Cape Town: Climate Finance and ESG Analsyt posted by PKF Octogon

Job purpose:

This role supports the growth and delivery capacity of PKF Octagons ESG and Sustainability division, with a primary focus on climate finance delivery and a secondary focus on ESG advisory and reporting. The division supports clients to plan, finance, implement, and report on sustainability and climate-related initiatives, with a strong emphasis on credible data, defensible analysis, and practical implementation.

As a consultant, you will work closely with the Head of ESG and Sustainability to deliver climate finance and ESG workstreams across multiple engagements. The core of the role is to strengthen the teams ability to produce high-quality quantitative outputs, including budgets and economic and financial analysis (EFA) models, while also contributing to high-quality proposals, ESG outputs, and client-facing delivery.

Project management is a critical feature of this role. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving delivery across multiple workstreams by planning tasks, managing timelines, coordinating internal resources, securing client inputs, tracking actions, and escalating risks early. The role is intended to reduce senior time spent on day-to-day coordination and follow-up, while improving delivery speed and quality.

The ideal candidate is expected to be technically capable in Excel-based modelling and structured analysis, demonstrate strong ownership and independent thinking, and show a clear willingness to learn in a fast-evolving field.

Main responsibilities and accountabilities:

Project management and delivery coordination (critical):

• Own day-to-day project management across engagements: workplans, timelines, action logs, and status reporting.
• Coordinate internal delivery by allocating tasks, tracking progress, and driving deadlines.
• Manage client inputs and dependencies through structured requests, follow-ups, and an input/evidence register.

Climate finance delivery (primary)

• Develop and quality assure budgets, ensuring sound assumptions and consistency with technical narratives.
• Build and maintain economic and financial analysis (EFA) models, including scenario and sensitivity analysis.
• Produce clear, client-ready outputs (tables, summaries, and model results) for reports, proposals, and presentations.

Proposal and bid support

• Draft and coordinate proposal inputs: methodology, workplans, and LOE support.
• Conduct targeted research to strengthen proposals and technical positioning.
• Maintain reusable proposal content, templates, and delivery packs.

ESG delivery support (secondary)

• Support ESG reporting work, including data collection planning, evidence structuring, and disclosure mapping inputs (GRI; IFRS S1 and S2).
• Support analysis, drafting, and packaging of ESG deliverables and presentations.

Client engagement

• Engage professionally with clients, maintain responsiveness, and manage expectations on inputs and timelines.
• Build strong client relationships through structured communication and reliable delivery.

General

• Ensure that you build a good working relationship with Clients and Management of PKF octagon.
• Follow all reasonable and lawful instructions from the Health and Safety Team.
• From time to time Management will request you to perform tasks outside of the abovementioned Job Description. This Job Description is not exhaustive and will change and grow in accordance with position.

Knowledge competencies:

• Project management and delivery coordination – Ability to plan and manage work across multiple engagements, track actions, drive inputs, manage timelines, coordinate internal resources, and maintain delivery momentum.
• Financial modelling and analysis – Ability to develop structured Excel-based models, perform scenario and sensitivity analysis, and produce clear outputs for decision-making. Strong discipline on assumptions, version control and error checking.
• Budgeting and cost logic – Ability to develop and review budgets, apply sound cost logic, and ensure internal consistency between activity-based budgets, narratives, and outputs.
• Client engagement – Ability to manage client interactions professionally, capture decisions, communicate clearly, and maintain strong follow-through.
• Data analytics and management – Ability to collect, organise, clean, and manage datasets with strong attention to detail and accuracy. Capacity to analyse data and translate findings into actionable insights and clear recommendations.
• Preliminary ESG knowledge – Working understanding of ESG reporting concepts and frameworks (for example, GRI and IFRS S1 and S2), including evidence expectations and disclosure logic. Deep expertise is not required, but a strong foundation and willingness to learn is essential.
• Technical proficiency – Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word, with the ability to develop professional presentations, perform analysis, and draft high-quality written outputs.
• Research capability – Ability to conduct efficient, relevant research to support climate finance and ESG deliverables and proposal development.
• Quality assurance and attention to detail – A meticulous approach to accuracy in models, budgets, analysis, and reporting, including the use of QA checklists and structured review processes.
• Adaptability and growth mindset – Demonstrated eagerness to learn and adapt in a fast-changing landscape, with commitment to professional and personal development.

Personal Competencies:

• Disciplined – accountable, responsible, delivery orientated.
• Work productively and in a challenging environment.
• Propensity to learn – Self-motivated, driven and determined.
• Exercise initiative within the boundaries set by the firm.
• Team player.

Experience and qualifications:

• A relevant undergraduate degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Engineering, Development Finance, Environmental Science, Sustainability, or a related field.
• A Masters degree is preferred (for example, Development Finance, Economics, Finance, Sustainability, Climate Change, or similar).
• 2 to 5 years experience in project management, financial modelling, budgeting, advisory, consulting, or similar analytical roles is preferred.
• Exposure to climate finance and/or ESG reporting is beneficial but not mandatory.