Work with us - Grantham Research Institute on climate change and the environment

Staff from the Grantham Research Institute in front of the LSE Old Building in 2022.

We are currently advertising for the following posts at the Grantham Research Institute:

Policy Officer (Adaptation Policy and Governance)
Policy Analyst (Just Transition Finance Lab)
Project Manager
Senior Policy Fellow (China)
Research Officer (Climate Adaptation Finance)

Policy Officer (Adaptation Policy and Governance)

Salary from £42,679 to £51,000 with potential to progress to £54,730 pa inclusive of London allowance
This is a fixed-term full-time appointment for 24 months with the potential to extend, subject to further funding.

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, based at the London School of Economics and Political Science, is a world-leading centre for research and policy work on climate change and other global environmental challenges, bringing together international expertise from across LSE and beyond, including on economics, finance, geography, the environment, science, law, international relations, development and political science.

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Policy Officer to join the Institute’s work as part of the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance, one of GRI’s flagship climate adaptation programs. The Alliance is a multi-sector partnership working to enhance resilience to climate hazards in rural and urban communities in fifteen countries. The Alliance implements solutions, promotes good practice, influences policy and facilitates system change.

The appointee will support the Institute’s contribution to the Adaptation Governance Theme of the Alliance, including developing research-based policy insights and delivering capacity building sessions focused on a variety of adaptation governance topics. They will also contribute to major research projects by analysing national adaptation plans and policies to investigate global trends in adaptation legislation, best practices and persistent gaps, and identify enabling conditions to strengthen adaptation policies across countries. The post-holder will work closely with Sara Mehryar and Anna Beswick and collaborate with GRI’s Climate Change Laws of the World team, IFRC’s Disaster Law team, and the Mercy Corp and Concern teams at the Alliance.

The post-holder should have a postgraduate degree in environment and climate change, geography, law, political science or related fields by the post start date, with professional/research experience inn and in-depth knowledge of environmental and climate policy and governance. The post-holder should have excellent analytical skills, with the ability to produce rigorous high-quality policy outputs, research and analysis in a timely manner. They should also possess experience drafting policy and research outputs, and excellent communication skills, both written and oral, with the ability to communicate with internal colleagues, external partners, practitioners, and policymakers.

This is a fixed-term, full-time position with the potential to extend, subject to further funding. The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible.

We offer hybrid working opportunities, an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave and excellent training and development opportunities.

Interested in applying?

Download the how to apply document
Download the job description
Download the person specification
Applications need to be made via the LSE Jobs site

If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email; gri.hr@lse.ac.uk

The closing date for receipt of applications is 6 April 2025 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

Policy Analyst (Just Transition Finance Lab)

Salary from £42,679 to £51,000 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £54,730 pa inclusive of London allowance
This post is full-time, fixed-term for 12 months, with a possibility of extension subject to further funding

The Just Transition Finance Lab at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is a centre for experimentation and excellence in the financial solutions needed for a just transition to a net zero economy.

We are seeking a Policy Analyst to work closely with the team to support the design of practical solutions to financing the just transition across the Labs emerging markets work. The post holder will conduct research and develop policy-oriented analysis on financing a just transition to a net zero and climate resilient economy in the Indian context, contributing to the publication of policy reports, briefing papers and blogs, with a possibility of other work on transition finance in emerging markets. Experience in and a good understanding of private finance and basic tools and methods used in financial markets will be desirable.

Candidates will have a postgraduate degree in economics, public policy with a quantitative focus or finance with experience in sustainable finance, economic policy, environmental policy or related field. The post holder will have a good understanding of how to analyse environment, finance or climate change policies. The post holder will have knowledge and experience in applied research and policy analysis, with strong quantitative skills and basic understanding of financial instruments and valuation techniques, and strong analytical skills with the ability to produce high-quality policy analysis in a timely manner, including ability to analyse and research complex ideas and apply appropriate methodologies. They will have the ability to lead small work streams and work independently and as part of a team, with experience of writing for and engaging with policy audiences.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, excellent training and development opportunities.

Interested in applying?

Download the how to apply document
Download the job description
Download the person specification
Applications need to be made via the LSE Jobs website

The closing date for receipt of applications is 6 April 2025 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

Project Manager

Salary from £42,679 to £51,000 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £54,730 pa inclusive of London allowance
This is a fixed term appointment, initially for 2 years. This role is full time.

The Grantham Research Institute is a world-leading centre for the study of the economics and social sciences of climate change and other global environmental problems, based at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The Institute’s work has been recognised through the award of the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education 2020-22. This role will support two of the Institute’s core programmes:

The UK Climate Adaptation and Resilience programme sits as a distinct work area within the Institute and over the past seventeen years has developed a formidable reputation for delivering evidence based, policy relevant research on climate resilience and adaptation.
The Climate Law and Governance programme has been one of the Institute’s priority areas for over a decade. Our work contributes to mapping and narrowing the climate governance gap by telling the evolving story of governance system transformations.

We are seeking a talented Project Manager to coordinate and plan for delivery of operational components of both programmes. The Project Manager will work closely with the programme leads and their teams, as well as the Institute’s broader administration team, and colleagues within the wider LSE to help deliver the NERC-funded ATTENUATE project and support the management of the Climate Law and Governance team’s core work mapping and analysing developments in climate law and governance.

Candidates should have an undergraduate degree or equivalent in any subject and project management qualification or certification, with good, relevant experience in a university environment, or equivalent demonstrable project management experience of policy-oriented research activity, and experience of relationship management and co-ordinating the activity of others, including senior colleagues and external stakeholders.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working and excellent training and development opportunities.

Interested in applying?

Download the how to apply document
Download the job description
Download the person specification
Applications need to be made via the LSE jobs site

The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday, 30 March 2025 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

Senior Policy Fellow (China)

Salary from £62,495 to £72,152 p.a. inclusive with potential to progress to £79,809 inclusive of London allowance.
This is a fixed term, full-time appointment for 2 years

The post holder will manage the delivery of a high-profile project on China’s climate change, energy, economic and development policies. They will conduct rigorous, research and policy orientated analysis in collaboration with Professor Lord Nicholas Stern and other team members on China’s strategy.

The post holder will prepare and deliver a range of policy-relevant reports, lead in engagement activities, building networks, presenting at conferences and related events to inform policymaking inside and outside of China and, contribute to the formation and delivery of the Institute’s various strategies and research outputs.

Candidates should have a PhD or equivalent experience in economics or a related field. They should have extensive experience of working with or within policy institutions at the highest levels on issues relating to China’s climate, energy, economics and development. They should have experience of engaging with high-level international decision-making and research networks, with demonstrable ability to engage with international networks of researchers and analysts. They will also have experience and knowledge of project management, including managing the contributions of other project team members. They should have excellent communications skills, both written and oral, in Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) with the ability to communicate technical issues to non-technical audiences.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities.

Interested in applying?

Download the how to apply document
Download the job description
Download the person specification
Applications need to be made online via the LSE jobs website

If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the ‘contact us’ links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email gri.hr@lse.ac.uk

The closing date for receipt of applications is 23 March 2025 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

Research Officer (Climate Adaptation Finance)

Salary from £42,679 to £51,000 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £54,730 pa inclusive of London allowance
This is a fixed-term full-time appointment for 13.5 months

The Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment (GRI) is at the forefront of research on climate change adaptation finance. We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Research Officer to join our team and contribute to an interdisciplinary and strategically important project: ATTENUATE (Creating the enabling conditions for UK climate adaptation investment). This is a new NERC-funded project launching in March 2025, that focuses on identifying and responding to the multiple economic, structural and behavioural barriers to unlocking finance for adaptation and embedding it within the activities of multi-level UK governments and agencies.

The postholder will work closely with the Head of Climate Adaptation and Resilience, Dr Candice Howarth and other team members including Dr Kate Gannon and Dr Sara Mehryar, to play a central role in delivering high-quality research that addresses critical challenges in unlocking and enhancing adaptation and disaster risk finance. This will include conducting rigorous and comprehensive evidence reviews, designing and implementing research activities, including qualitative interviews, and synthesising insights to support the development of practical and innovative frameworks and strategies. They will collaborate closely with project partners and stakeholders, including high-profile government agencies, to ensure research outputs have demonstrable impact and are aligned with stakeholder priorities and real-world challenges.

Beyond research, the postholder will be involved in contributing to project activities, publishing in peer-reviewed journals, and contributing to policy-relevant outputs. The post holder will occasionally represent the ATTENUATE project at national events and conferences and engage with stakeholders to foster collaboration and influence decision-making. They will also help support the research culture at the Grantham Research Institute, including supporting the work of research assistants and contributing to the wider academic community.

Candidates should have a PhD in sustainable finance, climate change adaptation, economics, environmental policy, human geography or closely related discipline. They should have experience in analysing and researching financial systems in the context of climate change adaptation, just resilience, just transition, or disaster risk reduction. They should have post-graduate level training experience in qualitative methods, with experience conducting interviews, workshops and focus groups, including with experts and senior stakeholders. They should have experience analysing qualitative research data.

The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible.

We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities.

Interested in applying?

Download the how to apply document
Download the job description
Download the person specification
Applications need to be made online via the LSE Jobs site

The closing date for receipt of applications is 23 March 2025 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

For details of job opportunities across the rest of LSE please visit the LSE Jobs website