Senior Associate, Climate Solutions

Position Overview

We are seeking a Senior Associate who will play a key role in supporting CEA’s existing climate-related engagements that may include : supporting energy-related strategy development and grantmaking, facilitating funder collaboratives focused on decarbonizing key sectors, and helping leading NGOs operationalize their programming, and helping to advance growth of CEA’s climate-focused project portfolio. This position interacts with leaders in the philanthropic field on work spanning a wide range of climate and environmental issues. Senior Associates manage day-to-day consulting engagements with environmental and climate-focused foundations, family offices, NGOs, impact investors, and bilateral and multilateral agencies. Our work environment is collaborative and intense. It requires intellectual rigor; excellent interpersonal and communication skills; strong research, analysis, and writing capacity; the ability to synthesize findings from a range of sources; superb project management skills; attention to detail; and a passion for climate solutions and environmental issues. We are interested in candidates coming from a range of professional backgrounds, including consulting, nonprofits, academia, finance / impact investing, private sector or corporate ESG, government agencies, foundations, and think tanks. Given the requirements of the position, consulting experience and grantmaking experience is desired. The Senior Associate cohort at CEA includes varied backgrounds and subject matter expertise. Senior Associates may range from professionals with five+ years of experience ready to lead projects, seasoned professionals with advanced credentials and 15+ years of experience who prefer not to assume further management responsibilities, or experienced professionals new to consulting who are preparing for Director-level roles. Each of these profiles has succeeded as a Senior Associate at CEA.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an engagement manager for projects, acting as the primary client contact, leading project design and execution, managing teams, ensuring quality deliverables, updating work plans, managing budgets, and facilitating meetings.
• Lead climate-related projects with light support from senior team members, including climate policy analysis, grantmaking strategies, sourcing and diligence for philanthropic climate funders, GHG modeling, NGO strategy development, and operationalizing climate strategies.
• Manage teams in executing multiple assignments for different clients.
• Co‑design and execute projects, including : formulate and test hypotheses via research, modeling, expert interviews, and data analysis; facilitate group problem‑solving and brainstorming to generate novel solutions; synthesize disparate information (e.g., quantitative data, expert interviews, literature review) into findings and recommendations for clients; deliver clear, compelling reports, presentations, and briefs; ensure quality and rigor of all work products.
• Support Directors in business development : contribute to proposals, develop your professional network in the climate field, and source new project opportunities.
• Participate in CEA’s ongoing journey to become a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization.

Qualifications

Preferred Level of Education

Bachelor's, advanced degree preferred.

Benefits Offered

Bonus, medical / vision / dental insurance, paid time off, paid sick time, holidays.

Compensation / Salary

$100,000-140,000

How to Apply

To be considered for this position interested candidates must follow the link below to submit a resume and cover letter. Apply Here

CEA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to our legal and ethical obligations to protect job applicants and employees from employment discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment due to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation), age, disability, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military status, or veteran status.

About CEA Consulting

CEA Consulting is an environmental consultancy based in San Francisco, CA. For over four decades, CEA Consulting has partnered with a wide range of philanthropies, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies in effectively tackling urgent environmental challenges—from climate change to ocean conservation to sustainable food systems. By combining rigorous analysis with deep sector expertise, we help our clients develop focused strategies, build and execute effective programs, and assess and amplify their impact.

Equal Employment Opportunity

CEA is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to our legal and ethical obligations to protect job applicants and employees from employment discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment due to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation), age, disability, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military status, or veteran status.

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