakeholders regionally and globally;
- Ability to work on global and regional complex issues;
- Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail;
- Fluency in English.
Desirable
- Experience in scaling up a fast-growing organisation in the context of a highly competitive market environment;
- Expertise in Voluntary Carbon Market, carbon emission projects and standards;
- Expertise in the oil & gas and high emitters industrial sectors;
- Experience in pipeline development, CRM, Excel and similar tools;
- Experience in negotiating with public institutions.
