Current Openings
About the International Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence (ISFCOE):
To support Irelands goal of becoming a leading sustainable finance centre by 2025, the Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence was recently established. Aligned with government policy outlined in Ireland for Finance Strategy 2025, Irish National Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Climate Action Plan 2022, the establishment of the Centre of Excellence is Action 1 of the roadmap.
With sustainable finance activity surging globally, it is planned that the centre will lead on research, specialist talent development, and advocacy activities aimed at supporting the design, development and launch of innovative financial mechanisms to facilitate the transition to a net-zero economy, in Ireland and further afield.
The Centre aims to:
- Provide insight on best practice in sustainable finance
- Innovate new sustainable finance product solutions
- Provide suite of ESG qualifications and training to support upskilling
- Deliver key industry events including our flagship event, Climate Finance Week Ireland
About the role
At this early stage in the establishment of the ISFCOE, the Head of Communications, Events and Marketing will play a critically important leadership role across all core marketing & communication domains, including strategy, content, partnerships, people and operations.
We are looking for a leader with a passion for Sustainable Finance/Sustainability to help the ISFCOE to achieve its ambitious goals and a strong desire to be involved in building new strategies and practices. The ideal candidate will come with significant transferable experience in building and scaling new marketing and communication businesses.
This candidate will also be a key spokesperson and advocate for the ISFCOE and will have the opportunity to represent the ISFCOE at industry events and media engagements where applicable, contributing thought leadership and representing the ISFCOE and its members.
A strong interest in Climate and Sustainability is required – existing subject matter expertise is strongly preferred.
The Head of Communications, Events and Marketing will report to the CEO of the ISFCOE and will be responsible for developing and implementing the communications strategy (both internally and externally) for the ISFCOE. They will collaborate with key stakeholders to promote the ISCFOE as a leader in sustainable finance. They will also be responsible for establishing communications strategies and frameworks based on global good practices to enhance the credibility and visibility of the ISFCOE, and for managing communications budgets. A key deliverable for this role will be the delivery end to end of Climate Finance Week Ireland 2023.
As a key member of our leadership team you will ensure that all relevant stakeholders, know about, understand and engage with us. Stakeholders include centre members, key partners including Skillnet Ireland, Government partners, and Centre observers including Trade Associations and Bodies and media contacts. You will also build our marketing and communication team and collaborate closely with the wider ISFCOE leadership team.
A key part of this role will include the development and management of sponsorship opportunities, including our flagship event, Climate Finance Week Ireland. Elements of this role include speaker and content curation and overseeing logistical plans. Strong event management skills alongside strong planning and prioritising skills will be a key requirement for this role.
Key attributes
- Outgoing and personable member of our leadership team who will become an active spokesperson for the ISFCOE
- Organised and capable of managing various projects simultaneously
- Proficient in event management and managing events teams
- Taking a bold, big picture, long-term perspective
- Leading in a fast-paced, intellectually intense environment, with the capabilities and interpersonal skills to lead and develop a team
- Strong organisational and project management skills
- Excellent commercial judgment and a “nose” for compelling stories and narratives
- You are viewed as a trusted peer by firm leadership, and other senior audiences
- You are measured and considerate of the ramifications of decisions on various stakeholders
- Superior stakeholder management skills, especially with senior members of the organisation, including the ability to push back when necessary
- Excellent communication/presentation skills. Sharp and focused communicator, able to structure content around compelling storylines and effectively deliver complex messages
- Commercially minded, identifying new and building on existing sponsorship models
- Building and leading high performing teams and being viewed as an inspiring leader and trusted coach and mentor
- Ability to perform effectively under pressure and pivot quickly in the face of changing situations; handling these with tact, poise, and patience
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and deliver our communications strategy and related tools and guidance to promote the ISFCOE through compelling results-oriented communication including print, digital and social media engagement.
- Oversee strategic communication plans maximizing the ISFCOE priority areas and achievements, global milestones/events and the roll-out of high-quality multi-media communication tools and materials – print and digital.
- Delivery and ownership of our flagship event – Climate Finance Week Ireland, developing and maintaining key relationships with existing and new sponsors, helping to deliver Ireland’s key climate finance event.
- Event management – in addition to end to end management of Climate Finance Week Ireland, you will be responsible for other events throughout the year including content and speaker curation in addition to logistics.
- Managing all sponsorship opportunities, building on existing offerings and identifying new sponsorship areas, aligned to the ISFCOEs ethos and strategic direction.
- Implement a branding strategy that includes tools and templates to promote a coherent and compelling brand identity of the ISFCOE.
- Engage with key stakeholders and partners working with them to reinforce our messaging utilising relevant tools.
- Establish and maintain relationships and partnerships with media and related institutions including accredited entities to promote the ISFCOE.
- Establish mechanisms, procedures and tools to provide timely support to internal clients to communicate ISFCOE’s priorities and achievements.
- Manage the Communications Team, including overseeing and managing the work of assigned staff, effective use of human and financial resources; training, motivating, and coaching staff, evaluating performance, advising on career development.
Required experience and qualifications
- Experience in sustainable finance/sustainability is strongly desirable.
- Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree), in particular in international relations, communication, economics, social sciences, or related fields.
- More than 8 years of relevant and progressively responsible professional experience in communications, with a significant part of this period at an appropriate managerial level and including some experience at international level.
- Established track record in political communications and establishing relations with senior politicians and policy-makers.
- Experience in event management to include content and speaker curation.
- Relevant work experience in multilateral organizations, international development and/or non-governmental organizations.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are essential for this position.
- Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders in client-facing and internal settings
- Excellent knowledge of the required skills and tools to include social media strategies and relevant CRM tools.
What we can offer
- A competitive salary, and benefits package negotiable dependant on experience
- A flexible and hybrid working environment available
- Access to ongoing learning and development opportunities
- Job Type: Full-time
- Contract length: 36 months
- Salary: From €100,000.00 per year
- Schedule: Monday to Friday
Please send your CV and Cover Letter to: careers@sustainablefinance.ie
An exciting opportunity is now available for a Community of Practice manager to join the ISFCOE team. This role will oversee the establishment of and the running of communities of practice which are an important output of the centre.
The Community of Practice manager will establish and manage these communities with membership from relevant representatives from IFSCOE members. The communities will promote and accelerate shared aims and objectives across key areas relating to sustainable finance. Initially this will include net-zero transition and climate related reporting and disclosures.
This is a permanent hybrid position with an immediate start, with the candidate having the option of working remotely or onsite on occasion as required. (Dublin city centre office location)
What is a community of practice?
A community of practice is a group of people who have an interest, passion, or concern in common and come together to learn more about it.
As the name suggests, communities of practice collaborate and communicate, sharing knowledge between one another as a community. They have a shared identity that’s built around their common interests and organisational goals.
Membership of these communities will include sustainable finance professionals who are members of the Centre of Excellence and may also include observers as relevant (observers include academia, industry, professional and specialist bodies).
The community of practice engagements will include a combination of regular formal and informal events including webinars, in-person meetings, breakfast briefings, networking events, email updates and onsite visits.
What is the International Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence?
In order to support the goal of Ireland becoming a leading sustainable finance centre by 2025, the Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence has recently been established. Aligned with government policy outlined in Ireland for Finance Strategy 2025, Irish National Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Climate Action Plan 2022, the Centre of Excellence is Action 1 of the roadmap.
With sustainable finance activity surging globally, it is planned that the centre will lead on research, specialist talent development, and advocacy activities aimed at supporting the design, development and launch of innovative financial mechanisms to facilitate the transition to a net-zero economy, in Ireland and further afield.
The Centre will aim to:
- Provide insight on best practice in sustainable finance
- Innovate new sustainable finance product solutions
- Provide suite of ESG qualifications and training to support upskilling
About the role:
This full-time role will see the establishment and management of 2 communities of practice initially, requiring comprehensive planning for upcoming engagements and events for the year ahead.
The ideal candidate will be a self-starting individual, who is confident and articulate demonstrating strong networking, stakeholder management and project management skills. The candidate will be working in a sustainable finance/climate finance area or team, ideally with 3-5 years’ experience.
Tasks include but are not limited to:
- Engaging with points of contacts from each ISFCOE member organisation, and further identifying each representative for the relevant CoP
- Regular short surveys are to be completed to capture feedback from participants in order to validate the themes and topics that will be covered
- Scheduling of all key engagements for the coming year (2023) to include hosting of in-person events, online sessions/webinars, and a schedule of written communications.
- Curation of events to include themes, content guest speaker/s and member contribution as required
- Creation of online portal or mailbox for centre members to put forward feedback/queries in advance of sessions
- Assist with the creation of required assets for communication and hosting of engagements, i.e. word doc templates, PowerPoint slides and other assets as required.
- Liaising with the communications manager, develop a communications plan for 2023 across media, social channels, and newsletter features, to promote the activities of the community and to highlight exemplars from across the member organisations.
Salary: €60,000 per annum, dependent on experience
Flexible and hybrid working available.
Please send your CV and Cover Letter to: careers@sustainablefinance.ie
An exciting opportunity is now available as Research Manager at Ireland’s recently launched International Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence (“the Centre”)
What is the International Sustainable Finance Centre of Excellence (“the Centre”)?
In order to support Irelands goal of becoming a leading sustainable finance centre by 2025, and aligned with government policy in Ireland for Finance Strategy 2025, Irish National Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Climate Action Plan 2022 the Centre has recently been established.
It is planned that the centre will lead on research, specialist talent development, and advocacy activities aimed at supporting the design, development and launch of innovative financial mechanisms to facilitate the transition to a net zero economy, in Ireland and further afield.
Ambition:
The Centre will aim to:
· Conduct impactful research on current and emerging sustainable finance topics, market studies and contribute to international research.
· Provide insight on best practice in sustainable finance.
· Support the development of new sustainable finance product solutions.
· Provide a suite of ESG qualifications and training to support upskilling.
Purpose of this role:
The purpose of the role is to complete, manage and deliver a range of market leading research projects, from inception to the final report and dissemination. This research will directly impact the future direction of the Centre. The research will also support and inform the Centre members and provide input to national policy setting.
Key Responsibilities:
· Conduct primary and secondary research on relevant Sustainable Finance topics and produce associated papers and reports.
· Provide briefing documents and insights on relevant Sustainable Finance topics, backed up by high quality research and analysis.
· Manage outsourced research projects from drafting of Terms of Reference through to successful project delivery, to drive best practice outcomes and value for money for the organisation.
· Manage a number of key research partnerships with external organisations and act as a visible and articulate advocate for the Centre’s work to a range of audiences.
· Work closely with stakeholders to ensure that all relevant perspectives and views are considered and integrated into research plans.
The Individual:
We are looking for an experienced research professional with strong sustainable finance knowledge.
Required:
· Demonstrable subject matter knowledge of sustainability, climate change or sustainable finance issues.
· A strong record of executing research projects and delivering high quality business and policy insights.
· Excellent written English, with proven ability to research and write accessible, clear research reports for a diverse range of audiences.
· An independent thinker, self-directed, taking personal responsibility for the delivery of objectives and overcoming challenges.
· Excellent interpersonal skills with a high level of diplomacy, with an ability to engage different audiences.
Desirable:
· Five years experience working in a similar position within a sustainable finance environment combined with a strong track record of research achievement.
· Educated to master’s level, ideally in a sustainability or sustainable finance discipline.
· Experience of design and implementation of research strategy
Employment Type: Initially a 1 year Fixed Term contract
Salary: €60,000
This is a full time role (37.5 hrs / week) with remote and flexible working options available. Qualified candidates should send your CV and Cover Letter to: careers@sustainablefinance.ie
