About the European Climate Foundation

The European Climate Foundation (ECF) was founded in 2008 as a major philanthropic initiative to help tackle climate change by fostering the development of a low-carbon society at the national, European and global level.

We support over 500 partner organisations to carry out activities that contribute to the public debate on climate action, drive urgent and ambitious policy in support of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and help deliver a socially responsible transition to a net-zero emissions economy and sustainable society in Europe and around the world.

The ECF is brings together diverse perspectives and backgrounds to find the best innovative solutions to tackle climate change. We are focusing on engaging and hiring great people from a wide diversity of backgrounds to strengthen the cause. If you share our values of respect, innovation, and collaboration, join us

As towns, cities and countries around the world declare climate emergencies, seas rise, forests burn, glaciers melt, increasing numbers of people take to the streets demanding urgent action and our societies begin to wake up to what the science has been saying for many years, there has never been a more important time to be working on climate change.

About the Climate Finance Fund

The Climate Finance Fund (CFF) is a philanthropic platform that helps to mobilize capital for climate solutions. CFF focuses on China, Europe, and the United States, and on capital allocators across the supply chain: consumers, small and medium sized enterprises, large non-financial corporations, and banks and asset managers. CFF also provides expertise to market rule makers, like financial regulators, on climate and clean energy finance. There are two pillars of the work: innovative finance and the systemic decarbonization of capital. Learn more about the strategy here: https://climatefinance.fund/.

About the role

The Associate will support the Managing Director of the CFF. This individual manages the administrative aspects of the funding process, communicates with the portfolio firms regarding proposals, budgets, and reports, and assists with scheduling and other duties related to administrative support of the Managing Director. The Associate may be assigned research and other special projects, for example to assess a firm’s potential fit with the climate finance strategy, as needed.

Key responsibilities

Reporting to the Managing Director of the CFF, you will be responsible for:

Grants Administration and Contracts (45%)

• Manages grants through the full grant lifecycle, from the proposal application process, to grant reporting and closing of grants.
• Implements processes to plan, coordinate, and track communications, timelines, and documents related to grants. Ensures grants meet reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Stays up to date on the common legal compliance issues that the grant portfolio presents and continues to develop expertise in managing complex compliance issues.
• Acts as liaison to the grants management and legal teams for relevant grant processing, including such details as scheduling reports and payments, tax information (domestic and foreign) on firms, and resolving any legal issues.
• Organizes, composes, and manages mailings and communications with current and potential portfolio firms.
• Manages, tracks, and forecasts annual budget,
• Tracks the status of approved grants or contracts through completion of payment process and closure, including entry into both a grants management system and a budget tracking system.
• Prepares consulting agreements and serves as point of contact for consultants, including processing of invoices and other administrative processes, as needed.

Administrative Support (45%)

• Provides calendaring, scheduling and administrative support for the Managing Director, including assistance setting up group meetings and complex scheduling requests across multiple geographies.
• Tracks invoices, and provides support for domestic and international travel, conferences, and meetings.
• Supports the development of presentations for internal and external audiences, including English-Chinese translation, as needed.

Subject Matter Support (10%)

• Researches climate finance content as needed, providing summaries and briefs for internal use.
• Pre-interviews potential candidates for new projects.

Experience and competencies

• A genuine interest in the mission and values of the organisation.
• Strong interest in finance and investment.
• A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Strong administrative and project management skills and experience, including the ability to plan and manage projects both independently and with colleagues.
• Proven organizational skills, including attention to detail and the ability to multitask.
• Ability to meet tight, sometimes simultaneous, deadlines with a keen ability to prioritize and partner with others to meet common goals.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Advanced experience in MS Office: Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Adobe.
• Experience in web-based document management tools and practices. Willingness to learn new software tools and use them for support.
• Proficiency with problem solving, analysis, and applying appropriate level of judgment.
• Positive attitude, sense of humor, and a commitment to being part of and building a positive work environment.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Fluency in written and oral English and Mandarin Chinese required. Additional languages a plus.
• A commitment to the values of the organisation.
• A commitment to an inclusive and empowering approach to facing climate change.

What we offer

• The unique opportunity to work as part of a highly dynamic, international group of individuals who combine their passion to make a difference with a rigorous and results-oriented approach to work.
• A flexible work environment and a space to develop and challenge yourself.
• A full-time position for an unlimited duration.OR contractor/freelance mission

Location

• On of the ECF office (either Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, The Hague or London).
• Some international travel will be required. We may be able to provide co-working spaces in some locations.

Start date

As soon as possible

How to apply

Deadline to apply: December 3

Please send your CV and short video (2 minutes maximum) explaining in English your motivation for this work. If video file is too large, you may upload a document with a link to the video.

All applications will be treated confidentially. We will store your information in our internal database unless you specifically request otherwise.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our organisation. We strongly encourage candidates from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds to apply.