Strategy Associate – Natural Solutions

SYSTEMIQ Amsterdam Netherlands Natural Solutions

Company Description

About Systemiq

Systemiq, the system-change company, was founded to drive the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, by transforming markets and business models in five key systems: nature and food, materials and circularity, energy, urban areas, and sustainable finance.

This means re-imagining our industries, re-configuring the world of energy, and regenerating the ecosystems around us. By addressing systemic failures in these areas, Systemiq aims to unlock economic opportunities that benefit business, society, and the environment.

A certified B Corp, Systemiq combines strategic advisory with high-impact, on-the-ground work, and partners with business, finance, policy-makers and civil society to deliver system change.

Since our start in 2016, we have grown to more than 350 people working across locations in Brazil, Germany, France, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the UK.



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Position

Primary Responsibilities

Systemiq is looking for experienced sustainability professionals to join the Food and Nature team. Below are examples of past projects to give applicants a sense of the work that we do:

  • Work with large, multi-national corporates to transform their business models in line with a net zero emission and nature-positive future. For example, Systemiq supported a leading asset manager to develop a model to assess companies’ performance along the planetary boundaries, worked with one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies (whose products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times per day) to develop a bold vision for a “Planet Positive” corporate strategy, and supported a leading agri-input company to develop a strategy for regenerative agriculture.

  • Work with institutional and multilateral financial institutions to co-create new investment vehicles which accelerate the flow of capital into nature-based solutions. For example, Systemiq advises the Beyond Net Zero private equity growth fund on its climate impact strategy and is supporting the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) which will invest $625m to strengthen coral reef ecosystems resilience by addressing local drivers of degradations.

  • Work with disclosure frameworks and standard setters to raise the bar on corporate action on climate and nature. For example, Systemiq advised the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) on how to incentivise companies to deliver climate action beyond their value chains and is working with the Science Based Target Network to develop nature science-based targets for land systems which will be informed by the needs of land systems in terms of the physical extent and functional condition required to remain resilient to impacts of people in the long-term.

  • Work with governments on multi-lateral initiatives, for example Systemiq is supporting German and Indonesia in their capacity as G7/20 Presidents to mobilize finance for nature.

  • Advising donors and philanthropies on their strategies, for example Systemiq developed the partnership and impact strategy for Norad and helped to set up the Quadrature Climate Foundation.

  • Building and running multi-organizational coalitions, for example, working closely with the World Resources Institute, Systemiq helps to run the secretariat of The Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) and leads on development of research and insights on food and land use systems transformation. Systemiq is also scaling two new coalitions: (1) Regen10, which is designed to drive the widespread adoption of regenerative practices and (2) SPACES, a global coalition to advance spatial intelligence for nature and climate in support of CBD and UNFCCC objectives.

  • Building partnerships between private sector companies, public sector actors and the communities that depend on forests for their livelihoods to scale sustainable business models, for example through Partnership for Forests which operates across the entire tropical belt where sustainable projects generate better returns from forests and sustainable land use than deforestation and degradation do.

Requirements

About You

  • Are excited. About the opportunity to build sustainable business models for the natural world
  • Have a Plan. And know how to get buy-in and support for the deployment, embedding, and sustainable utilisation of any operations intervention
  • Decisions in Numbers. You use data-driven techniques to solve problems which has a positive financial impact
  • Understand that change can be hard. You have a working knowledge of change management and the people side of behaviour change
  • Delight in the details and apply your detail-oriented project management skills to ensure the team projects are scoped correctly and the team has the knowledge and support they need to deliver the global projects, products, and services
  • Have thoughts on process. Your workload is meticulously organised and maintained, and you have a reputation for follow-through. You have exceptional time management and work prioritisation, and driving multiple responsibilities simultaneously with limited oversight does not faze you.
  • Are humble. No task is too small for anyone, and you are eager to learn. You’re all about the team, not the individual.
  • Get it done. You have a methodical approach to your project management work with a strong focus on accuracy, attention to detail, consistency, and superb quality. You take the initiative and can operate autonomously when needed.
  • You’re a people person. You have outstanding interpersonal skills and can quickly establish rapport, build trust, collaborate, and demonstrate credibility and authority. You have proven stakeholder management skills and remain calm under pressure.
  • Words Matter. You have excellent communication skills, whether in-person, virtually, or by email, and you value listening and solving others’ challenges
  • You’re solution-oriented. You can clearly explain issues, contribute to their resolution, and effectively influence and negotiate to achieve consensus and successful outcomes. You can anticipate needs, make reasoned decisions, and communicate them effectively.
  • Curious. Keeps professional knowledge, capabilities, and skills up to date and an open and continuous learning mindset

Essential Qualifications / Experience

Successful candidates will have:


  • A University degree or equivalent
  • Excellent English verbal and written communication skills, including proven ability to shape and articulate compelling narratives based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative information, and the ability to write concise, well-structured documents (in both text and presentation formats) conveying clear but subtle messages
  • At least 5 years of professional expertise (consulting experience would be an asset, but is not required)
  • Proven problem-solving skills and ability to deliver high-quality quantitative and qualitative analytics on a range of topics
  • Entrepreneurial style with proven ability to work in teams and towards tight deadlines
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and nurture trusting relationships and partnerships with a range of stakeholders from different organisational and geographical backgrounds
  • Passion for SYSTEMIQ's mission and approach


Desirable


  • Experience with completing Scope 1-3 GHG inventories for large, multi-national companies, including companies with land-based emissions and removals (either in-house or as a consultant)
  • Experience in working with corporates to set targets for submission to the Science-Based Targets initiative (either in-house or as a consultant)
  • Experience of working with corporates on developing Paris-aligned climate change strategies (either in-house or as a consultant)
  • Experience working with corporates to assess their impacts and dependencies on nature
  • Experience working across corporate, finance, NGO and policy spheres
  • Track record of work relating to the voluntary carbon market
  • Experience interacting with senior executives and decisionmakers
  • Experience working in a collaborative setting (e.g. coalitions / partnerships)

Other information

Disclaimer: Please ensure you are legally eligible to work/live in your location when applying for this role. Visa sponsorship or relocation costs will not be provided.


Diversity & Inclusion


We believe that diversity and inclusion are at the heart of system change and the mission we have set ourselves. So we commit ourselves to:

  • Embedding diverse and inclusive ways of working from day to day. This includes recruitment, performance management, and people processes and policies.
  • Providing a supportive environment. We want people to be themselves and be at their best, regardless of their background, personality, gender, sexual orientation, race, mental health, religion, or other characteristics.
  • Enabling a long-term, sustainable approach to work and life more generally. We want to support our people at all stages of their lives – as parents or caregivers, through changing life circumstances – and to accommodate personal priorities where they matter most.


Reward and Recognition

Remuneration and benefits package will reflect the successful candidates' experience and country where hired.

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