International Associate, Sustainable Finance & Risk

This is not a job opening. It is an invitation for a small number of senior professionals to become RiskSphere's presence in a region they know deeply, under a contracted associate model.

RiskSphere is a consultancy that supports Dutch financial institutions, and works internationally on climate risk and sustainable finance for central banks, financial supervisors, and financial sector institutions. The proposed associate model will focus on the international assignments. We work through programmes funded by the World Bank Group, the European Investment Bank, Expertise France, the European Union, and UN agencies. Over the past years we have built a consolidated track record implementing climate risk frameworks in Sub-Saharan Africa. We are now extending that work to new regions, one market at a time.

Winning work in a new region requires someone who already knows and is known by the market: who knows which tenders are worth pursuing, which contracting authorities' matter, and how to position a bid before it is published. That is a gap we cannot close from the Netherlands.

An International Associate is the role we are building around that reality. We are looking for senior professionals in geographies where the intersection of RiskSphere's expertise and their own expertise and market position create a competitive proposition.

How the relationship works

An International Associate is contracted, not employed. You remain independent while we provide what independent consultants typically lack when competing for IFI-funded work: a technical bench in prudential regulation, climate risk and stress testing, a documented track record with development partners, and an institutional name to bid under.

The structure combines a fixed monthly component for defined business development activity with performance-linked components tied to projects originated and delivered. Terms are agreed individually, with defined deliverables and an initial review period. There is no exclusivity by default. The arrangement is designed to complement your existing practice, not replace it.

The model works when your regional footprint and our technical depth make a stronger bid together than either of us would put forward alone.

What an Associate does

• Builds and maintains a pipeline of donor-funded opportunities within an agreed region
• Positions RiskSphere with contracting authorities and partners ahead of tenders
• Joins bids as named expert where the profile is a strong fit, and executes alongside our technical teams
• Represents RiskSphere in the region, toward RfPs, tenders and institutional partners 

“Our international work grows through people, not through proposals. An Associate is someone who opens up a region because they already have the experience and a market understanding that complements RiskSphere’s methodology and track record behind them.”

Henk-Jelle Reitsma, Partner

Who qualifies 

We would like you to demonstrate: 

• Ten or more years of senior advisory experience on donor- or IFI-funded programmes (World Bank Group, EIB, Expertise France, EU institutions, UN agencies, bilateral development agencies)
• A track record of self-originated work: opportunities you created, not only executed
• Named expert or (deputy) team leader on donor-funded tenders that were won and delivered; you can name the contracting authority, your role and the outcome
• Working relationships at contracting-authority level in the region you propose (e.g. Latin America, MENA region, South East Asia)
• Working knowledge of financial risk management or sustainable finance, such as climate risk, stress testing or prudential frameworks; deep technical delivery can come from our bench, credibility in the room cannot 

What this is not

This is not employment, not a freelance marketplace, and not a route to your next assignment. If you are looking to be staffed on projects, rather than a market to build, this track is not for you. 

Interested? We'd like to hear from you 

We do not use a standard application process in this case. Instead, we'd like you to answer four short questions in the application form below. They take about ten minutes to complete and form the basis of our initial review.

We review introductions continuously, engage a small number of Associates in each region, and respond only where we see a potential fit. Introductions submitted through intermediaries or recruitment agencies are not considered.