Manager – Climate Finance, Climate Risk & Sustainability

KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. Our purpose is to inspire confidence and empower change. We have a notable Africa Footprint serving clients across the continent. Our East Africa practice comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

The Nairobi office serves as the regional coordinating office providing the required networking to facilitate delivery of services on a timely basis to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.

Key roles and responsibilities

Client Delivery and Engagement Management:

• Working with the thematic director, undertake delivery of multiple advisory engagements or workstreams, including work planning, budgets, team deployment, quality, client communication and timely completion.
• Lead core assignments in climate and sustainable finance, climate and ESG risk management, sustainability strategy and transition planning.
• Manage engagement economics, scope and change requests; manage specialists and subcontractors; escalate delivery, quality and commercial risks appropriately.
• Review work products before senior review, ensuring that advice is evidence-based, practical and compliant with firm quality and risk requirements.

Technical Leadership and Advisory:

• Lead the development of climate finance strategies, investment pipelines, investment-readiness assessments, project preparation and financing solutions, including green, sustainability-linked, blended and transition finance.
• Support the design and implementation of climate risk frameworks, ESG strategies, sustainable finance frameworks, governance arrangements, implementation roadmaps and management reporting.
• Support delivery of materiality, portfolio data and methodology assessments; physical and transition risk analysis; scenario selection; stress testing; and integration into credit, investment, enterprise risk and internal control processes.
• Coordinate specialist input for nature and biodiversity, carbon markets, PCAF methodologies and advanced quantitative modelling where required.

Business Development and Market Leadership:

• Identify and qualify opportunities, develop the pipeline and support account plans across financial institutions, corporates, governments and development partners.
• Lead or coordinate proposals, concept notes and technical and financial submissions, including solution design, resourcing, pricing and risk review.
• Develop trusted client relationships, originate follow-on work and contribute to agreed revenue and growth objectives.
• Contribute to thought leadership, publications, webinars, industry events and market-facing propositions in collaboration with departmental leadership.

Team Leadership, Quality and Risk Management:

• Manage, coach and develop Senior Associates, Associates and other team members through clear objectives, regular feedback and on-the-job learning.
• Allocate resources effectively, support recruitment and capability development, and foster collaboration, inclusion, innovation and continuous learning.
• Maintain compliance with the firm’s independence, ethics, quality, risk management and engagement acceptance requirements.

Academic/Professional qualifications and Experience:

• A Bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, accounting, risk management, engineering, environmental science, sustainability, development studies, public policy or a related field.
• Master’s degree in a related field such as sustainability, climate change, energy, natural resources management, environmental economics, finance, climate finance or development finance is preferred.
• Relevant professional certification in finance, accounting, sustainability reporting, climate risk, environmental management or project management is preferred.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant professional experience, including at least five years in consulting or an equivalent advisory role within a financial institution, development finance institution, regulator, government agency or corporate.
• Demonstrated experience leading consulting engagements, managing budgets and scope, leading multidisciplinary teams, reviewing deliverables and advising senior client stakeholders.
• Experience working with financial institutions, development partners, regulators or corporates is highly desirable.

Technical competencies & Personal attributes:

• Demonstrated ability to develop climate and/or blended finance strategies, investment pipelines, investment-readiness assessments and financing solutions.
• Understanding of climate risk, ESG and sustainable finance frameworks, governance arrangements and practical implementation roadmaps.
• Ability to conduct, support or interpret materiality, portfolio, scenario and stress-testing analyses and translate findings into credit, investment, risk and strategic decisions.
• Working knowledge of IFRS S1 and IFRS S2, their TCFD foundations and relevant regulatory developments.
• Strong project management, commercial judgement, analytical, report-writing and executive presentation skills.
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written), particularly ability to articulate concepts and recommendations in written form - reports, analytical analysis etc.
• Resilience and tenacity: Must be able to sustain motivation and commitment to goals and manage stress effectively.
• Team player: Has good people management skills, work organization and coordination skills, can also coach/ mentor junior team members.
• Problem solving skills: Can handle and resolve unstructured problems, flex and adapt in new environments to create order and stability and provide effective solutions.
• Personal and professional ethics: Must operate and practice within the professional code of conduct, be honest, with self and colleagues.
• Multicultural skills: Must be able to operate and interact in a multicultural environment and works well in culturally diverse teams.
• Ability and willingness to travel within East Africa or the rest of Africa where the project dictates.
• Strong writing and presentation skills.
• Experience working in a complex, fast-moving environment and dealing professionally with multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated track record in relationship management and business development.

We offer:

• An exciting opportunity to work with a Big 4 firm on cutting-edge clients across Africa.
• Continuous learning and development.
• Exposure to multi-disciplinary client service teams.
• Unrivalled space to grow and be innovative.
• Opportunity for international travel.

If your career aspirations match this exciting opportunity, please use the link below to apply:

Climate Finance, Climate Risk & Sustainability Manager– Candidate’s Summary. Filling the link is mandatory for consideration alongside your application to dasrecruit@kpmg.co.ke quoting ‘Manager – Climate Finance, Climate Risk & Sustainability’. The role will be shortlisted on a rolling basis.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.