Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Competitive, benchmarked against industry standards

About the Role
Are you our next Senior Strategist? Have you dreamt of working with a global financial services group to drive true financial inclusion? Perhaps you have the ideal skillset to help develop the sustainability strategy for an apparel icon, or you’re the best person to demystify regulations and craft compelling reports that actually drive change. We’re looking for a Senior Strategist to join our market-leading sustainability offer at Radley Yeldar.

Using our unique blend of technical expertise, strategic thinking and creative storytelling, you will lead wide-ranging strategy, reporting and communications work with clients as varied as Microsoft and Danone. You will play a vital role in achieving RY’s vision: to create a world that believes in business.

Joining a team of ambitious, bright and energetic strategists, you will be responsible for leading sustainability strategy, reporting, and wider communications work for some of our biggest and most complex clients. You will collaborate closely with designers, project managers and strategists across the agency.

Sustainability has been a core aspect of our work at RY for over 20 years and continues to grow, driven by an incredible team of strategists, designers and project managers. Working at the intersection of technical sustainability and creative communications, we help some of the world’s biggest, most complex and inspiring organisations define their strategy and tell their story with credibility and flair.

Remit and responsibilities
- Lead insightful sustainability reporting programmes, acting as lead strategist on client accounts to deliver rigorous and engaging reporting across multiple channels.
- Balance technical knowledge with creative storytelling, managing the entire reporting lifecycle from setting direction inspired by the latest sustainability developments to defining content strategy, advising on standards and frameworks, interviewing stakeholders, and partnering with copywriters and creatives.
- Support clients’ alignment with key frameworks such as ESRS, ISSB, UK SRS, GRI, TCFD and PAI through gap analysis, benchmarking, value chain mapping and disclosure identification.
- Deliver progressive sustainability strategies including double or context-based materiality assessments and strategic frameworks with ambitious targets.
- Develop and execute topic-specific communications and campaigns, for example climate transition plans or human rights issues.
- Lead proposals, pitches and new business meetings to win new clients and grow existing accounts.
- Proactively raise RY’s profile by developing thought leadership content, speaking at events and building relationships.
- Build sustainability knowledge internally by running training sessions and upskilling colleagues across different functions such as employee experience, brand, digital and film.

Experience
You are an entrepreneurial sustainability professional with senior-level experience, either client-side or consulting, with the gravitas and expertise to deliver. You have worked across a wide range of strategies, topics, clients of various sizes, sectors and geographies at different stages of their sustainability journeys.

You are fully up to speed with the rapidly evolving sustainability and ESG landscape and have solid working knowledge of ESRS and ISSB, with demonstrable experience applying these standards. You also possess deep knowledge of established sustainability and reporting standards including GRI, the IIRC Framework, TCFD, ratings and indices. Familiarity with context-based strategic frameworks such as Future-Fit and Sustainable Development Performance Indicators is desirable.

You have extensive experience advising on and developing sustainability and ESG reporting, from first-timers to leaders in the field. Experience with annual reporting and delivering Double Materiality Assessments aligned with ESRS that have been successfully assured is a plus.

You are familiar with communications strategy, able to uncover audience insights and develop solid strategies that serve as springboards for creative ideas. You have experience collaborating with creatives and designers to bring ideas and content to life in audience-first reporting.

You are an effective line manager (this role will involve some line management responsibilities over time) and a strategic sparring partner with gravitas and authority, consulting daily with leaders both internally and client-side.

You are commercially astute with a growth mindset, contributing to unlocking and designing long-term growth of client relationships for commercial, reputational and impact value.

About you
You thrive in a fast-growing, award-winning independent creative agency environment. You enjoy working alongside some of the brightest and best in the business and value a culture that nurtures learning, development and embraces flexible working arrangements including remote and office days.

You are naturally curious, entrepreneurial and proactive in generating inspiring ideas and unique points of view to raise the agency’s profile and impact.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications or equivalent experience in sustainability, ESG, or related fields are expected. A strong track record of applying sustainability frameworks and standards in a senior role is essential.