Senior Strategy Associate (Sustainable Finance)

About the role

Our client, is a systems change company working to accelerate the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive, and more inclusive economy. As a certified B Corp, they partner with business, finance, policymakers and civil society to transform five interconnected systems: energy, nature and food, materials and circularity, sustainable finance, and urban transformation. Founded in 2016, they have grown to a global team of more than 300 people across Brazil, France, Germany, Indonesia, Kenya, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.

They are looking for a Senior Strategy Associate to join their growing Sustainable Finance practice in Kenya, focused on public and development finance — strengthening governments' financing strategies and mobilising capital for climate, nature and development priorities, including sovereign debt sustainability and the case for investing in resilience.

Working within small, collaborative teams, you'll support advisory engagements spanning finance ministries, central banks, IFIs/DFIs (including the IMF and World Bank), donors and the private sector, with opportunities over time to lead your own workstreams. The role blends macro-level strategic thinking, strong analytical skills, and stakeholder engagement in fast-moving, ambiguous contexts. Strategy consulting experience is welcome but not essential — backgrounds in IFIs, central banks, credit rating agencies, or finance ministries are equally valued.

Location: Kenya (Nairobi preferred)
Team / Platform: Sustainable Finance
Reporting to: Sustainable Finance leadership 

What You'll Do

• Lead and support workstreams delivering high-quality advisory support on public and development finance for climate and nature outcomes.
• Develop structured analysis and synthesise complex information into client-ready outputs, including strategy decks, technical notes, briefing packs and recommendations.
• Drive work on 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.
• Manage and support stakeholder engagement across ministries, debt management offices, central banks, IFIs/DFIs, donors and private sector partners, including workshops and convenings.
• Provide strategic insight and practical recommendations to support successful financing strategies and implementation pathways.
• Contribute to proposal development, thought leadership and knowledge building within the Sustainable Finance team.
• Support and mentor more junior team members, contributing to a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team culture.

Mindset, skills & experience

They are seeking candidates who can demonstrate a strong commitment to the company's mission and a passion for systems change.

Essential

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in economics, finance, international development, public policy or a related field.
• Typically 4+ years of relevant experience, for example in:
• strategy consulting, ideally with exposure to sustainable finance;
• international financial institutions such as the IMF, World Bank or AfDB;
• central banks, debt management offices, finance ministries or public finance institutions;
• credit rating agencies;
• sovereign research or strategy teams;
• development finance or advisory roles with strong sovereign finance exposure.
• Strong familiarity with the sovereign financing landscape, including concessional finance, blended finance and/or climate and nature finance instruments such as sustainability-linked bonds/loans and debt-for-climate/nature swaps.
• Strong understanding of macroeconomic context, sovereign risk, debt sustainability and credit dynamics.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and research skills, with the ability to synthesise complex material into clear, structured and actionable outputs.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, including excellent written and verbal English.
• Demonstrated stakeholder engagement skills, ideally in government-facing or multi-stakeholder environments.
• Strong project discipline and ability to deliver high-quality work under tight deadlines.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive and adaptable mindset, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive work forward.
• Collaborative team player with strong mission alignment and willingness to support others.

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, such as Swahili or 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 are comfortable leading workstreams, structuring complex problems, engaging senior stakeholders and supporting junior colleagues.

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 their values: Creativity, Challenge, Collaborate, Change and Care.

Recruitment Process

1. Screening call with the Semata recruiter.
2. 15-minute client prep call with Semata.
3. First interview — face-to-face where possible.
4. Second interview — includes a case study testing critical, analytical and structured thinking, as well as creativity.
5. Offer.

Target start: as soon as possible, accounting for standard notice periods.

A Note on Our Process

In the interest of transparency: the essential criteria above genuinely reflect what this role requires. Candidates who don't meet them — for example, limited IFI, credit rating agency, or public sovereign finance exposure — should expect to be screened out at the initial stage. This isn't a reflection of overall ability, just fit for this specific role.

Additional information

Only applications from candidates legally eligible to work in Kenya will be considered.

Visa sponsorship and relocation costs will not be provided.

The remuneration and benefits package will reflect the successful candidate’s experience and expertise.