Senior Sustainable Finance Associate (Forest IQ)

Global Canopy is a data-driven not for profit that targets the market forces destroying nature. We do this by improving transparency and accountability. We provide innovative open-access data, clear metrics, and actionable insights to leading companies, financial institutions, governments and campaigning organisations worldwide. 

A growing number of companies and financial institutions are seeking to mitigate their impacts on nature. But many have made commitments that are not being met, and others are failing to take any action at all. Through our Corporate Performance work and Forest 500 project, we assess the policies and performance of influential companies and financial institutions. Our newly launched Deforestation Action Tracker monitors financial institutions with significant climate commitments to track their action on deforestation and associated human rights abuses.

About the role

Forest IQ provides major data-service providers and financial institutions with market-leading data about corporate performance on deforestation, conversion of natural ecosystems and associated human rights abuses. This will enable financial institutions to identify risks and opportunities to help them to deliver deforestation free portfolios by 2025. Forest IQ meets a critical need in providing robust and aligned relevant data on deforestation to the finance sector via the data-service channels and providers they already depend on. 

This is a newly created role for this project. You will lead the business development, uptake, research and expansion of the Forest IQ data and platform through engagement with a wide range of financial institutions and data vendors. You will be responsible for strategic product and project management, managing and developing the Forest IQ team at GC.

You will manage a working group of 10 major financial institutions that are supporting the development of the initiative and engage with data vendors, including ESG data providers and data supermarkets for adoption of Forest IQ as a go to data source for company exposure to deforestation. As well as promoting Forest IQ and GC to key target audiences by attending events. 

Requirements

To be successful in this role, these are the things that will matter the most:

• Deep understanding of the finance sector and management of deforestation and/or nature-related risks and opportunities

• A track record of managing a high-quality commercial data product for the finance sector

• Specialist technical knowledge on one or more of the following topics: ESG measurement, environmental disclosure and reporting, supply chains, sustainability, or financial services

• Entrepreneurial and proactive attitude, motivated by impact and making Forest IQ a success

• A strong drive to contribute to our mission, a passion for sustainability and the role that the finance sector can play to drive change

Skills and experience:

• Demonstrable experience in managing a commercial data product and service offering

• Ability to manage a fast-moving data project with a wide set of partners and stakeholders, and maintain buy-in

• Demonstrable experience of business development and client support for a data product for the finance sector

• An understanding of ESG metrics, nature-related data and disclosure initiatives

• Ability to manage people, foster a dynamic team that is able to deliver against the Forest IQ strategy

• Strong written communication skills and ability to communicate complex data to a targeted finance sector audience

At Global Canopy, we value diversity and inclusion. You can read our diversity statement on our website. We encourage applications from all backgrounds and are committed to having a team with a diverse set of skills, experiences and abilities. We are committed to reducing systemic barriers in our recruitment processes. 

Global Canopy works on issues of tropical deforestation. We are particularly interested in strengthening our team to include those with a background from forest regions such as Latin America and South East Asia. We would welcome applications from people from these regions.

Global Canopy is an inclusive employer and accommodations will be made to allow anyone who requires additional support to apply for this role. Please get in touch with us if you require any additional support.

To find out more, download the recruitment pack or visit our website. 

We aim to maintain an anonymous shortlisting process, please do NOT include your name in the cover letter you submit with your application.