Green Finance Institute
CDR Catalyst Lead
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Location: Hybrid (home-working/London office)
Start date: As soon as possible
Contract: 1 year fixed-term contract with opportunity to extend
Reporting into: Georgia Berry, Director, Carbon Dioxide Removals
About the Green Finance Institute (GFI)
Established in 2019, the Green Finance Institute (GFI) is an independent advisor to governments and investors. It is at the forefront of shaping how finance can be used to facilitate a real economy transition, by designing, testing, and scaling financial solutions that enable capital to flow where it can deliver the greatest impact in the real economy.
Bridging the gap between committed capital and impactful solutions, the GFI delivers positive outcomes for climate and nature by aligning policy, development capital, and pipeline development. As a commercially focused philanthropic organisation working with governments and partnering with financial institutions, corporates, NGOs, policymakers, academics, and civil society experts, the GFI has mobilised £77bn in committed capital over six years.
The GFI is headquartered in London and has a presence in eight countries including Belgium, Brazil, Denmark, Indonesia, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, and Spain, and its missions work in built environment, CDR, energy, transportation, and nature.
What is the GFI CDR Catalyst?
The GFI CDR Catalyst was set up to help scale capital for growth-stage carbon dioxide removal companies. Off the back of deep market research, it became clear that project developers were struggling to attract capital for growth due to their (often) first-of-a-kind technology, specific risk profile and financing needs, combined with uncertainty over future demand for carbon dioxide removal credits. Consequently, GFI identified an opportunity to help address these barriers and support the development of a more mature investment market for CDR projects. The Catalyst is available to CDR project developers that are not eligible for the UK’s GGR Business Model support. It offers three core areas of support:
- Philanthropic capital where appropriate and there is clear evidence of it playing a catalytic role in unlocking finance;
- Financial and business model advice in order to ensure projects are structured in a way that can attract finance;
- Introductions to potential finance partners.
The Catalyst has so far taken one transaction from inception to close, helping unlock a £1m bank loan for a biochar company in the UK. Our pipeline is currently predominantly UK-based but if successful we hope to replicate the Catalyst model to other countries, including but not limited to countries where the GFI has a presence already.
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What’s the role?
As Catalyst Lead you will have oversight of all activities carried out under the Catalyst, as well as overall responsibility for partnerships and relationships. This will include the existing pipeline and partnership network, as well as originating new opportunities and partners, including internationally.
You will work closely with the CDR Programme Director and a core team of finance and policy professionals across a range of activities while serving as the primary relationship manager for participating organisations. You will also help shape the Catalyst’s future direction by contributing to the development of its five-year strategy plan.
To be successful in this role, you will combine strong commercial acumen with credibility at senior stakeholder level. You will have a track record of originating opportunities and building trusted relationships with corporates, financial institutions, and public sector bodies. You will be a creative problem solver, able to identify innovative, viable opportunities and, where necessary, help shape them into compelling and commercially sound propositions. You will be impact focused, following the GFI strategy of supporting individual transactions at pace to build out commercial propositions that can be delivered at scale, helping drive a transition in financing CDR.
Responsibilities
Pipeline generation & relationship building
- Lead proactive outreach to CDR project developers to ensure a healthy Catalyst pipeline.
- Build and maintain relationships with project developers, Catalyst partners, finance community, and broader ecosystem service providers.
- Develop a strong understanding of both developer and financier priorities, pain points, regulatory context, and strategic objectives to identify opportunities for engagement.
- Represent the GFI Catalyst at targeted events, roundtables, and industry forums to build visibility and originate leads.
Opportunity shaping & relationship manager
- Manage the end-to-end engagement process from early conversation through to partnership agreement, delivery of support, and transition out of the Catalyst.
- Work closely with the GFI CDR mission to shape opportunities into well-defined propositions.
- Liaise with GFI Communications team to shape partnership activity communications and all external media and social media engagement.
Pipeline Management
- Own and actively manage the Catalyst pipeline, tracking prospects, live projects, and historic pipeline participants.
- Provide regular, structured pipeline updates to CDR mission team.
Market intelligence & strategic input
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- Identify repeatable business models and effective Catalyst support.
- Help develop 5-year strategy for the CDR Catalyst in collaboration with the CDR Programme Director and broader team.
- Help refine target sectors, priority sectors, and partnership opportunities.
Internal Collaboration
- Act as a bridge between project developers and financiers, and Catalyst delivery teams – ensuring expectations are clearly set as well as clarity on roles and responsibilities.
- Work collaboratively with senior leadership, programme directors, and technical experts across GFI to clearly communicate Catalyst activity and ensure cohesion across other GFI missions (such as Sustainable Aviation Fuels and Nature), including identifying opportunities through collaboration.
Role requirements
- Significant experience in business development or client relationship roles within finance, advisory, or professional services; and/or climate, infrastructure, or energy organisations.
- Sound understanding of blended finance transactions, including debt and equity, as well as a sense of the Public Finance Institute landscape.
- Prior knowledge of the carbon dioxide removal sector ideal but not essential.
- Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships at senior executive level.
- Strong commercial judgement.
- Confident operating with ambiguity in an early stage or scaling environment.
- Excellent written and verbal communication; credible and assured with senior audiences.
- Highly organised, with the discipline to manage and report on pipeline and targets.
- Mission aligned: motivated by sustainability, climate transition, and systems level change.
If this sounds like you:
To apply - please submit your CV and a short cover letter (of no more than two sides). Your cover letter should include details of:
- your relevant work/educational experience;
- your skills and in particular your experience that is relevant to this role;
- how you meet the broader requirements of the role.
CVs without a cover letter will not be considered.
The closing date for applications is COB on Monday 10th August 2026. Please submit your application via the link on our website or via LinkedIn.
Please note:
If you do not already hold the right to work in the UK and/or require sponsorship in order to continue working here, you should think carefully before applying.
The Green Finance Institute is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity. If you are invited to interview and need any reasonable adjustments during the interview process, please let us know.
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