Manager- Sustainable Finance

Allow us to introduce ourselves.

At dss+, we are not just a conventional operations consulting firm; we are implementers and change makers. Our passion lies in engaging organisations to craft resilient and sustainable businesses, guiding them through transformational changes in sustainability, safety, risk and resilience and through their energy transition. We take the complex world of risk and sustainability and translate it into actionable roadmaps that work with our client’s businesses. We implement, working side-by-side with our clients to deliver real, tangible impact and results.

dss+ services fall into three core areas, sustainability, operational risk management, operational excellence, each bolstered by learning, development and culture change solutions and digital technologies. Teams around the globe work with clients in metals and mining, chemicals, oil and gas, power and utilities, agriculture, food and beverage, industrial and manufacturing, and private equity.

We pride ourselves in combining industry experts and on the ground experience with strong people-centric change management capabilities. This creates the perfect blend to support our clients from intent to impact, enabling them to protect what they care for, transform their organisation, and sustain the changes required to make their vision a reality, in a practical actionable way.

The role

Managers play a critical role, contributing significantly to the success of our team and overall business. This position offers a unique opportunity to work on multiple client engagements simultaneously, providing you with extensive exposure and ample learning opportunities.

The Manager will primarily lead and deliver sustainability due diligence (ESG DD) projects for some of the world’s largest private equity investors. These projects typically span from a few weeks to a few months and require managing multi-disciplinary teams and client stakeholders to deliver high-quality analyses and actionable insights. In addition, the Manager will actively support projects across other Sustainable Finance focus areas - including Climate Risk and Resilience, Impact Investing, and Responsible Investment Advisory - contributing to the delivery of integrated solutions across the investment lifecycle.

You will also play a key role in business development, from opportunity identification and project scoping to drafting proposals, defining methodologies, pricing, and supporting client relationship management.

Specific responsibilities will likely include:

• Leading and delivering ESG Due Diligence projects across multiple sectors and geographies, identifying material sustainability risks and value creation opportunities that can impact operating expenditure (OPEX), capital expenditure (CAPEX), revenues, assets, and liabilities.

• Managing client and internal teams throughout all project phases, ensuring analytical rigour, attention to detail, and timely delivery of outputs.

• Engaging confidently with investment teams and senior stakeholders to discuss sustainability findings in an M&A context and their implications for enterprise value, risk, and reputation.

• Conducting maturity assessments of private market investors through thorough evaluations and benchmarking to gauge current responsible investment practices and identify opportunities for innovation and enhancement.

• Developing responsible investment strategies (incl. climate strategies) at both the firm and fund levels, ensuring alignment with sustainability and impact ambitions.

• Providing tailored training programmes across various asset classes (with a focus on Private Equity and Private Debt) and ESG topics to embed a culture of sustainability within firms and investment teams.

• Creating and reviewing client proprietary toolkits for pre- and post-investment sustainability risk analysis, monitoring, and engagement to generate actionable investment insights.

• Contributing to business development activities, including scoping opportunities, developing proposals, defining methodologies, pricing projects, and supporting relationship management with existing and prospective clients.

• Designing and developing presentations, competently giving presentations to clients' higher management, and independently moderating smaller workshops.

• Mentoring Consultants and Analysts, introducing them into project phases, leading medium-sized client teams, and designing, setting up, and administering project/milestone plans.

• Extracting new know-how from project work and actively engaging in internal tasks under instruction, developing elements or modules of company assets, and supporting thought leadership initiatives.

• Educating internal and external networks on responsible investment and corporate sustainability value propositions and becoming recognized as a trusted advisor in the field.

Who are you?

You are passionate about the power of capital to drive systemic change and dedicated to creating a lasting positive impact in the world.

You hold a Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Sustainability, International Relations, Economics, or Engineering, with a preference for a Master's degree. You bring at least four to six years of relevant professional experience, ideally gained in ESG due diligence, private equity, M&A advisory, or management/operations consulting.

Familiarity with various regulations, standards, frameworks, and initiatives, such as the EU Taxonomy, CSRD, SFDR, SASB, GRI, TCFD, and the PRI, will be necessary in this role.

Holding a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing (or similar) or being willing to undertake it is considered a plus.

You combine strong analytical and financial acumen with attention to detail and the ability to interpret how sustainability risks and opportunities can influence financial performance and enterprise value.

Your interpersonal and organizational skills are excellent, and you approach tasks with a positive attitude. Time management is one of your strengths, and you deliver client-oriented results efficiently.

Your writing skills are excellent and concise, and you take pride in being a dedicated team player with a strong work ethic. Your research and data analysis competencies have been honed over time.

Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) is expected, and you have strong financial literacy and the ability to interpret capital markets dynamics, financial statements, and business strategy in the context of sustainability risks and opportunities. Knowledge of climate risk and resilience topics would be highly beneficial.

Additional language skills would be considered a great asset. The position allows for flexibility in work arrangements, and you can be based in Europe, the Middle East or South Africa.

What we offer

• Exciting and varied client projects on the critical challenges of our time, and an opportunity to transform how clients move towards a sustainable world.

• A dynamic, passionate and engaged team.

• The opportunity to work on diverse projects with engaged teams of recognized experts.

• A work environment that respects diversity and the life-work balance of employees and provides for flexibility in the organization of work time and place.

• A purpose driven management team that listens, encourages initiative and entrepreneurial spirit.

• Continued learning.

• Competitive salary and excellent benefits.

Diversity and Inclusion

dss+ is committed to a diverse workforce and believes this is essential to strengthen our company and drive sustainable growth. We are committed and driving accountability for growing dss+ through diversity.  Diversity is an indispensable part of our organization's culture. The goal of our commitment to inclusion, dignity, and equal opportunity has not only become a competitive advantage for us but has attracted highly capable and talented employees to dss+.

dss+ Core Values

dss+ works with clients to save lives and create a sustainable future. To do so effectively, we live our core values that underpin our thinking, our goals and our actions, every step of the way. Coupled with our passion and expertise, the dss+ core values ensure we forge a path to success for our employees, stakeholders and clients, one that we can all be proud of. What ideals do we prioritise? These are the four compass points that guide our actions.

1.    Safety and health

We share a personal and professional commitment to protecting the safety and health of our employees, contractors, customers and the people of the communities in which we operate.

2.    Environmental stewardship

We find science-enabled solutions for our customers, always managing our businesses to protect and preserve the environment, both for today and for the future.

3.    Respect for people

We treat our employees and all our partners with professionalism, dignity and respect, fostering an environment where people can contribute, innovate and excel.

4.    Highest ethical behaviour

We conduct ourselves and our business affairs in accordance with the highest ethical standards, striving always to be a respected corporate citizen worldwide.