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Manager, Climate Taxonomy Specialist

at WBCSD
Published 29 July 2021
Location Geneva, Switzerland
Category Permanent  
Job Type Manager  

Description

Deadline for application: 31 August 2021

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. We help make our member companies more successful and sustainable by focusing on the maximum positive impact for shareholders, the environment and societies.

Our member companies come from all business sectors and all major economies, representing combined revenues of more than USD $8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. Our global network of almost 70 national business councils gives our members unparalleled reach across the globe. Since 1995, WBCSD has been uniquely positioned to work with member companies along and across value chains to deliver impactful business solutions to the most challenging sustainability issues.

Together, we are the leading voice of business for sustainability: with a vision of a world where more than nine billion people are all living well and within the boundaries of our planet, by 2050.

Job overview

Over 200 companies have signed the “Business Ambition for 1.5°C” pledge, committing to net-zero future, most companies are still early in their decarbonization journey, not yet delivering significant reductions in their carbon footprints. Progressing in the decarbonization journey in this way for most businesses implies an in-depth transformation along with sustained innovation in business models and products.  To assist our member organizations, The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has launched a climate program, SOS1.5, (Safe Operating Space for 1.5°C) to support companies from all sectors as they progress in their decarbonization journey towards net zero emissions—helping them to develop an individual strategy, identify and remove barriers, track progress and report on goals achieved.

Effective deployment of decarbonization targets by the business community will require robust carbon accounting at project, company, national and international levels. Development of accounting protocols is therefore crucial and one of the main pillars of SOS 1.5. WBCSD climate and energy team is currently involved in developing several new important corporate GHG accounting guidance, including

  • Greenhouse Gas Protocol Land Sector and Removal Guidance, to standardize the accounting and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon removals from land use, land use change.
  • Methodological Framework for the calculation and allocation of product-level value chain carbon emissions (building on existing methodologies and standards, e.g. Product Category Rules, GHG Protocol, ISO standards), to help create consistency and transparency on Scope 3 emissions as part of the Value Chain Carbon Transparency Partnership.
  • Climate benefits, to develop new guidance on standardizing the calculation and reporting on the climate benefits (avoided emissions) of the corporate activities, products and services.
  • CCS+ Initiative to deliver a high-integrity, integrated methodological framework for generating carbon credits from the full range of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) activities.

We are expanding our team and looking for an experienced individual to work closely with our Manager for Climate Taxonomy to support several workstreams within the SOS 1.5 project with technical expertise and knowledge in climate taxonomy, greenhouse emissions and removals accounting and reporting.

Responsibilities and duties

  • Support along with WBCSD members and experts, the multi-stakeholder development of the first-of-its-kind guidance to estimate the climate benefits (avoided emissions) of the corporate activities, products and services.
  • Support the Greenhouse Gas Protocol secretariat together with WRI in drafting, reviewing, pilot testing and final publication of the Land sector and Carbon Removal Guidance
    • Provide technical guidance to WBCSD members and working groups in applying the new GHG Protocol Guidance and in general on their Net Zero journey
  • Support the updating and disseminating the methodology for WBCSD Value chain Carbon Transparency Partnership
    • Sectorial deep-dives on product carbon footprint methodology
    • Drive selected topics within the context of the Pathfinder project
  • Provide technical support in scoping and development of the CCS+ Initiative methodology; represent WBCSD within the secretariat
  • Engage and coordinate closely with the SOS 1.5, Science Based Targets team and other WBCSD internal working groups as well external organizations in aligning projects and outcomes and to insure harmonization across initiatives

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in an environmental scientific topic or management discipline with focus on sustainability, with a minimum 5-year relevant work experience in an international business environment
  • Knowledge and expertise:
    • Excellent knowledge and hands-on experience of life-cycle assessment and/or GHG accounting applied to products (product carbon foot-printing) and the land sector namely Agri-forestry products
    • Excellent knowledge of the global climate taxonomy and standards namely the Greenhouse Gas Protocols, ISO standards and the recent developments in the field such as the recent EU taxonomy for sustainable activities
    • Conversant with corporate environmental reporting and pledges such as CDP and Net Zero commitments, and target setting programs such as Science Based Target initiative and the Climate Pledge
  • Project management: Evidence of successful project management and effective facilitation of different perspectives towards a common objective.
  • Communication: Engaging communicator both in person and in writing. Ability to adjust style of communication to suit audience (e.g., present technical topics to a non-technical audience)
  • Teamwork: Evidence of successfully working across teams and diverse interest groups
  • Multi-tasking: Ability to manage own projects and ad hoc demands simultaneously, set priorities, effectively utilize available resources, identify and address problems, and meet deadlines
  • Fluency in written and spoken English

THE WORK ENVIRONMENT

WBCSD is a purpose driven, forward-thinking and action-oriented organization, characterized by diversity of gender, nationalities and work experiences.

WBCSD offers a competitive, modern, and flexible working arrangement:

  • Geneva-based organization with offices in London, New Delhi, Singapore and New York City
  • Competitive compensation and benefits
  • State-of-the-art facilities and ICT-enabled working tools
  • Flex-time and part-time possibilities
  • Dynamic working atmosphere
  • Open culture encouraging interaction and sharing of ideas and opinions
  • International relocation support
  • Sustainable commuting incentives

Please also note that WBCSD will only respond to candidates selected for the interview process.