Business Development Lead

Company Description Systemiq is a system change company and certified B Corp, driving the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change. We work across five critical systems-energy, nature and food, materials and circular economy, sustainable finance, and urban transformation-to deliver real, lasting impact. We believe systems change starts with people change. That means curiosity, collaboration, and inclusion are at the heart of how we work.

Since our start in 2016, we have grown to more than 300+ people working across locations in Brazil, Germany, France, Indonesia, Netherlands, UK and the US. We are a pure-play sustainability-focused company, dedicated exclusively to sustainability projects.

Description About the Organisation

We're supporting a mission-led climate and nature organisation within the wider Ecosystemiq network to hire a Business Development Lead. The organisation is a fast-growing tropical forest restoration scale-up operating across West Africa, focused on restoring some of the world's most biodiverse and critically threatened forest ecosystems.

Founded in 2022, the organisation has already:

• Restored thousands of hectares of degraded land
• Built and managed large on-the-ground teams across multiple countries
• Secured long-term partnerships with major global corporates and institutional investors

The model is fully vertically integrated, with in-house operations rather than outsourcing - ensuring delivery quality, data integrity, and long-term restoration at scale.

The founding team brings together deep finance and commercial experience, frontier-market execution capability, and leading climate and nature expertise, creating a highly commercial organisation delivering real-world impact.

The Opportunity

This is a pivotal commercial role within a high-growth climate venture. As Business Development Lead, you will secure large-scale carbon removal offtake agreements with leading global companies, with individual contracts exceeding $100m in value.

You'll operate at the intersection of corporate climate strategy, project finance, and large-scale ecosystem restoration, reporting directly to the Head of Partnerships and working closely with the founding team.

What You'll Work On - and What You'll Build

• Lead strategic corporate relationships
• Source, build, and manage relationships with senior stakeholders across major international corporates
• Guide partners from initial engagement through to signed, long-term offtake agreements
• Manage ongoing client relationships, including senior-level reporting

What you'll build: a trusted presence in a high-influence, relationship-driven climate buyer market.

• Drive end-to-end commercial execution
• Own the full sales cycle: outreach, pitching, diligence (technical and ESG), NDAs, contract negotiation, and close
• Prepare polished, board-level materials for senior decision-makers

What you'll build: deep expertise in complex, multi-stakeholder B2B dealmaking.

• Help corporate buyers understand delivery models, biodiversity outcomes, social impact, and risk
• Support pricing and risk-allocation discussions
• Participate in field visits and due diligence trips to West Africa

What you'll build: strong grounding in carbon markets, restoration economics, and frontier-market realities.

• Shape commercial and market strategy
• Feed market insights into pricing, positioning, and go-to-market strategy

What you'll build: the skillset of a commercial builder shaping how a high-impact climate venture scales globally.

Ultimately, your work will help channel capital into restoring forests, regenerating ecosystems, and supporting livelihoods across West Africa.

Requirements Must have

• Minimum 5 years' total work experience
• Background in management consulting or investment banking, with strong analytical skills and executive-level communication
• Experience in complex business development, partnerships, or multi-stakeholder commercial roles
• Comfort operating in a lean, fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment
• Full right to work in the UK (no visa sponsorship available).

Nice to have

• Experience in climate, carbon markets, sustainability, renewables, or commodities
• Exposure to emerging or frontier markets
• Willingness to travel periodically within West Africa
• Low-ego, collaborative, and mission-driven
• Highly autonomous and proactive
• Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid scale-up environments
• Competitive salary, benefits, and equity (stock options)
• A central role in a high-calibre, low-churn team
• Ownership of strategic relationships with leading global climate buyers

Diversity & Inclusion

At Systemiq, we believe that diversity and inclusion are crucial to system change and our mission. We are committed to:

• Embedding diverse and inclusive practices in all aspects of our work, including recruitment, performance management, and people processes and policies.
• Providing a supportive environment where everyone can be themselves and perform at their best, regardless of background, personality, gender, sexual orientation, race, mental health, religion, or other characteristics.
• Supporting our people through all life stages, accommodating personal priorities, and promoting a sustainable approach to work and life.

Reward and Recognition

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

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