EU Purchasing Director

OUR MISSION “We need to massively scale up carbon dioxide removal,” said Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and lead author of the Planetary Boundaries framework, at the 2025 UN Climate Summit in New York. More specifically, carbon dioxide removal (CDR – the ‘net’ part of ‘net zero') must scale from near-zero today to billions of tonnes by 2050. The growth rate this implies is faster than any other climate technology is expected to achieve or has achieved in the past. This cannot be achieved without government policy, and the role Europe must play in creating that policy cannot be overstated. Carbon Gap, Europe’s leading CDR not-for-profit, exists to ensure Europe’s contribution is maximised. A team of ~20 CDR policy experts based primarily between Brussels and London, we work closely with leading decision-makers right across Europe to design and shape the policies that are required to support CDR’s scale-up – from R&D funding to government purchasing programmes, and from national targets to standards and certification. Our work has been covered by publications including the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and the Wall Street Journal. Carbon Gap alumni have progressed to exciting roles in government, the private sector, and academia. THE ROLE Location: Brussels Type: Full-time Reporting to: Chief Policy Officer We are looking for a Brussels-based CDR Demand and Market Development Lead who will help design and advance policy and market mechanisms that create durable demand for high-integrity carbon dioxide removal across Europe. Policy-driven demand is critical to CDR scale-up because long-term market growth will depend not only on innovation and supply, but on credible demand signals that improve investability, reduce risk, and unlock public and private capital.   The role sits at the intersection of public policy, market design, and private-sector procurement. It will contribute to Carbon Gap’s work on compliance-related and other policy-driven demand mechanisms for carbon removal, with a particular focus on how regulation, public demand, and market structures can create durable deployment signals. This includes work on: * EU-level demand mechanisms, including compliance market integration, public procurement, and EU purchasing programmes or platforms * Enabling public-private partnerships for near-term scaling of CDR * Market structures that improve project economics and enable scale The role is suited to someone who understands how policy frameworks interact with real-world investment decisions, and who can analyse how demand signals affect project development, financing conditions, and market growth. You will work closely with Carbon Gap’s EU policy team and with partners across government, industry, and the carbon removal ecosystem. RESPONSIBILITIES 1) Demand-side CDR policy * Lead Carbon Gap’s Brussels work on policy and market mechanisms that can generate durable demand for high-integrity CDR across Europe. * Shape demand-side approaches across EU and Member State contexts, including public procurement, public-private demand mechanisms, compliance-related pathways, and relevant industrial, innovation, and commercialisation frameworks. * Assess how policy design choices affect bankability, financing conditions, and deployment. * Produce clear, decision-useful outputs for policy development and external engagement, including briefings, recommendations, and meeting materials. 2) Market analysis and insight * Analyse value chains, project economics, offtake dynamics, and deployment pathways across CDR approaches. * Generate insights on how policy and market conditions affect demand, investment incentives, and the flow of public and private capital. * Develop datasets, visualisations, and other analytical outputs that strengthen Carbon Gap’s policy work and external positioning. 3) Stakeholder engagement and external influence * Build trusted relationships across EU institutions, Member State governments, project developers, buyers, financial institutions, and civil society. * Represent Carbon Gap in external meetings and discussions in Brussels and beyond. * Design and deliver workshops, consultations, and convenings that connect policy design with market realities. * Use stakeholder engagement to test, refine, and advance Carbon Gap’s positions on policy-driven CDR demand. YOUR PROFILE You have strong analytical judgement, are comfortable making decisions with imperfect information, and can operate effectively in a technically and politically dynamic environment. You are able to reason clearly about how policy choices affect markets, investment behaviour, and project deployment. You combine structured problem-solving with strong external judgement. You can build productive relationships with a wide range of actors, simplify complex issues, and turn analysis into practical action. You do not need to be a carbon removal specialist already. But you should bring a solid grounding in climate, energy, industrial, or adjacent policy, and enough familiarity with Brussels and EU policymaking to operate credibly in the role. We care most about how you think, how you prioritise, and whether you can turn strategy into real-world outcomes. Essential experience and skills * 4–6+ years of experience in roles involving complex analysis, stakeholder engagement, and strategic execution, for example in public policy, government affairs, consulting, climate strategy, finance, or market analysis. * Strong analytical and problem-solving ability, including comfort working with imperfect or incomplete data to generate policy-relevant insights. * Familiarity with market dynamics, including the ability to reason about bankability, financing conditions, investment incentives, and project economics. * Ability to operate independently, drive work forward with limited oversight, and engage credibly with senior policymakers, market actors, and other stakeholders. * Ability to structure and use data in a practical way, including basic analysis in Excel, data visualisation, and use of data to support decision-making. * Excellent writing and synthesis skills, with the ability to translate complex policy and market issues into clear, decision-useful outputs. * Professional fluency in English. Strong Plus * Experience in one or more areas such as climate policy, carbon markets, industrial decarbonisation, innovation funding, procurement, or infrastructure policy. * Familiarity with EU policy processes and institutions. * Experience with demand-side policy instruments, regulated climate policy frameworks, project economics, climate or project finance, procurement design, or offtake and other contracting mechanisms relevant to scaling carbon removal. * Experience with data analysis, modelling, or data visualisation tools beyond Excel, such as Python or Power BI. * Strong visual communication skills, including the ability to translate complex analysis into clear presentations, charts, and tables for policy discussions. WHAT WE OFFER * A mission-driven role with meaningful responsibility and visibility in a high-impact policy space. * Competitive compensation, benchmarked to the level and scope of the role. * Strong professional development support, including centralised training, a personal learning and development budget, and opportunities to publish, lead projects, work with leading experts, and engage directly with policymakers and stakeholders. * A values-driven team culture emphasising empowerment, accountability, and intellectual honesty. Carbon Gap is committed to building an inclusive team. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who are underrepresented in the climate and carbon removal ecosystem. You do not need to meet every listed requirement to apply - if this role aligns with your skills and motivation, we would like to hear from you. How to apply Please submit: * A CV * A short cover note explaining why this role, why Carbon Gap, and what you would prioritise in the first 6 months * 1-2 work samples, for example a policy memo, briefing, consultation response, slide deck, market analysis, or similar An overview of the hiring process * 15-minute screening call * 45-minute fit interview with two senior colleagues * 45-minute practical interview, involving a case study