Data and Impact Junior Professional

Palladium is looking for a Junior Professional to support the Global Team on the Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use Programme – Phase 2 programme. The role is based primarily from the UK, working on a global sustainable land-use programme funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

This is an early-stage professional development opportunity, designed to enable you to develop knowledge, skills and competencies required to pursue a successful career within the sector. You will support our Impact Data team to develop and manage systems, processes and tools to enable the programme to verify results, generate knowledge and manage projects. You will support with the technical aspects of the Information Management System, and produce guidance, training and documentation. You will also support the global programme management unit with programme coordination and will work closely with senior leadership and regional teams, offering you excellent oversight of the global programme.

The role is offered full-time (40 hours) based out of our London or Bristol, UK offices. It is expected the person works from the office at least 3 days per week (pro rata if part-time). We have flexible working conditions to enable our staff to balance their work and home commitments.

About Palladium: Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 2,100 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.

The Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use Programme – Phase 2 (IFSLU2) is a flagship programme in the Climate and Environment practice area at Palladium. IFSLU2 is split into three components, this position is primarily focused on Component 1, Partnerships for Forests, with collaboration and coordination opportunities for working with Component 3. IFSLU2 is a grants and technical assistance facility that supports businesses and investment models in which the private sector, public sector and communities can achieve improved returns from forests and sustainable land use whilst protecting existing forest, restoring degraded land and improving agricultural land management and production practices. All of this work is focused across the tropical forests belt.

IFSLU2 will run for 5 years from 1 February 2025. Depending on performance and subject to funding, the programme may be extended for a further 5 years (up to 2035). The programme is funded by the UK government.

Primary Responsibilities: The Junior Professional will support the Global Team through responsibilities outlined below:

• Information Management System development / maintenance / training
• Support the ongoing development of the Partnerships for Forests management system, including new views and audiences
• Manage team access to all tools in the system, including for external guests such as clients and grantees
• Identify and respond to potential bugs and issues, and manage communications with the team as they report suggestions and questions
• Develop and maintain training and onboarding protocols for new starters
• Produce guidance material (written and video) on the system, and ensure all documentation is kept up to date and relevant
• Review and streamline tools and systems, including integration and standardisation
• Develop systems and approaches to improve the quality and consistency of programme-level data to ensure and maximise utility
• Support in the building of automation logic and workflows
• Support in PowerBI modelling and building insights for the team and clients
• Support uptake of AI for efficiency and analysis and develop best practice guidance
• Research and test options that have been identified as potential additions to the technology stack options e.g. to improve automations, integrations etc.

Key responsibilities and tasks will include, but are not limited to:

• Convene and document meetings of the Senior Management Team, Project Approval Committee, Risk Committee, Strategic Leadership Group, and any other meetings as required
• Follow up on actions/recommendations from the Senior Management Team, Project Approval Committee, Risk Committee, Strategic Leadership Group and any other meetings as required
• Convene, document and follow up on client management meetings
• Collate and distribute relevant documentation required for project level approvals and other programmatic decision making
• Upload research notes and documents to the programme management tools e.g. SharePoint and Monday.com

Reporting: Support progress against programme milestones; support the coordination, collation and drafting of quarterly, annual and extraordinary reporting; contribute to client technical reports and deliverables.

Event coordination and management: Support the Global Team with events organisation and logistics management for key global or programme-wide events, including the bi-annual P4F Partner Forum and AGM.

You will report directly to the Impact Data Lead, with an indirect reporting line to the Team Leader.

Ideal Candidate: The ideal candidate is interested in how a complex, global programme with a successful track record is managed and is pursuing a potential career in the international development, environment or land use sector.

• Passion for international development, climate, nature, sustainable land use or forestry
• Experience collecting, organising, analysing or presenting information and data
• Experience using data analysis, visualisation or reporting tools (e.g. Power BI, Tableau, Excel, R, Python, SPSS or equivalent) to analyse data and communicate insights
• Advanced Microsoft Office user (including but not limited to good working knowledge of Excel)
• Fluency in English - excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Adaptable (keen to try new approaches, employs agile thinking, flexible and open to change)
• Innovative (intellectual curiosity, solution-based problem solving)
• People skills (communication, follow through, respect for individual, interpersonal relationships, networking)
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous tasks (ideally in all the areas of the job description) and/or complex projects/assignments as demonstrated by experience to date
• Passionate and committed to the sector
• Accountable (ensures work quality, organisational skills)
• The right to work in the United Kingdom without sponsorship
• Experience in an organisation or private company running FCDO-funded or other large international development programmes
• Experience using no-code or low-code automation tools (Microsoft Power Automate, Zapier, Make) to develop workflows and automate routine tasks
• Experience working with APIs and connected systems to support data integration, reporting, or process automation
• Educational background with a qualification(s) in a subject relevant to the sector or the role, including Environmental Studies, Economics, Public Policy, International Development or Relations etc.
• Fluency in Spanish, Portuguese, French, and/or Bahasa Indonesia

Palladium is committed to embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. We welcome applications from all sections of society and actively encourage diversity to drive innovation, creativity, success and good practice.

We positively welcome and seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce; and that all job applicants and employees receive equal and fair treatment regardless of their background or personal characteristics.

Should you require any adjustments or accommodations to be made due to a disability or you are a neurodivergent individual or for any other circumstance, please email our team at accessibility@thepalladiumgroup.com and we will be in touch to discuss.

Safeguarding: We define Safeguarding as “the preventative action taken by Palladium to protect our people, clients and the communities we work with from harm”. We are committed to ensuring that all children and adults who come into contact with Palladium are treated with respect and are free from abuse. All successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced selection process including safeguarding-focused interviews and a rigorous due diligence process.