Senior Consultant-Climate and Livelihoods
We are looking for a highly motivated, dedicated and passionate Senior Consultant to work in OPM’s Skills and Livelihoods Hub in OPM’s Sustainable Growth and Nature team. The candidate is expected to expand OPM’s work on green skills, jobs and just transitions – working with the Hub Lead and colleagues across OPM teams, to build work in these new emerging areas. The candidate will lead complex, multi-year projects with full accountability for the research, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) cycle - from design through to delivery - ensuring projects meet quality, impact, timeline, and financial targets with minimal oversight.
The role requires deep technical expertise in research methods combined with thematic experience on livelihoods, green skills and jobs, just transitions and climate change. The candidate must also have strong project management and business development experience.
At this level, the candidate is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy and independent judgement, hold formal accountability for delivery, client relationships, and financial performance. The candidate will represent OPM externally as a recognized thematic expert, manage and develop teams, and contribute actively to the Hub and STL’s strategic direction.
As a Senior Consultant - Climate and Livelihoods at OPM you will:
Have deep technical expertise on climate, skills, jobs and just transitions: Lead the technical design and quality assurance of projects end to end; serve as a recognized thematic authority in livelihoods, green skills and jobs, and sustainable growth; and provide expert guidance that shapes methodology, delivery approaches, and evidence uptake across the Hub and wider OPM
Excel in project management and delivery: Independently deliver large-scale, multi-year projects (typically USD 1M+, 2–5 years’ duration) with full accountability for delivery quality, financial performance (margins, compliance, reporting), risk management, and team oversight - with minimal supervision from Hub Lead or Senior Technical Lead
Excel in client engagement: Anchor key client relations, and develop working relationships with funders, government partners, and implementing organizations. Responsibilities will include managing internal or external relationships and providing advice within areas of expertise. Networks with senior internal and external personnel in own area of expertise
Have strong business development skills: Independently lead end-to-end acquisition of new project work, including high-value bids across a range of client types (foundations, multilaterals, bilateral donors); take accountability for technical proposal quality, partner coordination, and go/no-go decisions. Represent OPM externally in line with OPM’s strategy and leverage networks to build connections with priority clients, directly supporting Hub revenue and growth targets
Demonstrate thought leadership in your area of expertise: Contribute to OPM’s external profile and credibility in the relevant thematic area through publications, panel discussions, and stakeholder convenings, alongside internal knowledge sharing. Support research uptake and the translation of evidence into policy and practice. Be recognized as a thematic expert, providing advisory support and contributing to quality assurance of outputs
Support to the Hub Lead, Senior Technical Lead, and other OPM teams: Support other teams and practices with technical inputs, mentoring, and guidance as needed. Facilitate effective collaboration with relevant teams across geographies and practices to strengthen OPM's integrated offering
Key Qualifications / Experience / Skills / Behaviours:
- Masters degree in economics, public policy, development studies
- Strong expertise in project management
- Technical expertise related climate, skills and livelihoods - a focus on green skills and jobs would be an advantage
- Experience on conducting and managing impact evaluations - with a focus on mixed methods
Our Offer
- We enable colleagues’ capacity to grow professionally through enhanced learning resources, opportunities to work cross functionally, and space to engage with a range of internal and external industry events.
- Our non-hierarchical culture values support, collaboration, intellectual curiosity, and a rich diversity of perspectives.
- We provide an exceptionally generous annual leave entitlement and a hybrid working model to encourage and enable healthy work/life balance.
- Wellbeing resources including a global Employee Assistance Programme and access to the UnMind app.
- Competitive salary and contributory pension scheme.
We are strengthened by the diversity of colleagues across our global business and are committed to being an equal opportunities employer, promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace for all.
Our recruitment practices reflect our ambition to make the international development sector more inclusive and firm belief that our work delivers the best outcomes when we actively include a diversity of perspectives and experiences.