Senior Strategist and Head of UK & EU Operations in City of London

Job Type: Permanent, Full-time

Location: UK, able to travel to London twice a week, Hybrid-working, shared office space in Holborn

Salary: 80000 GBP - 93000 GBP (Annum)

About us

XDI (Cross Dependency Initiative) is a specialist, mission‑led physical climate risk analytics company, focused on changing how climate risk is understood, valued and acted on by the institutions that shape the global economy. Established in 2007, XDI is the world’s longest‑standing independent specialist in physical climate risk and adaptation analytics, and is named market leader in two of the world’s most prestigious independent evaluations of climate risk analytics – the Forrester Wave: Climate Risk Analytics Software and Verdantix's Smart Innovators: Physical Climate Risk Solutions. We translate climate risk into financially decision‑useful intelligence, enabling decision‑makers to plan for resilience and adaptation, and to redirect capital away from high‑risk, high‑emission activities toward a low‑carbon, climate‑resilient economy.

Our clients include major banks, investors, asset owners and governments around the world, and we increasingly partner with academic institutions and NGOs to help deliver our impact goals. XDI is part of The Climate Risk Group. Across the group, we have around 50 team members based in Australia and Europe. Our European client base has grown rapidly over the past three years through a combination of strategic partnerships and direct client relationships. In early 2023, we established our first European office in London, providing a base for team members across the UK and Spain and supporting our continued growth across the region. We are now looking to expand our UK‑based team.

The Role

As our Senior Strategist & Head of EU & UK Operations, you will be the bridge between impact strategy, partner development, and regional execution, playing a pivotal role in scaling our influence across the private and financial sectors. You will lead the identification of new opportunities (commercial and NGO partnerships and markets), strengthen our commercial systems, and ensure the organisation is set up to deliver them efficiently, advancing the organisation's mission and long‑term sustainability. This role is ideal for a senior NGO or mission‑driven leader who thrives where strategy, relationship building, systems design, and operational delivery intersect.

Key Accountabilities

• Mission‑Aligned Growth

• Partner with the Global Head of Commercial & Partnerships and C‑suite leaders to understand our Theory of Change, priority markets, and partnership opportunities.
• Develop UK and EU commercial and non‑commercial impact campaigns that reflect market needs and strategic priorities.
• Translate clients' needs into clear problem statements and solutions across our SaaS, consulting, and hybrid offerings.
• Support clients and partners, including advisory firms, data providers, and sustainability consultancies, in understanding our services, value proposition and impact potential.
• Build strong relationships with NGOs, NFPs, and government agencies, including data‑sharing partnerships.
• Proactively identify, qualify, and pursue new commercial and impact‑driving opportunities, helping secure new clients and strategic partners.
• Craft compelling proposals, EOIs, pitches, partnership decks, and impact narratives.
• Monitor market trends and leverage data insights to pinpoint strategic growth opportunities.
• Maintain high‑quality CRM discipline to ensure clarity in pipeline management and partnership activities.

• Translate the organisation's Theory of Change into actionable campaign strategies for the UK and EU regions.
• Build relationships with regional change agents, thought leaders, and ecosystem partners.
• Develop systems to monitor progress against the strategy and the impact of the organisation against goals.
• Assess the organisation's success at driving impact while sustaining its own revenue generation.

• Provide strategic input during planning cycles to ensure commercial initiatives align with market realities and organisational goals.
• Enhance commercial dashboards, reporting, and CRM systems to strengthen decision‑making.
• Evaluate sales pipeline against delivery capacity to maintain sustainable growth.
• Apply strong financial and P&L understanding to guide commercial decisions and strengthen organisational health.
• Oversee contracts, budgets, and project reporting with rigour and clarity.

• Foster a high‑performance, values‑aligned environment grounded in trust, inclusion, and collaboration.
• Provide people leadership to a multidisciplinary team (Sales, Customer Success, and Data Product Specialists), supporting their development and wellbeing.
• Coach and mentor team members, aligning their strengths and interests with organisational needs.
• Coordinate cross‑functional workflows, ensuring transparent communication and seamless execution.

Capabilities and Experience Sought After

• Senior experience in business development, partnerships, or commercial strategy within NGOs, NFPs, or purpose‑driven organisations.
• Strong commercial and analytical judgement, with an ability to distill complexity into clear, persuasive narratives.
• Demonstrated capability in building or improving commercial systems and operational processes.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with a record of trusted relationships across sectors.
• Experience leading teams and delivering impact in fast‑paced, evolving environments.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, bring structure, clarity, and focus to complex or shifting priorities.
• Comfortable collaborating across cultures, remotely, and across time zones.
• Knowledge of climate science, climate risk, or climate‑tech ecosystems.
• Deep commitment to ethical leadership, purpose‑driven work, and climate impact, with a belief in the catalytic role of the private, financial, and political sectors in driving change.
• Strong networks across UK, Europe, or global climate and sustainability communities.
• Motivated by bold ideas, iterative learning, and agile ways of working.

Why work with us?

We are a mission‑led organisation powered by people who want to apply their professional skills to deliver meaningful, real‑world outcomes on climate change. Our team is united by a strong alignment to our purpose and a culture where everyone is encouraged to contribute, challenge ideas, and be heard. We take pride in maintaining an inclusive, supportive environment where we care deeply about wellbeing, teamwork is strong, and people feel connected to the bigger picture. You’ll find empowered, collaborative teams, clear alignment to organisational goals, and leadership that values clarity, trust and impact. We also offer a range of generous employment conditions designed to support balance, autonomy and growth, including:

• Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid working
• Fortnightly Wellbeing Days while remaining on full‑time pay
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program
• Empowered, cross‑functional ways of working
• A culture of continuous feedback and recognition

If this sounds like you, please apply now with your CV and a cover letter including why you’d like to work for XDI. Interviews will start in early January 2026.