Principal/senior consultant, international adaptation

Ref: AEA 06015

The company

AEA is a world leading energy and climate change consultancy delivering visionary, integrated environmental and IT solutions worldwide. With unrivalled sector insight and a reputation for producing innovative solutions from development through to implementation, we offer a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work.

The 1000-person strong AEA Group has a rich and deep-rooted heritage, stretching back several decades, in supporting the UK Government, the US Government, and the European Commission in the development of energy and environmental policy. This track record covers the range of major global sustainability challenges, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, resource management, waste management, air quality and sustainable transport. Underpinned by this heritage, we now have an international team that provides consultancy to governments and businesses worldwide.

Adaptation at AEA

Climate is changing, and the impacts today and in the future bring both risks and some opportunities to the economy, society and the environment. For over 10 years, the AEA group has worked closely with clients to help them understand the implications of climate change, to develop strategies for adaptation and to monitor progress. We do this through tailored assessments of impacts, vulnerabilities, risks, and adaptation options, and by capacity development to build clients’ understanding of adaptation and to integrate that knowledge into their own contexts.

We work primarily in the public sector and for international agencies, to provide sound evidence and recommendations for policy, and then to turn policy into practice. We have already carried out projects in many countries, and have projects currently underway in Asia, Africa and South America, and we now see the opportunity for significant expansion of adaptation work outside our traditional markets of Europe and the United States. We use our public policy knowledge and experience to advise private sector clients as well.

AEA’s core adaptation team is small, but experienced and widely-respected, with a time-tested record of stakeholder trust and customer confidence, and a strong mix of science, policy, and development expertise. We frequently draw on AEA’s wider pool of experienced consultants in international development, economics, energy, transport, waste, water, knowledge transfer, IT etc to create the most effective teams to meet individual project needs.

We are now looking to expand the team and our capability through additional (and complementary) expertise and experience, particularly in the international context. We are looking to challenge and enhance our existing ways of working, by integrating new skills and approaches. This might include specific sectoral expertise (water, food security, natural resources, low-carbon technologies, health, disaster risk reduction, etc). We are seeking a highly experienced consultant to make a significant contribution to AEA’s ambitions to expand our portfolio of climate resilience and adaptation projects internationally. We are also keen to work more closely with our sister companies in the US to expand our adaptation services in the US market, and there is scope for the right person to influence our core markets in Europe and the UK.

The role

The successful recruit will have the opportunity to shape the role to align most effectively with his/her unique combination of expertise and experience, and to influence AEA’s business strategy in adaptation. The role will likely include:

1. Winning work in the area of climate resilience and adaptation, primarily through leading (and developing the content for) complex proposals to international agencies, financial institutions, UK Government, the European Commission and/or other public sector customers (in an international context).
2. Delivering high quality project work through technical contributions to AEA’s consultancy services in adaptation for a range of international customers, including a willingness to undertake short-term in-country placements.
3. Managing projects and tasks to budget, time and quality.
4. Building and maintaining customer and partner relationships in the international arena to expand AEA’s work in adaptation.
5. Providing leading expertise in adaptation to guarantee the quality of AEA’s work, to raise the profile of AEA’s international adaptation services (e.g. at conferences and technical meetings), and to mentor and develop other staff.

The person

• Effective and proactive team worker, able to delegate effectively and support and develop peers and subordinates
• Able to work effectively on own initiative and to contribute to multiple workstreams at any one time
• Excellent presentation skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including report-writing
• Numerate, logical and analytical
• Degree and preferably a postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline

Successful candidates will demonstrate the following skills:

• Delivery of climate change research and/or consultancy studies to the public sector and/or related agencies and institutions in an international context (including in-country experience);
• Excellent customer focus, experience in partner liaison and wider stakeholder engagement;
• Thorough working knowledge of concepts and approaches in adaptation and/or climate compatible development;
• Comprehensive and current understanding of the international policy context for adaptation, preferably through prior work with international agencies, climate finance institutions or national governments;
• Demonstrable specific expertise in at least one of the following areas:
- International and national policy frameworks for adaptation, National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), etc
- Climate finance
- Training and capacity building
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Private sector involvement in adaptation

Successful candidates may also offer some of the following:

• Experience of leading multi-disciplinary project teams and working with multiple partners
• Proven project management experience, managing complex projects and proposals
• Existing relevant customer and partner networks and relationships
• A background in economics and/or experience of policy analysis/evaluation using quantitative and qualitative techniques
• Experience of climate science, impacts modeling, climate data collection and analysis
• Experience in disaster risk reduction
• Experience in knowledge transfer and/or professional facilitation

This is a fast-paced and challenging environment offering you the opportunity to make your mark, you will have support from the wider business for your own career development into a wide range of future opportunities within AEA.

In return for your commitment, drive and enthusiasm, we offer an attractive remuneration and benefits package, a personal development plan, and the opportunity to make a difference in a challenging and rewarding field. To express your interest in joining our prestigious organisation please visit our career pages at www.aeat.com, and submit your application using our on line process.

The AEA group strives to be an equal opportunities employer.