Manager, Impact Initiatives

About the role:

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work with experts across the Carbon Trust’s global practice areas and regional teams deepening our partnerships with philanthropy and other mission-aligned organisations to scale our impact.

The role can be based from any one of the Carbon Trust offices including Amsterdam, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Mexico, South Africa or Singapore.

Our global climate transition experts deliver effective sector-wide and cross-sector solutions for our partners and the systems they operate, joining the dots within sectors and working alongside businesses, governments, public sector bodies, financial institutions and philanthropies, and across sectors from ICT, agriculture, food and drink to mining and metals, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, energy and offshore renewables around the world.

The Carbon Trust has produced a Solutions Hub and series of Sector Visions that bring these insights together to show how climate action can mitigate risks, strengthen resilience and create lasting prosperity.

The Sector Visions focus on sectors that collectively account for a substantial share of global emissions, are deeply interconnected and present significant opportunities to accelerate decarbonisation. Each Vision examines the challenges and practical, evidence-based solutions available to achieve system-level transformation. The Hub features six sectors, with more in development.

The Impact Initiatives (II) team turns the solutions identified in each Sector Vision into delivery-focused programmes that bring about real change. The programmes are multi-stakeholder by design and collaborative in nature, and it is expected that they will mostly be funded by philanthropy. These solutions, distilled from the breadth of the Carbon Trust’s global advisory work with public and private sector actors, typically address system-level barriers that commercial capital or individual market actors cannot solve alone. This makes them well placed for support from philanthropic foundations and/or regional or sector-focused re-granters.

About us:

The Carbon Trust is a global climate consultancy driven by a mission to accelerate the transition to a prosperous, resilient, low carbon future. We work with businesses, governments, financial institutions and philanthropies to turn climate ambition into real-world impact through deep sector expertise, practical solutions and cross-sector partnerships. For 25 years, we have been climate pioneers, helping organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges of the climate transition and accelerate their route to Net Zero.

As a not-for-dividend organisation, we reinvest our profits to advance our expertise, innovation and impact. Our global network of around 300 experts works alongside clients and partners around the world to drive meaningful climate action, deliver lasting change and accelerate progress towards a more sustainable future.

Main responsibilities:

The II team has five core pillars to its work that this role will contribute:

Ideas and alignment (50%)

• Leading the II team’s collaboration with three of the Carbon Trust’s global practice areas (probably Energy Transition, Offshore Renewables and Manufacturing & Industry) to turn the Solutions from their Sector Visions into fundable programmes
• Overseeing the end-to-end programme design process of taking ideas from our experts through to grants being secured from funders
• Identifying, engaging and building relationships with partners that have complementary skills, knowledge of relevant technologies and presence in target geographies
• Coordinating intimate multi-stakeholder events (e.g. workshops and dinners) that help further develop the concept and create buy-in across key stakeholders

Relationships and network (25%)

• Identifying, engaging and building relationships with potential funders that have an interest in supporting system-level impact in our priority sector and regions
• Acting as the account owner for a number of priority philanthropic accounts by developing and delivering engagement plans that ensure effective coordination across the Carbon Trust
• Developing and deepening relationships with key individuals at philanthropic foundations and regional and sector-focused re-granters
• Leveraging and growing your personal network, and that of the Carbon Trust community, to open up new opportunities and position our experts in the right conversations

Team and coordination (15%)

• Supporting colleagues to embed consistent account management of philanthropic foundations and related organisation across the Carbon Trust
• Strengthening the coordination across the Carbon Trust through a regular philanthropy leadership forum that shares info with and lessons learned with senior colleagues across the company
• Providing ongoing capacity building across the Carbon Trust to help our colleagues better understand how best to engage with philanthropy

Status, identity and location (5%)

• Supporting, where necessary, further exploration of alternate legal structures that could be added to the Carbon Trust group to further grow our revenues from philanthropy
• Supporting the development of a clear, Carbon Trust‑wide localisation model that is appropriate for the company and responds to the expectations of philanthropic funders and the wider development community

Communication strategy (5%)

• Contributing to the bimonthly Impact Brief that communicates externally the Carbon Trust’s increasing experience of working with philanthropy and other impact-orientated organisations
• Representing the Carbon Trust externally at relevant conferences and seminars to build your network and the organisation’s reputation as a credible mission-driven, system-level delivery partner of choice for philanthropy

Qualifications, key skills and experience we are looking for:

• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and relationship development skills to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders across philanthropic foundations, government, business, innovators, financiers, civil society and our existing and potential partners
• Experience in proactively developing new propositions, collaborations and relationships
• Strong existing network with philanthropic foundations and organisations
• Excellent written and oral communication skills with the ability to lead and run workshop sessions, present to small and large audiences, and write high-quality proposals and reports
• Ability to solve complex problems and respond to the evolving needs and requirements of philanthropic foundations and partners;
• Interest in and understanding of the Carbon Trust’s mission, activities and propositions
• Knowledge and understanding of climate change and wider social and environmental objectives of philanthropic foundations and organisations;
• Knowledge/experience of transitioning to sustainable solutions in developing and emerging economies
• Experience of managing multiple projects simultaneously and managing work efficiently including coordinating proposals and deliverables and meeting deadlines
• Experience of delivering projects with, or experience of working in, philanthropic foundations and organisations
• Robust programme and project management experience
• Postgraduate qualification focusing on the environment, policy, business, economics, engineering or sustainability, or equivalent experience

We offer a competitive salary, performance-based annual bonus and generous annual leave allowance. Our hours are 37.5 per week, and we offer flexible working arrangements, so that our employees can work from home up to 3 days per week. Other benefits are region specific.

Joining the Carbon Trust offers the opportunity to work alongside leading experts in the low-carbon field, contributing to innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. To apply, please visit our application page and submit your CV and cover letter.

The role can be based from any one of the Carbon Trust offices including Amsterdam, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Mexico, South Africa or Singapore, but we can only accept your application if you have the right to work in the country you are applying for.

We believe that when people feel respected and included, they can truly flourish. We’re committed to advancing equal opportunities and we’re dedicated to building a multifaceted, equitable and inclusive culture. If you don’t meet all the requirements but you have the skills and the experience, we would encourage you to apply and tell us why you are the right person for the job.

The application deadline is Tuesday 20th October 2026 however, we may close the position early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply early. Due to our hybrid and flexible working policies, some interviews and onboarding processes may be conducted via video conferencing.

At the Carbon Trust, we are guided by our core values: integrity, ambition, collaboration, and excellence.