Join Institute for Human Rights and Business as Business Engagement Lead | Shape People-Centered Climate Action & Transition Strategies @Centered Climate Action & Transition Strategies

Institute for Human Rights and Business Job Summary

Job Title: Business Engagement Lead
Location: Fully Remote (Global applicants, working hours aligned with CET or west of CET)
Closing Date: 5 July 2026 (11pm UK-time)
Contract: Consultancy, until 29 June 2028, with a one-month notice period

Job Summary

Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB) is seeking an experienced Business Engagement Lead to drive practitioner influence strategy within JUST Stories Phase II, translating immersive narratives of real-time just transitions into actionable practice change among senior practitioners shaping transition outcomes.

The role involves building and maintaining relationships with key business and finance actors, developing influence strategies, and ensuring insights inform real-world decision-making.

About Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)

The Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), founded in 2009, envisions a just and regenerative global economy where workers and communities are empowered, businesses uphold human rights and environmental standards, financial actors leverage their influence for positive impact, and governments implement policies fostering rights-respecting and planet-aligned business practices.

IHRB advances this mission through research, convening, and collaborative action involving businesses, governments, and civil society.

IHRB’s Climate and Just Transitions Work

IHRB’s Just Transitions Programme addresses the misalignment in current climate action models, emphasizing governance as a social process rooted in international standards like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The program focuses on making risks visible, tangible, and actionable through stories of people-centered climate action—an approach exemplified by JUST Stories, launched in 2024.

Project Purpose

JUST Stories documents real-world, people-centered climate transitions across sectors and geographies, translating participatory research into insights for practitioners.

Phase I produced stories on coal transition in Australia, solar energy in India, affordable housing in Catalonia, and agricultural transition in Brazil.

Phase II will expand this work with 2–3 stories on decarbonization and 2–3 on community-led climate adaptation, with the Business Engagement Lead ensuring these stories influence decision-making.

Role Overview

The Business Engagement Lead will develop and execute influence strategies across the full portfolio of stories, engaging senior business and finance practitioners, sector intermediaries, and civil society to ensure insights lead to tangible practice change.

Collaboration with research and storytelling teams, leveraging IHRB’s existing networks, and building new relationships are core functions.

Key Responsibilities

Influence Strategy and Audience Mapping

• Develop influence maps for each story, identifying key decision-makers, enablers, and sector norms.
• Design tailored engagement approaches to place insights where they can shape transitions.

Practitioner Briefs and Business-Facing Materials

• Translate research insights into succinct, decision-relevant briefs and sector-specific materials.
• Ensure materials are practical and used within corporate and sector contexts.

Outreach and Relationship Management

• Lead targeted outreach to identified companies, investors, and institutions.
• Maintain and expand IHRB’s private-sector network, managing engagement through tracking systems.

Sector Forum and Dilemma Forum Engagement

• Map and prioritize influential sector forums, developing materials and representing JUST Stories.
• Design, curate, and facilitate the annual Dilemma Forum—an intensive peer-learning space for senior practitioners.

Masterclasses

• Lead the creation and delivery of digital masterclass series featuring transition leaders.
• Oversee production, editorial oversight, and distribution strategies.

Influence Tracking and Learning

• Maintain engagement tracking and conduct periodic reviews to assess impact.
• Facilitate follow-up conversations to evaluate how insights influence decisions.

Collaboration with Researchers/Writers

• Work closely with research and storytelling teams to ensure influence strategies align with research outputs.
• Provide strategic input to story development and dissemination.

Candidate Profile

Required Experience & Knowledge

• 10+ years in practitioner engagement, stakeholder strategy, or business influence roles.
• Proven success in building trust with senior decision-makers.

• Deep understanding of transition-related decision-making, governance, and risk frameworks.
• Familiarity with the just transitions landscape, frameworks, and relevant ecosystems.
• Existing networks across corporate, investment, and sector communities.

Core Skills & Abilities

• Strategic practitioner landscape analysis.
• Strong facilitation and convening skills for senior audiences.
• Ability to distill complex research into practical, peer-oriented materials.

• Exceptional relationship management and stakeholder engagement.
• Project management and organizational skills for multiple workstreams.

Desirable Attributes

• Experience designing peer-learning forums or structured dialogues.
• Knowledge of participatory research methodologies.
• Multilingual abilities relevant to project geographies.
• Proactive, outcome-oriented, collaborative, and diplomatically astute.

Contracting & Application Details

• Deadline: 5 July 2026, 11pm UK-time
• Interviews: W/c 13 July and one week later
• Start Date: As soon as possible
• Location: Fully remote, with overlap aligned to CET or west of CET

• Hours: Full-time, five days per week
• Compensation: £5,833/month (~£70,000/year)
• Contract Type: Self-employed consultancy under UK law, responsible for own taxes and insurance

Interested candidates should click “Apply here” to complete the application process, including answering specific questions. For more details and to apply,

Make a Difference in Climate Justice and Human Rights—Join IHRB as Business Engagement Lead