The Role
Leads sustainability strategy and transformation consulting engagements across Australia, advising executives and boards on ESG strategy, governance, reporting, risk, and value creation. Oversees project delivery, budgets, quality, stakeholder engagement, proposals, and business development. Develops sustainability offerings and thought leadership while managing, mentoring, and building multidisciplinary consulting teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
The Principal Consultant for the Anthesis Strategy & Transformation team in Australia is a senior, client-facing role responsible for leading complex sustainability strategy and transformation engagements, developing trusted executive relationships, and supporting the growth of Anthesis' strategic advisory services across Australia and the region.
This role focuses on helping organizations navigate change and create long-term business value by integrating sustainability into corporate strategy, business planning, operating models, decision-making and transformation programmes.
Based in Australia, the Principal Consultant will lead multidisciplinary teams, shape client engagements from opportunity through delivery, and play a key role in growing Anthesis' Strategy & Transformation practice.
Key Responsibilities
Client & Project Delivery
- Lead the end-to-end delivery of sustainability consulting engagements, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards.
- Provide senior-level technical oversight, expert input, and quality assurance on deliverables.
- Build and maintain trusted client relationships, acting as a senior advisor on reporting and sustainability strategy, governance, and performance.
- Draft, review, and present high-quality reports, presentations, and workshops in line with agreed project scope and objectives.
Business Development
- Lead the development of proposals related to mandatory and voluntary sustainability reporting, sustainability strategy, materiality assessments, human rights, and other ESG-related topics.
- Support opportunity conversion through client relations, pitch delivery, and senior-level technical input.
- Contribute to the development, refinement, and scaling of STaR service offerings, including delivery tools, growth strategy and tactics, proposal templates, and internal capability-building materials.
- Act as an internal subject-matter expert on several areas of sustainability frameworks, governance, and reporting.
- Contribute to thought leadership, brand development, and marketing content related to our growth strategy.
Organisational & Personal Development
- Manage and mentor senior and junior consultants, supporting performance management, professional development, and career progression.
- Contribute to strategic internal initiatives, proposition development, innovation, and continuous improvement across the STaR practice.
- Actively engage in personal and professional development through the Anthesis Centre of Excellence (ACE) and regular coaching with the line manager.
Project/Role Specific Skill Requirements:
- A degree/relevant qualification in a related field (sustainability, finance, enterprise risk management, corporate governance, or related disciplines)
- More than 6-years’ experience in various sustainability advisory fundamentals, such as double materiality assessments, sustainability strategy setting, mandatory and voluntary sustainability reporting, human rights, climate risks and opportunities, or others.
- Lead small teams to deliver complex projects aligned with global sustainability frameworks such as GRI, SASB, IR, TCFD, UNGPs, ASRS AASB S1 & S2, IFRS ISSB S1 & S2, ESRS, CSDDD, BCorp, or others. Considering the Australia-location for this role, experience guiding clients to comply with ASRS or ISSB is highly valued.
- Design and implement sustainability governance structures, policies, and management systems to support responsible business practices.
- Present reports that convey key messages, inform strategic decision-making, and enable executive and board-level decisions.
- Support organizations in identifying, assessing, and managing sustainability-related risks and opportunities, including supply chain, social, and governance risks.
- Integrate sustainability considerations into broader corporate strategy and business operations, aligning sustainability objectives with commercial priorities.
- Lead stakeholder engagement activities, including collaboration with senior management, boards, investors, and external stakeholders.
- Provide team leadership and capacity building, including mentoring, technical guidance, and contribution to STAR training initiatives.
- Oversee project budgets and resourcing, ensuring financial discipline and feasibility of STAR initiatives.
- Strong working familiarity with MSOffice Suite is required, with high levels of numeracy and good Excel programming and workbook skills preferred.
Key Competencies
- Project/Process Management:
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple and/or large-scale sustainability consulting projects concurrently.
- Makes sound strategic decisions aligned with client objectives and organizational standards.
- Proactively identifies risks and implements effective mitigation strategies.
- Analytical Thinking:
- Strong capability in analyzing complex ESG data sets and performance metrics.
- Translates complex analysis into clear insights and strategic recommendations for clients and senior stakeholders.
- Provides leadership in complex problem-solving contexts.
- Communication:
- Communicates sustainability concepts clearly and confidently to diverse audiences, including senior leaders and boards.
- Proactively communicates project progress, risks, and outcomes to senior colleagues and clients.
- Leads the development of clear, actionable insights to support informed decision-making.
- Collaboration and Business Acumen:
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively and collaboratively across diverse teams spanning regions, business lines, and timezones. We are looking for people who are not resource hording or internally competitive, but work towards our collective goals of driving positive impact for people and planet.
- Inclusive Leadership:
- Can articulate and uphold values that are aligned to the Anthesis values and spirit.
- Encourages inclusive ways of working and diverse perspectives.
- Coaches and develops colleagues, effectively transferring technical knowledge and building team capability.
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
- Degree or relevant qualification in business, strategy, sustainability, economics, environmental management, public policy, commerce or a related field.
- 8+ years of consulting, advisory or industry experience in strategy, sustainability, transformation or related fields.
- Demonstrated experience leading complex strategy development, transformation or organisational change programmes.
- Strong understanding of how sustainability, climate, nature and social issues influence corporate strategy, risk, growth and value creation.
- Experience advising senior executives and facilitating leadership-level decision making.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience developing proposals, growing client accounts and supporting business development activities.
- Exceptional communication, facilitation, storytelling and presentation skills.
- Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex projects.
- Ability to translate technical sustainability issues into practical business and commercial outcomes.
About
Our commitment to building and maintaining a diverse workforce Anthesis has clients across all industry sectors and supports some of the world’s largest multinationals such as Reckitt, Cisco, Tesco, The North Face, and Target. The company brings together 1,300+ experts operating across 22 countries and 44 office locations with offices in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, the Middle East, Netherlands, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. We encourage all employees to contribute their ideas, perspectives, and experiences to help us create an inclusive and equitable workplace. By embracing diversity and providing equal opportunities, we believe we can drive innovation, foster creativity, and achieve our shared goals. So, if you’re ready to be a part of something truly extraordinary, then we want you! Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status. Together, we can continue to build a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed and thrive. If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made to your application process, or need this job advert in a different format, just let us know and we’ll be happy to help.
Skills Required
- Degree or relevant qualification in sustainability, finance, enterprise risk management, corporate governance, business, strategy, economics, environmental management, public policy, commerce, or a related field
- More than 6 years of experience in sustainability advisory fundamentals, including sustainability strategy, materiality assessments, reporting, human rights, or climate risks
- 8+ years of consulting, advisory, or industry experience in strategy, sustainability, transformation, or related fields
- Experience leading complex strategy development, transformation, or organisational change programmes
- Experience with sustainability frameworks including GRI, SASB, IR, TCFD, UNGPs, ASRS, ISSB, ESRS, CSDDD, or B Corp
- Experience designing sustainability governance structures, policies, and management systems
- Experience advising senior executives, boards, investors, and external stakeholders
- Experience managing multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex consulting projects
- Strong commercial acumen, including proposal development, account growth, and business development
- Strong understanding of sustainability, climate, nature, and social issues and their impact on strategy, risk, growth, and value creation
- Strong Microsoft Office Suite familiarity
- High numeracy and strong Excel programming and workbook skills
- Exceptional communication, facilitation, storytelling, and presentation skills
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The Company
What We Do
Anthesis is the sustainability activator. We seek to make a significant contribution to a world which is more resilient and productive. We do this by working with cities, companies, and other organisations to drive sustainable performance. We develop financially driven sustainability strategies, underpinned by technical expertise and delivered by innovative collaborative teams across the world. The company combines the reach of big professional services groups with the deep expertise of boutiques. Anthesis has clients across industry sectors from corporate multinationals such as Reckitt Benckiser, Cisco, Tesco, The North Face and Target, and also supports early-stage companies through Anthesis Ventures. The company brings together 1250+ experts with 45 offices located in 23 countries including Andorra, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Middle East, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US.
