Senior sustainability consultant

August 2023 update: this position is now filled.

This client-facing position is a key hire for Grain and will support the business in delivering its mission. It’s a great opportunity for an experienced, hands-on consultant who wants to have an impact on how organisations understand and embed sustainability. It offers potential for progress and career advancement in step with Grain’s own growth.

The position is full-time and permanent. We meet in person in London 1-2 days per month and otherwise the work is remote.

About Grain

Grain is a sustainability consultancy with the mission to help organisations become champions for people and the planet. The company was founded in 2002 as a brand and design consultancy and has shifted over the years into sustainability, which is now our primary focus. Our clients span many sectors such as built environment, education, professional services, pharma, tech, and sport, and they include companies, public bodies, charities, and trade associations.

We are a friendly and welcoming core team of seven, plus a half-dozen project-based consultants, working mostly remotely. Grain is a B Corp, a Living Wage Employer, and a long-standing member of 1% for the Planet, giving 1% of turnover to environmental partners.

The senior consultant should:

• Have hands-on experience in developing and delivering sustainability strategies and projects, including materiality assessments and carbon footprinting
• Have strong writing skills
• Be confident engaging with clients and building relationships at all levels: operational, senior management and board (for example to lead interviews and workshops, and to present reports)
• Be an effective project manager, able to meet deadlines and budgets, manage timelines and both internal and client workflows
• Be an analytical thinker who is thorough and pays attention to detail, with high standards for quality of work
• Be able to work with different styles and cultures, both independently (mostly remotely) and in a team
• Be happy to train and mentor junior team members
• Be familiar with international sustainability reporting frameworks and standards

Nice to have:

• Tech-savvy and excellent use of software: PowerPoint, Excel, Word, SurveyMonkey

In your first 6 months, you’ll:

• Be the strategic, client-facing and project management lead for 2-3 new clients
• Become a key team member on existing projects
• Contribute to the success of Grain’s overall business strategy
• Identify potential improvements for Grain’s approaches and processes
• Help communicate Grain’s successes (e.g. through blog posts and possibly public speaking)

Like the rest of the Grain team, you’ll benefit from:

• Working for a mission-driven B Corp
• Mostly remote working, meeting in person in London 1-2 days per month
• Budget for co-working space (up to 2-3 days per week)
• 1-2 team volunteer days per year
• Helping shape company policy for further paid volunteer days
• Core hours 10am-5pm with flexibility either side (further flexibility can be agreed)
• Family-friendly approach
• Budget for training and to attend conferences and other events
• Competitive salary

To apply, please send your CV to hello@grain-sustainability.com with a cover letter/email answering the below questions. (We will not respond to applicants who don’t answer the questions.)

1. Why are you working in the field of sustainability?
2. What are the trends and changes you see in sustainability now?
3. Why do you want to work at Grain?
4. What achievements are you most proud of?
5. What have you learned in the past few years that you’ll be taking forward in your career, or in your life more broadly?

Please let us know what your notice period is in your current employment.

Grain does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, sex, gender, sexual identity, disability, or neurodiversity.