Director - Environmental Markets

About us 

Pollination is a specialist climate change investment and advisory firm, accelerating the transition to a net zero, nature positive future. With strong relationships at the highest levels of government and the private sector, we shift barriers and catalyze transformative partnerships. Our clients span governments, businesses, and public and private capital. 

Our people are the key to unlocking change. Brought together from across industries, we are global leaders in law, policy, finance, investment, technology, and business. We combine our diverse expertise to connect dots and see around corners where others cannot. Using our broad experience, we help navigate the climate transition and design and invest in breakthrough ideas that deliver financial returns. 

The opportunity 

Pollination is looking for a Director to join our dynamic office in Washington, D.C. or Chicago, Illinois. In this role, you will work alongside a friendly and experienced team to advise corporates, financial institutions and governments on all aspects of the transition to net zero and building climate resilience. Working as a team, you will drive value for clients in a wide range of sectors. challenging problems in the world. 

Responsibilities 

• Designing and delivering market-leading advice to clients in a wide range of sectors and industries to support their transition to a net-zero emissions future, including commercial and strategic analyses; investment, systems, and policy analyses; market reviews and benchmarking, which anticipates the audience and their commercial objectives 
• Leading national and international climate policy analyses and preparing policy recommendations related to climate finance, environmental markets, and nature-based solutions 
• Preparing policy recommendations for operationalizing multilateral environmental agreements, e.g., the Paris Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity  

• Conducting analyses to develop evidence-based outputs, including by sourcing and processing policy, commercial, environmental, financial, and social data and leveraging Pollination’s expertise to develop new insights for clients 
• Managing project delivery across multiple projects, including pitch delivery and pricing, project scoping and design, resource planning and allocation, inclusive team leadership, project problem solving, and delivery within commercial expectations 
• Helping clients to manage internal engagement, including having regular contact with senior clients, managing meetings and other client contact, and communicating the conclusions of key pieces of analysis 
• Supporting the development of problem-solving strategies and assets across client groups or sectors, including developing Pollination IP and thought leadership 
• Supporting staff development, including managing performance, providing regular feedback, nurturing talent, and developing capability 

• Supporting Pollination’s business development strategies, identifying opportunities, developing pitches, and managing opportunity pipelines 

Who we’re looking for 

• Minimum 8 years professional experience in investment, strategy, policy, sustainability, finance, economics or a closely-related field, along with significant subject matter expertise (via academic or professional experience) in environmental markets (including carbon markets and/or biodiversity markets), transition and climate finance, sustainability strategy, natural capital and nature-based solutions, and/or climate risk and opportunity analysis 
• Professional experience in one or more of Pollination’s focus areas: food and fiber systems; energy, transport, and industry; built environment and infrastructure; environmental markets; and financial markets 

• Professional experience related to climate policy, climate finance, and/or environmental markets is strongly preferred, with special preference for experience with the multilateral environmental agreements and national climate and environmental policy development processes 
• Exceptional communication and writing skills with strong attention to detail 
• Proven ability to design and deliver to deadlines, and to manage prioritization within and between workstreams and manage stakeholder expectations across competing priorities 
• Strong collaboration and teamwork skills, including a highly inclusive leadership style and the ability to work with a distributed global team across various levels of seniority 
• Ability to build and leverage diverse technical and industry relationships and networks 

• Passion to help quickly build a growing team and ability to manage change in an organization, including by seeking and generating buy-in, building culture, and supporting stakeholders to engage with the program of work at hand 
• Drive to find strategic solutions that help our clients deliver net zero and build climate resilience 

You’ll love this role if… 

You thrive in a fast-moving, fluid environment and have exceptional attention to detail. You are adaptable and proactive, calm under pressure, and a great communicator – able to prioritize and effectively manage the needs of diverse stakeholders. You have a ferocious intellectual curiosity, an appetite for solving complex problems and are comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. You are excited to work in a purpose-driven organization and share our ambition and commitment to tackle the climate crisis.  

This is a permanent, full-time role with the flexibility to work outside of standard office hours when necessary. You must hold the right to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future and must be based in Washington, D.C. or Chicago or willing to relocate. Pollination follows a hybrid work model in the U.S. with staff expected to work from the office at least 3 days per week to benefit from in-person interactions with colleagues.  

How to apply 

We would love to hear more from you- feel free to submit a cover letter outlining what you will bring to Pollination (1 page maximum – cover letters exceeding 1 page will not be considered), and CV (maximum 2 pages) via LinkedIn. Please note, when applying via LinkedIn, you must upload your cover letter and CV as one document. 

Pollination is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces and values diversity and inclusion. We encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. If you have any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of application. We will then work with you to identify the best way to assist you through the recruitment process.