London-based (with travel) | Salary dependent on experience

Full-time (negotiable)

Kumi Consulting is an exciting, specialist, sustainability consultancy. Kumi’s focus is on responsible sourcing within mining and metals, agricultural and fashion supply chains.

We are a commercially-focused consultancy, motivated by the belief that responsible businesses are among the most important drivers of poverty alleviation and sustainable social and economic development in the world’s poorest countries. Kumi’s services help clients to understand social and environmental risks, evaluate progress and improve their performance. We believe sustainable commercial success goes hand in glove with responsible business practices.

Kumi Consulting may be a young business, but we are already having big impacts and delivering exciting, challenging work on a global scale for major international clients. Our work in the mining and metals sector has helped define how responsible sourcing is understood and applied by corporate leaders, government regulators and industry programmes.

Due to continued business growth, we have an exceptional opportunity for a smart, intellectually curious individual who is motivated by Kumi’s mission and has consulting or industry experience in the mining and metals sector to join us as either a Manager or Senior Manager (dependent on the experience of the preferred candidate).

The role

This is a unique opportunity to join and help drive forward an innovative, entrepreneurial consultancy that is still at an early stage of growth. Whether you are at Manager or Senior Manager level, you will have a key role in both client-facing consulting and in supporting the broader management of Kumi’s business.

You will be given significant responsibility for managing and developing Kumi’s fast-growing portfolio of work in the mining and metals sector. You will create, manage and develop client relationships, establishing yourself as a trusted advisor to Kumi’s clients and partners.
You will establish yourself as a technical subject matter expert in areas of Kumi’s specialism and utilise this knowledge to advise clients through project delivery and to develop Kumi’s in-house consultancy methodologies.
You will build and strengthen Kumi’s brand and authoritative voice in the market as recognised responsible sourcing experts. You will represent Kumi in person, online and at business events such as conferences.
You will work closely with the Managing Director to help execute Kumi’s commercial strategy and implement the operational management processes required of a dynamic and growing consultancy business.
You will provide line management for more junior members of staff, coaching and supporting their career development and helping them to fulfil their potential.
You will provide quality assurance and technical review for consulting projects, ensuring client deliverables are always of the highest quality.

A key aspect of this role will be leading the delivery of consulting projects. This will often involve travel to clients’ locations, which are frequently in remote locations within developing countries.

Whilst you will work primarily on the mining and metals sector, like everyone at Kumi you will have involvement with work across all three of our sectors.

Person specification

To succeed in this role you must be:

Analytical and intellectually curious – willing and able to immerse yourself in technical detail then apply that knowledge to clients’ challenges.
Empathetic – with the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes and understand different perspectives and viewpoints.
Rational – someone who objectively considers facts and evidence before drawing conclusions or making decisions.
Passionate but also pragmatic – you must be enthused by Kumi’s mission and the responsible supply chain agenda more broadly, but also realistic about what it takes to drive change.
An excellent communicator, both written and orally.
Committed to quality and with excellent attention to detail – with particularly strong business writing skills and the ability to ensure consistent quality in reviewing the work of others.
An energetic self-starter with a positive, can-do attitude and a willingness to embrace a diversity of tasks and responsibilities.
Highly organised, you prioritise effectively and enjoy working under pressure in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
Willing and enthusiastic about travelling globally, including to challenging environments (travel requirements will vary but could be up to 20-30%, though typically these are short-term trips).

You will be someone who places a high value on acting with honesty and integrity in everything that you do. You will be culturally sensitive and enjoy working with people who may have different backgrounds or beliefs to yourself.

You will be particularly motivated by the opportunity to join Kumi at our current stage of business growth and development. You will recognise both the business opportunities of our specialist focus on responsible supply chains and the personal career development opportunities that are available to you within a small, entrepreneurial team.

Required experience and qualifications (Senior Manager)

A minimum of 10 years’ professional experience in consulting or industry, at least five years of which have been focused on the extractive industries.
A track record of delivering service line leadership and revenue growth within a sustainability consulting business, or of leading corporate sustainability programmes with significant budgets and requiring management of both internal clients (to Executive/Board level) and external stakeholders (civil society and government authorities).
Deep understanding of the drivers for and application of responsible sourcing standards in mining and metals supply chains.
Expertise in the application of external standards for social and environmental performance, due diligence or responsible supply chains (e.g. IFC Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, OECD Due Diligence Guidance etc.).
Experience of developing, implementing or assessing company management systems and controls for social and environmental performance.
Educated to post-graduate level in a relevant field, or the ability to demonstrate an equivalent level of subject-matter knowledge and critical research and analysis.
Language skills, particularly French and/or Spanish, would be a major advantage.

Required experience and qualifications (Manager)

A minimum of seven years’ professional experience in consulting or industry, at least two years of which have been focused on the extractive industries.
A track record of leading projects and teams within a sustainability consulting business, or of delivering corporate sustainability programmes with both internal clients and external stakeholder engagement.
Deep understanding of the drivers for and application of responsible sourcing standards in mining and metals supply chains.
Expertise in the application of external standards for social and environmental performance, due diligence or responsible supply chains (e.g. IFC Performance Standards, the Equator Principles, OECD Due Diligence Guidance etc.).
Experience of developing, implementing or assessing company management systems and controls for social and environmental performance.
Educated to post-graduate level in a relevant field, or the ability to demonstrate an equivalent level of subject-matter knowledge and critical research and analysis.
Language skills, particularly French and/or Spanish, would be a major advantage.

What Kumi offers

You will have the opportunity to play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the business, developing your career as Kumi grows. You will be part of creating a business with a mission; your ideas will be sought and valued and you will have the opportunity to see them shape the services that are provided to clients or how the business operates. Working closely with Kumi’s founder and our talented team of consultants and advisors, you will lead client engagements and contribute to the business’ management and strategy in a way that is simply not possible in larger firms, giving you exceptional personal career development opportunities.

It is Kumi’s aim to be the employer of choice in our field.

We believe that the quality of the work you deliver is more important than the hours in which you are at work or, indeed, where you work. We also recognise the importance of a work-life balance. At Kumi we have thrown away the 9-to-5 rulebook – whilst you will be based at our London office, you will also be able to work flexibly should you wish.
We have also thrown away the holiday leave rulebook and, at management’s discretion, offer unlimited annual leave over and above the statutory entitlement. You will be expected to be committed to your work, but also to take time off to recharge!
We recognise the importance of a good workplace environment. Kumi is based in a modern, inspiring central London office with excellent amenities and the creative buzz of being surrounding by other entrepreneurs and small businesses.

This role is envisaged as a full-time, permanent position. However, for an exceptional candidate there may be scope to negotiate this.

How to apply

If you are interested in being considered for this role, please send your CV and a cover letter to info@kumi.consulting with the email subject heading: “Manager application” or “Senior Manager application” depending on which grade you wish to apply for.

Please note that your cover letter is a critical part of your application and will be a key factor in our initial shortlisting of candidates. Please include the following information in your cover letter:

Why you are applying for this role at Kumi, highlighting what it is about Kumi specifically that interests you.
What you believe to be the key attributes and expertise (based on your experience, qualifications, and general approach to your work) that you would bring to Kumi, should you be appointed.
A concise description (max. 300 words) of what you see as the key factors shaping the development of responsible sourcing practices in the mining and metals sector over the next few years.
Confirmation that you are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Please keep your cover letter to no more than two sides. We would be grateful if you would submit both your CV and cover letter with the filenames in the format: “[forename] [surname] – CV” and “[forename] [surname] – cover letter”.

The deadline for applications is 31 October 2020.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a written assessment exercise, then those that proceed from this stage will be invited to interview.

Kumi Consulting cannot support visa applications or geographical relocation, we can only accept applications from those with the necessary permits and ability to work in the UK.