Associate Director - Climate Adaptation

Our vision is to create

a safe and sustainable world.

Ricardo plc is a global strategic, environmental, and engineering consulting company. With over 100 years of engineering excellence and employing close to 3,000 employees in more than 20 countries, we provide exceptional levels of expertise in delivering leading-edge and innovative cross-sector sustainable products and solutions. Every day, we enable our customers to solve the most complex and dynamic challenges to help achieve a safe and sustainable world.

Role Purpose

This senior-level role in the Climate Action Planning and Transparency (CAPT) team focuses on providing technical leadership, as well overseeing business development, bidding, and project delivery related to climate adaptation policy, planning, and monitoring. The role covers the UK, EU, and English-speaking countries beyond Europe. You'll have the opportunity to shape impactful projects, leveraging your skills and learning from colleagues. Responsibilities will vary based on your experience, potentially including methodology development and subcontractor management.

Key Accountabilities

Provide technical leadership in climate adaptation, including policy development, planning, and evaluation. Lead and contribute to complex proposals, ensuring quality assurance. Serve as project director/technical lead, supporting staff development. Key Responsibilities:Deliver high-quality consultancy projects, with a focus on public sector clients e.g. UK Government, European Commission, and international development partners, including:Impact assessments for climate adaptation policies, especially for the European Commission.Identify and prioritize climate risks and adaptation strategies (e.g., NAPs, NDCs, LTSs).Evaluate adaptation-mitigation co-benefits, trade-offs, and mainstreaming efforts.Develop costed implementation plans, finance strategies, and monitoring frameworks.Report on adaptation initiatives, including Adaptation Communications.Engage in business development, bid leadership, and client relations.Occasionally travel internationally (1-2 weeks) to support project delivery.

Key Competencies and Experience

Higher degree in a numerate/scientific subject, or equivalent academic experience. Experience of working in a consultancy environment, leading climate adaptation bids and projects with public sector clients. Extensive international climate adaptation-related experience, including in a UK and/or EU context. Expertise in policy development, planning, and monitoring and evaluation regarding climate adaptation Experience of working in different cultural environments. Experience of facilitating virtual and face-to-face stakeholder consultations, workshops, and capacity-building events. Knowledge of international climate change policy (e.g., UNFCCC) regarding adaptation. Strong literacy in MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint.

Desirable Competencies and Experience

“Thematic” expertise, e.g., nature-based solutions; resilient infrastructure; disaster risk reduction and management; or sustainable development goals. A good understanding of Spanish, Arabic, French and/or Portuguese. Literacy in other aspects of data science, including use of climate model outputs.

Working here

You will be warmly welcomed into our workplace where every voice matters. We are diverse thinkers and doers, coming together to create a culture of inclusion. We will support you to find your place.

We will encourage you to use your passion and expertise to make a positive impact through the projects you work on. Your knowledge and desire to bring about change will be invaluable in helping deliver innovative solutions that support communities across the globe in becoming safer and more sustainable.

Work life balance 

We offer flexible approaches to work, whether that is working from home, being in the office, or as a hybrid worker. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements. Wellbeing is at the core to our culture, allowing employees to flourish and to achieve their full potential.

Benefits

We want you to know how much you are valued. Your remuneration and benefits package will reflect that. You will receive a range of benefits which include support for your physical and mental health. 

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion statement

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person's potential, and we'll help you reach yours. We have an ambitious diversity, equality, and inclusion approach as explained here. We value diversity; recognising that a more diverse workforce creates a richer and more varied working environment. Diversity also drives innovation, by allowing us to offer our clients the best consultancy service that we can. As part of our commitment to engage positively and pro-actively with all our employees and to ensure an inclusive culture, we are a recognised as a 'disability confident' employer.

Next steps

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