Sustainability Associate Director

Dublin
Permanent
Full-time

2 months ago

Management Consultant – Associate Director LevelWe are Grant Thornton. We go beyond business as usual, so you can too.Grant Thornton is Ireland’s fastest growing financial services firm delivering innovative solutions to clients across the country. Our Advisory Division brings industry specific expertise to support our clients in navigating Regulatory, Strategic, Digital and Change management challenges. At Grant Thornton our focus is on people; both building deep client relationships and investing in our staff to help them to realise their potential and achieve their ambitions.In 2020, Grant Thornton Ireland took a strategic decision to establish a sustainability practice within Consulting. Recognising sustainability is a multidisciplinary field, we set about building a diverse team that would blend the best scientific and industrial experience with our existing advisory expertise. Through targeted hires, and internal transfers, we are proud to have grown a partner lead, dedicated, passionate, and practical team of all the talents which work together with our other services lines to delivery pragmatic actionable solutions to our clientsAt Grant Thornton Ireland we don’t just predict your future, we build it.A Career at Grant ThorntonIf you are looking for a more fulfilling role in professional services, at Grant Thornton, we do things differently. We value fresh thinking, collaboration and diversity, building an inclusive working environment open to all. We are here to support you in the development of your career, provide flexibility where required and respect and value your experience.We want you to bring your authentic self to work and be at your best – it’s how it should be.Job Description & SummaryWe are currently looking for experienced individuals to join our expanding Advisory Sustainability Practice. You will be self-motivated, capable of working off your own initiative and can lead with the delivery of Programme/Project milestones. This advertisement seeks people with experience in one or more of the following areas: Regulatory, Strategic, Sustainability and Change Management challenges.This is a challenging but fulfilling role, where you will be required to operate as a key member of our team, playing a lead role in the delivery of business focused solutions to a wide range of Financial and Non-Financial clients, as well supporting the strategic development of the wider Consulting business.Roles & ResponsibilitiesCollaborate within a multi-disciplinary team to successfully deliver and manage projects across a range of key areas.Client Responsibilities

Successful and effective end-to-end delivery of external client projects;
Develop a comprehensive understanding of client and work stream operations, processes, and business objectives and utilise this knowledge on assignments/projects;
Demonstrate excellent attention to detail and an ability to work to strict deadlines;
Work and communicate effectively with senior management, team members and clients, providing relevant summary updates and escalations as appropriate;
Manage reporting requirements, project plans, project status reports, RAID logs, management updates and other reports as required; and
Building client relationships and interacting proactively with key stakeholders to gather information, resolve issues, and provide analysis to inform client deliverables.

Internal Responsibilities

Assisting in client account management activities such as recruitment for the project team, managing financial aspects of client engagements, and quality and risk management;
Leading and supporting presentations and proposals for elements of medium to high complex projects to prospective and existing clients;
Communicating effectively with senior management and working to build, manage and motivate high-performing teams;
Building strong internal relationships and network within Consulting and across other services lines;
Supporting team development activities, including but not limited to management, coaching, and mentoring activities;
Conducting performance reviews and contributing to performance feedback;
Contributing to people initiatives including recruiting, retaining and training activities; and
Understanding, following and communicating workplace policies and procedures.

Skills and ExperienceEducation and Certifications

Master’s degree in sustainability, environmental science, engineering, or a related field is required
Minimum of 10+ years direct experience in advising clients across sectors on climate and environmental risks at both strategic and operational levels, including scenario analysis, adaptation planning, and regulatory alignment
Demonstrable experience supporting organisations to assess and communicate how climate-related risks and opportunities influence business resilience, investment decisions, and long-term value
Significant experience in greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting (Scopes 1, 2, and 3), emissions inventories, carbon reduction planning, and supporting organisations on net zero target setting and implementation
Demonstrated understanding of carbon markets and experience with carbon credit registries or trading schemes
Strong knowledge of climate disclosure frameworks (e.g., TCFD, ISSB, CDP)
Knowledge of evolving sustainability regulations (e.g., California SB 261, SB 253, TNFD)
Proven ability to quickly grasp complex topics beyond core areas of expertise and apply critical thinking to develop practical, tailored solutions
Deep understanding of the relationship between climate change, business risk, and value creation, with a focus on integrating this into core business functions
Strong commercial background with expertise in business strategy, operations, and the quantification of environmental and social impacts
Experienced in identifying opportunities for growth and supporting business development, including through tender responses and client proposals

Skills and Attributes

Communication: Skilled in stakeholder engagement and communication, with the ability to translate technical concepts into accessible, outcome-oriented language
Analytical skills: Strong analytical and quantitative skills, with experience applying them to assess sustainability risks, model impacts, and support data-driven decision-making
Leadership and Team Building: Committed to building team capability through coaching, knowledge-sharing, and supporting development of junior colleagues
Organisation: Scheduling and facilitating meetings, including Agendas and Minutes
Attitude: Strong work ethic, proactive attitude to issue resolution, delivering excellence, managing deadlines and being comfortable leading a team
MS Office: MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint skills

Life at Grant ThorntonReward and benefits:Our reward and benefits are designed to create an environment where our people can flourish. We are committed to building a culture where our people have access to the necessary benefits to help promote a healthy lifestyle and thrive.We offer an excellent range of rewards and benefits to suit your lifestyle:

Performance based bonus scheme bonus once probation (6-month period) is completed prior to December.
Employer Pension Contributions
Career progression with an annual promotion cycle (dependent on eligibility)
Professional subscriptions paid
Health insurance group scheme discount
Annual flu vaccination
Employee assistance programme
Be Well initiative
Funded sports and social events
Life assurance scheme
Employee discounts

Find out more about the benefits at Grant Thornton here: .Flexible working environment:At Grant Thornton we promote a flexible working environment and are currently support a hybrid working model. We also offer employees the opportunity to avail of a compressed working week the Friday before each Bank Holiday and every week from June – August inclusive. This allows employees the opportunity to finish at 3pm on a Friday, subject to client approval.Equity, Diversity and Inclusion:At Grant Thornton, we provide equitable opportunities for all our colleagues. We are a responsible, sustainable business where Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (ED&I) are at the forefront of our workplace culture agenda. Today, we continue to build and develop on our existing ED&I structure and strategy to meet our workplace culture needs. People are at the heart of our business and teams built with varied backgrounds, racial differences, cultures, sexual orientations, religious orientations, ages, gender identities, abilities and family types present diverse viewpoints which need to be heard and valued.We are all at our best when we are able to be ourselves and we view integrity and authenticity as integral values to bring to our day-to-day work-life at the Firm. We are excited to see the personality and perspectives you will bring to our team because we know we will all benefit from them. Diversity of thought, background and experience enables better decision-making, improves the quality of our delivery and helps us to meet the needs of our clients. Our Firm is built on people and their ideas, so we want to hear all the new perspectives and fresh thinking you have to offer. You form the bedrock of our Firm’s best-practice principles, and we will champion you as leaders from day one.Recognition:We want to create a culture of recognition and celebrate success, by saying thank you to people who surpass our expectations and recognising the right values and behaviours. Our Shout Out recognition scheme is our way of highlighting and promoting achievements. Whether you simply want to say thank you, celebrate a special occasion or give an award for doing something exceptional, you can do all of this and more through the scheme. We also offer a defined contribution pension and life assurance.#LI-RM1 #Hybrid

Grant Thornton

Apply Now