Senior Associate

Company

Description:

Systemiq is a system-change company committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement by transforming markets and business models across five key systems: nature and food, materials and circularity, energy, urban areas, and sustainable finance.

As a certified B Corp, we combine strategic advisory with high-impact, on-the-ground work, partnering with business, finance, policymakers and civil society to deliver system change. With offices across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, we are dedicated exclusively to sustainability-focused work.

Senior Associate – Sustainable Finance
Location:London or Kenya
Contract: 12-month FTC
Team / Platform: Sustainable Finance
Reporting to: Sustainable Finance leadership

SYSTEMIQ is looking for a Senior Associate to join our growing Sustainable Finance practice, focused on public and development finance. You will work with governments and public finance institutions to strengthen financing strategies and mobilise capital for climate, nature and development priorities.

This is a strategy advisory role, working in small, collaborative teams on complex advisory engagements and multi-stakeholder initiatives spanning governments, IFIs/DFIs, bilateral donors and the private sector. As a Senior Associate, you will play a key role in shaping and leading work streams, developing client-ready analysis and materials, managing stakeholder relationships, and contributing to the growth of SYSTEMIQ’s sustainable finance work in Kenya and the wider region.

This role blends macro-level strategic thinking with strong research and analytical skills, excellent stakeholder engagement and communication, and the ability to deliver high-quality outputs in fast-moving, stakeholder-heavy contexts. Strategy consulting experience is welcome but not essential.

• Lead and support work streams delivering high-quality advisory support on public and development finance for climate and nature outcomes.
• Develop structured analysis and synthesise complex information into client-ready outputs, including strategy decks, technical notes, briefing packs and recommendations.
• Drive work on sovereign financing strategies, including consideration of macroeconomic context, sovereign risk, debt sustainability and credit dynamics.
• Help design, shape and assess financing approaches and instruments, including concessional and blended finance, sustainability-linked bonds/loans, debt-for-climate/nature swaps, and risk-sharing structures.
• Manage and support stakeholder engagement across ministries, debt management offices, central banks, IFIs/DFIs, donors and private sector partners, including workshops and convenings.
• Provide strategic insight and practical recommendations to support successful financing strategies and implementation pathways.
• Contribute to proposal development, thought leadership and knowledge building within the Sustainable Finance team.
• Support and mentor more junior team members, contributing to a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team culture.

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate a strong commitment to SYSTEMIQ’s mission and a passion for systems change.

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in economics, finance, international development, public policy or a related field.
• Typically 4+ years of relevant experience, for example in:
  • strategy consulting, ideally with exposure to sustainable finance;
  • international financial institutions such as the IMF, World Bank or AfDB;
  • central banks, debt management offices, finance ministries or public finance institutions;
  • credit rating agencies;
  • sovereign research or strategy teams;
  • development finance or advisory roles with…