Designer & Producer Circular Economy and Value Chains Transformation at Climate-KIC

Job Title: Designer & Producer - Circular Economy and Value Chains Transformation (Slovenia)
Team: Deep Demonstrations
Contract: 12 months fixed term contract with strong possibility for renewal
Level: Advanced

Please refer to our Capability Framework
Salary: Competitive for Not-for-Profit Organisation
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
Start Date: ASAP
Apply By: October 16^th, 2022

ABOUT US

EIT Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative. We understand that keeping global temperature rise below 1.5˚C demands unprecedented change. It requires new social dynamics, ways of doing business, capital flows, policymaking, economic models, and new ways of living. That is why our mission is to leverage the power of systems innovation to transform whole places, industries and value chains by 2030, working across sectors to develop and scale ambitious, mission-led programmes.

Established in 2010 and headquartered in Amsterdam, we orchestrate a community of more than 400 organisations including large corporations and SMEs, municipal and regional governments, universities and research institutes, as well as non-governmental organisations and uncommon actors. Historically, we have been funded by our founder and core funder, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), but we are currently transitioning to a multi-funder model.

Climate-KIC colleagues are based in one of our local offices across Europe, or work remotely from home based in one of the countries we have a branch in. We meet at our local offices to exchange and connect, and use online collaboration tools work with each other and with our Community. On occasion, we meet in-person as teams, and once per year as an organisation.

As a mission-driven organisation dedicated to climate transformation, we consider the climate impact of our own actions, for example travel, catering or IT equipment.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Designer Producer Circular Economy and Value Chains Transformation is responsible for actively orchestrating the application of the Deep Demonstrations methodology. Use design methodologies develop and iteratively to work with Portfolio Innovation actions and active Portfolio Options to turn these into projects, initiatives or experiments.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver system innovation services, explore and build innovation portfolios of experiments in collaboration with partners and challenge owners.
• Make sense of complex ideas and use design methodologies to turn these into projects, initiatives or experiments.
• Explore the meaning and potential for multi- stakeholder engagement, business models and experiment design in service of climate innovation, mitigation and adaptation.
• Ensure strong coherence in and between individual Innovation Actions in relation to the challenge owner intent and objective and in relation to portfolio design.
• Monitor the Innovation Actions and Portfolio/s and other sources of insight to derive possible new or alternative business/funding models and partnerships.
• Work to understand and establish relationships and connections between Innovation Actions, possible synergies, interfaces, combinations and causalities.
• Test and explore hypotheses for innovation actions in the context of the challenge owner demand to distilling opportunities.
• Take responsibility for learning, applying and experimenting with the deep demonstration methodology.
• Ensure continuity of processes for and with challenge owners.
• Actively contribute to and lead sensemaking in the field to extract value from innovation and education initiatives in support of policy making, decision making and capital allocation.
• ·Partner closely with the Deep Demonstrations programme office to ensure coherence and consistency in approach, contribute to excellence in programme development and capability building, and maximise synergies or opportinities for cross-pollination and integrated action.
• Adopt a commercial mindset and contribute to shaping investments for systemic traasformation.
• Cultivate strategic relations with key stakeholders and (potential/confirmed) challenge owners, and the Climate-KIC community, centred on Deep Demonstrations and other relevant innovation programmes.
• Leverage local context knowledge, working with Climate-KIC colleagues, to test and explore hypotheses regarding demand, emerging needs and opportunities for systems transformation using circular economy design principles and practices.
• Provide practical design and implementation guidance at ecosystem level and with the most engaged partners and stakeholders during implementation and amplification.

Key Working Relationships

• Slovenian Orchestrator
• Deep Demonstration Programme Office and Deep Demonstrations team colleagues
• Circular Economy and Value Chains Transformation Orchestrator
• Climate-KIC Teams, in particular: Demand Generation, Future Funding, MEL, Finance, Operations, Legal, Communications, Policy and EU Affairs, Social Activation and Community
• Climate-KIC Challenge Owners, Partners
• EIT Climate-KIC Management Team
• European Commission stakeholders, EIT and other funders
• Association Climate-KIC Governing Board

ABOUT YOU
You are passionate about making a critical contribution with your skills to EIT Climate-KIC’s mission of making a positive impact on climate change through systemic innovation. You are deeply curious, perceptive, respectful and resilient; oriented toward networking with people and teams and sharing expertise.

Experience

• 2+ Relevant academic degree or qualification.
• Proven experience, expertise and track record as a practitioner in circular economy applications and development: applying principles of circularity and regenerative design to business models, economic models, value chains, supply chains, policy and finance.
• Experience and expertise in building coalitions of organisations and individuals, working to expand the space of action, engagement and risk taking, and to open up credible possibilities for exploration, discovery and stretch learning.
• Knowledge and experience of supporting senior decision-making, facilitating and enabling change, nurturing and shaping dialogue in uncharted waters and stimulating thinking about new possibilities.
• Strategic thinking with ability to influence and support self-reflection and to provide developmental and performance related feedback.
• Shaping business decisions in portfolio thinking, resourcing and policy development so as to relate the work and talents of individuals to the wider operational and strategic needs of the business.
• Proven track record of successfully developing high-performing teams, leading, managing, empowering, and learning from others, especially in change and transformation.

Skills

• Systems thinking – especially as applied to and derived from experience with real world change.
• Seeing patterns of connection and difference; using diverse perspectives to catalyse breakthrough thinking, reflection and learning; culturally aware and skilled in working with diversity and inclusiveness.
• Accountability: good at taking decisions with a consideration of risk and following through on commitments to completion.
• Highly-developed adaptive leadership / leadership in complexity skills, emphasizing listening to learn, empathy, human-centred design, agility, empowerment, and collaboration.
• Familiarity and proficiency in coaching others; able to build capacity by investing in the development of others and in the development of self.

• Fluency in English, excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Slovenian language skills B2 or above
• Other European languages are desirable

Qualities, Personal Style, and Approach

• Articulate and dynamic, with highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively, inspire and motivate people.
• Growth mindset; highly adaptable, flexible and resilient: able to work effectively in ambiguity and complexity and to respond dynamically to change.
• Customer service ethos and commitment to continuous improvement.
• Solutions focused, with a “can do” attitude; willing to undertake a range of tasks to meet needs.
• Gravitas with an ability to build trust.
• Proactive, commercial approach, entrepreneurial.