Strategy Associate
Systemiq Ltd.
Salary undisclosed
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Description
Company Description: Systemiq is a system-change company committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement by transforming markets and business models across five key systems: nature and food, materials and circularity, energy, urban areas, and sustainable finance.
As a certified B Corp, we combine strategic advisory with high-impact, on-the-ground work, partnering with business, finance, policymakers and civil society to deliver system change. With offices across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, we are dedicated exclusively to sustainability-focused work.
Location: Kenya (Nairobi preferred) or London, UK
Contract: 12-month FTC (very likely to extend / convert to permanent)
Team / Platform: Sustainable Finance
Reporting to: Sustainable Finance leadership
About the role : Systemiq is looking for a Strategy Associate to join our growing Sustainable Finance practice in Kenya, focused on public and development finance. You will help governments and public finance institutions to strengthen financing strategies and mobilise capital for climate, nature and development priorities.
This is a strategy advisory role: working within small, collaborative teams, you will support complex advisory engagements and multi-stakeholder initiatives spanning governments, IFIs/DFIs, bilateral donors and the private sector. You will contribute to workstreams that draw on expertise across Systemiq and external partners, and over time you will have opportunities to shape and lead your own workstreams within the sustainable finance space.
This role blends macro-level strategic thinking with strong research and analytical skills, excellent stakeholder engagement and communication, and the ability to deliver high-quality outputs in fast-moving, stakeholder-heavy contexts. Strategy consulting experience is welcome but not essential.
What you’ll do
- Help support or lead workstreams and deliver high-quality advisory support on public and development finance for climate and nature outcomes.
- Develop structured analysis and synthesize complex information into client-ready materials (strategy decks, technical notes, briefing packs).
- Drive development of sovereign financing strategies, including consideration of macroeconomic context, sovereign risk, debt sustainability and credit dynamics.
- Help design, shape, and assess financing approaches and instruments, including concessional and blended finance, sustainability-linked bonds/loans, debt-for-climate/nature swaps, and risk-sharing structures.
- Support stakeholder engagement across ministries, debt management offices, central banks, IFIs/DFIs, donors and private sector partners, including workshops and convenings.
- Contribute to proposal development, thought leadership and knowledge building within the team.
Mindset, skills & experience
Essential
- Degree/Masters – Economics/Finance/International Development especially welcome
- 2–5+ years of relevant experience, for example in:
- strategy consulting (sustainable finance focus)
- international financial institutions (e.g., IMF, World Bank, AfDB),
- central banks or debt management offices,
- credit rating agencies,
- sovereign research / strategy teams,
- finance ministries or public finance roles,
- development finance / advisory roles with strong sovereign finance exposure.
- Familiarity with the sovereign financing landscape, including concessional finance, blended finance and/or climate and nature instruments e.g. sustainability-linked bonds/loans, debt-for-climate/nature swaps etc.
- Strong problem-solving, analytical and research skills — able to synthesise complex material into clear, structured outputs.
- Excellent communication in English (written and verbal), and demonstrated stakeholder engagement skills
- Strong project discipline and ability to deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
- Collaborative team player with an entrepreneurial mindset and strong mission alignment.
Desirable
- Formal study in economics, with a focus on macroeconomics, development economics, climate economics and/or nature economics
- Exposure to public-sector policy or planning, for example within finance ministries, environment ministries, or IFIs/DFIs.
- Familiarity with Sub-Saharan African sovereign contexts and financing priorities.
- Experience supporting stakeholder consultations, convenings or government-facing processes.
- Additional languages (e.g., Swahili, French).
Candidate profile
You are mission-driven and excited by the opportunity to help governments and financial institutions mobilise financing for climate and nature outcomes. You combine intellectual rigour with pragmatism and strong relationship skills. You thrive in small teams, enjoy working across disciplines and stakeholder groups, and want your work to influence real-world decisions.
You will also align naturally with our values: Creativity, Challenge, Collaborate, Change and Care.
Additional information
- Only applications from candidates legally eligible to work in Kenya /UK will be considered.
- Visa sponsorship / relocation costs will not be provided.
Diversity & Inclusion
At Systemiq, we absolutely believe diverse perspectives are essential to driving system change. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where people feel respected, supported and able to do their best work.
Click here to view our Data Policy.
About this role
Systemiq's Sustainable Finance practice is seeking a Strategy Associate to support advisory work with governments and public finance institutions across climate, nature and development priorities. Based in Nairobi or London on a 12-month contract (likely to extend), you would join a small team helping clients design sovereign financing strategies, assess blended finance instruments like sustainability-linked bonds and debt-for-climate swaps, and engage stakeholders spanning ministries, multilateral development banks, and the private sector. The role demands strong analytical capability to synthesize complex information into client-ready outputs, combined with genuine stakeholder engagement skills and the ability to deliver under tight deadlines.
You should have 2–5+ years of relevant experience in strategy consulting, international financial institutions, central banks, sovereign research, or development finance roles with exposure to public finance and concessional or blended finance instruments. A degree or master's in economics, finance or international development is essential. Beyond technical skills, Systemiq is looking for someone mission-driven and intellectually rigorous but pragmatic—someone who thrives in collaborative, cross-disciplinary teams and wants their work to influence real policy decisions. Prior exposure to Sub-Saharan African contexts, public-sector policy processes, or additional languages like Swahili or French would strengthen your candidacy, though the role welcomes strategy consulting backgrounds without formal consulting experience.
Note that you must be legally eligible to work in Kenya or the UK; visa sponsorship and relocation support are not available.
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