Climate Financial Analyst

Overview

NRDC (the Natural Resources Defense Council) works to safeguard the Earth, its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. NRDC combines the power of more than 3 million members and online activists with the expertise of some 800 policy advocates, lawyers, scientists, and communication experts to confront the climate crisis, protect nature, ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.  As an international nonprofit environmental organization, NRDC is working to address the world’s most urgent environmental challenges, and advance innovative, science-based, and enforceable solutions.  

Since our founding in 1970, NRDC has helped craft and deliver many of America’s foundational environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. Today, we continue to lead in advancing and defending strong environmental protections at the local, state, federal and international levels, as well as through the marketplace. Our team works across the United States and around the world, from offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., as well as in Beijing, and New Delhi (a subsidiary of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd.).  

Supported by our members and online activists, NRDC is driving impactful solutions that confront the climate crisis, defend nature and safeguard public health across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. At NRDC, we believe lasting change happens when people bring their talent, passion, and expertise together for a common purpose: to build a cleaner, healthier, and more resilient world. Learn more at nrdc.org 

Position Summary

The Green Finance & Economic Development department is seeking a quantitatively strong and analytically driven Climate Financial Analyst to independently execute and own core analytical workstreams that advance its work to mobilize public and private capital for climate mitigation and adaptation. This role will lead and contribute to projects across green banks, renewable energy, housing, and community development climate finance, while also supporting cross‑departmental initiatives. This role will contribute to high-visibility domestic and international initiatives. 

The Analyst will lead quantitative components of projects—including serving as the technical lead for financial modeling, market sizing, instrument design, and data analysis—and will exercise independent judgement to scope analyses, identify risks, and surface insights to translate findings into memos, presentations, and policy recommendations for senior decision-makers. 

This is a 2‑year term‑limited position that is an excellent opportunity for a professional with a strong foundation in financial analysis and a passion for advancing climate‑aligned investment. 

The position you are applying for is part of the bargaining unit represented by The Washington Baltimore News Guild (WBNG / The Newsguild-CWA Local 32035).   

Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the following essential functions: 

• Evaluate, model, and structure innovative financial instruments to channel capital to climate mitigation and adaptation, serving as the primary analyst responsible for model design, assumptions, and outputs for specific instruments or transactions.
• Conduct quantitative analysis to assess risk, return, and impact across blended finance, green bank, innovative insurance and risk transfer solutions, as well as other catalytic finance structures, including proactively identifying opportunities for further exploration, data limitations, and modeling risks.
• Lead or independently execute analytical workstreams that inform the development of financial solutions for renewable energy, climate‑resilient buildings, adaptation and resilience enhancements and/or other NRDC-priority sectors.
• Develop and deliver analytical products that directly inform policy, as well as community, corporate and investor engagement, tailoring analysis and clearly communicating results to the needs of diverse stakeholders.
• Independently, and in collaboration with colleagues, scope and assess new frontiers in climate and development finance.
• Collect and clean investment and transaction-level data, establishing clear data definitions, quality checks, and documentation to ensure analytical integrity
• Produce tables, charts and modelling outputs that synthesize complex financial and impact findings into clear, decision-ready insights
• Draft reports, executive summaries, blogs, and presentations that clearly articulate analytical findings, assumptions, and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Present analysis to internal and external stakeholders, confidently explaining methodologies, limitations, and conclusions and responding to technical questions 

The above list of duties is not comprehensive but generally demonstrates the types of matters under this position’s responsibility. Other duties may be assigned.  

Qualifications

Minimum Education & Experience:   

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Policy, or related quantitative fields. 
• 4-7 years of professional experience in one or more of the following: Investment banking, Private equity, Actuarial science or insurance, Climate finance, Project finance, Impact investing,  or other roles requiring independent ownership of complex financial or quantitative analyses. 

Skills, Abilities, Competencies  

• Advanced quantitative and financial modeling capabilities in Excel, with comfort scripting in Python or R to automate analysis and manage large datasets, including the ability to independently design, audit, and iterate complex models for real-world decision-making. 
• Experience with Bloomberg Terminal, S&P Capital IQ a plus. 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze and synthesize complex financial structures and independently diagnose structural, risk, and/or incentive misalignments. 
• Ability to work across the full data lifecycle - data collection, cleaning, analysis, and visualization - to produce polished tables, charts, and modeling outputs, with a demonstrated capacity to identify data gaps and develop pragmatic solutions or assumptions (for example working with data from investments, transactions, and impact attributes) 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate technical analysis into clear, actionable insights, and to communicate uncertainty and trade-offs transparently. 
• Experience working on climate‑related financial instruments or blended finance structures, with increasing responsibility for end-to-end analytical execution. 
• Exposure to international development, finance or emerging markets a plus. 
• Commitment to NRDC’s mission, values, and DEI principles. 

 PHYSICAL DEMANDS   

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position within the described work environment. 

Frequently: Perform desk-based computer tasks 

Frequently: Ability to interact and communicate with employees and others as necessary 

Frequently:  Attend planned meetings and collaborate with management and coworkers 

Occasionally: Ability to attend events and activities in the office or offsite  

Work is sometimes performed primarily in office.  The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet in office settings and moderate in other situations.  Hours of employment may sometimes require working flexible and/or longer hours, including nights and weekends, when necessitated by projects. The job includes work-related situations such as those involving challenging, important, urgent, time-sensitive, or multiple matters. 

NRDC is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our work and in our workplace. We believe that celebrating and actively welcoming diverse voices and perspectives is essential to solving the planet's most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.  

We offer competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment. Salary is based on a nonprofit scale and is commensurate with skills and experience. Internal equity will be reviewed and considered to determine a final offer. For this position, the salary range is $115,000 to $130,000.  

NRDC operates under a hybrid work model. Employees are required to come to the office 8 days per month. 

As a science-based organization, NRDC aims to do our part to help contain the COVID-19 public health crisis. For the sake of health, safety, and equity, we ask that people be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious accommodation or other exemption in accordance with state and local law. We consider a person to be vaccinated two weeks after receiving one full course of a CDC-approved vaccine. In accordance with state or local law, new hires will be asked to attest to vaccination, those wishing to do so may request medical or religious accommodations or other exemptions via NRDC Employee Relations. NRDC treats all vaccine-related data confidentially, in keeping with local, state, and federal laws. 

To apply, visit www.nrdc.org/careers and upload your résumé and cover letter. Please mention where you saw this posting and upload any additional materials that showcase your abilities. Due to the high volume of applications, we will contact only those candidates we would like to interview. Please no phone calls, emails, or in-person résumé drop-offs. 

If you experience technical problems while applying or if you are a person with a disability and need assistance applying online, please reach out to iCIMS Customer Care at 1-800-889-4422. 

For more about NRDC, visit www.nrdc.org.