The 2° Investing Initiative (2DII) is an independent, non-profit think tank working to align financial markets and regulation with the Paris Agreement goals. Our work concentrates on three main research areas: Retail Investing, Impact, and emerging markets.
In France, 2DII has been a key player in the climate finance field since it was launched 10 years ago. We were strongly involved in the development of the Article 173, co-organised the International Climate Reporting Awards since 2016, co-lead the drafting of the ISO14097 standard on sustainable finance and recently launched the Climate impact management system as part of our evidence for impact program. We are also a strong contributor to Finance ClimAct, an EU funded project coordinated by Ademe to replicate the European Sustainable Finance Action Plan in France.
2DII is funded through a combination of grants from EU research and innovation programmes, national governments and private foundations. We are developing a more strategic approach to fundraising which enables us to increase the breadth and impact of our research activities.
Position summary
We are looking for a Senior Economist to play a key role in monitoring, preparing, submitting, and managing grant proposals/reports in line with 2DII internal policies and funders expectations. The senior economist contributes to (or potentially coordinates) grant writing, manages research projects, and conduct research related to topics at the intersection of (political) ecology, finance and economics.
Main responsibilities:
In the short to medium-term, the successful applicant will be expected to:
- Co-lead a European Union (EU) funded project collaboratively with an employee of 2 Degrees Investing initiative, Ademe and Res Publica (a participative democracy consultancy) on the financing of buildings renovation in France, which involves several research studies and roundtables involving all stakeholders (public and private actors, including financiers) to buildings renovation
- Contribute to several economics studies on the transition towards a nature positive and biodiversity-friendly EU economy (e.g. identifying and quantifying most promising business opportunities for scaling up biodiversity protection and restoration, applying economic analyses to identify the most relevant financing instruments and public policies to scale up biodiversity protection and restauration…) as part of a multi-million EU-funded project
- Contribute to the development of a pilot tool aimed at enabling the assessment of financial risks stemming from physical impacts of climate change in low-income countries. This tool will be tailored to such countries technical capacity and data availability.
In the medium to long-term, the successful applicant is expected to contribute to developing research projects to answer calls for proposals, and to manage and implement such projects.
Essential skills and qualifications:
This position requires:
- A degree in economics/political economy/business (finance)/engineering (with a strong finance/economics/business dimension), preferably at postgraduate level
- At least three to four years of relevant experience (for instance, but non-exhaustively, as an economist, financial analyst…)
- Strong analytical and quantitative skills
- Knowledge of key sustainable finance and/or climate economics and/or ecological transition concepts
- Genuine interest in climate and nature economics and finance
- A desire to learn how to manage research projects,
- Excellent written and verbal skills in both French and English
Desired skills:
- Organisational skills with the ability to multi-task
- Excel skills (for the development of a physical risk assessment tool), eagerness to develop cutting-edge research and policy recommendations
- Strategic thinking
- Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues and clients
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Ability to take ownership over stand-alone streams of analysis
- Experience in macroeconomic and/or financial modelling is a plus.
- Knowledge and/or experience working on building renovation (financing) in France is a plus
- Knowledge and/or experience working on biodiversity protection and restauration (financing) is a plus
- Willingness to apply even if you do not tick all the boxes!
We offer you:
- A dynamic team of researchers, analysts and sustainable finance specialists passionate about the climate transition.
- A mission that brings together finance, economics and climate.
- Flexibility in terms of working hours and a family-friendly working environment.
- An environment for growth and collaboration with people from different backgrounds.
- A competitive salary package commensurate with experience.
Interested in changing finance to tackle climate change? Contact us!
Start date: As soon as possible
Please send your application quoting 2DII-SE-092023 (CV without picture and one-page cover letter in English indicating your earliest possible start date) to: jobs@2degrees-investing.org.
2° Investing Initiative is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunities and will continually ensure equal opportunity to our employees and to our applicants in the conduct of all business activities.
Please note we are only able to accept candidates who are eligible to work in the EU.
