High‑Impact Role | A rare career-defining opportunity | Green Finance
Location: Talgarth, Brecon | Hybrid (2-3 days office based)
Exclusive Retained Search with Robert Half
Be part of the team changing the future of our rivers.
Robert Half is proud to be partnering exclusively with the Wye & Usk Foundation to appoint a Senior Commercial Manager - a rare and career-defining opportunity to sit at the intersection of environmental finance, commercial strategy and large-scale nature recovery.
The Wye & Usk Foundation is one of the most recognised river trusts in the UK, improving habitat, water quality and long-term ecological resilience across two of the region's most important catchments. Their work is ambitious, evidence‑based, community-led and increasingly underpinned by innovative finance models that deliver genuine system change.
This role will play a pivotal part in Resilient Rivers - a groundbreaking programme partnering with farmers, businesses and the public sector to reduce flood risk, protect water supplies, and restore river health through nature‑based, catchment-scale solutions.
If you're driven by impact, innovation and the opportunity to create investable environmental markets, this is the perfect place to lead meaningful change.
Why this role matters?
Our rivers are under increasing pressure from flooding, drought, pollution and rising demand. Solving these challenges requires whole‑landscape thinking, innovative financing and collaboration across sectors - exactly what the Resilient Rivers programme delivers.
As Senior Commercial Manager, you will help shape how capital flows into nature recovery, ensuring farmers, businesses and communities can transition to resilient, sustainable land and water management.
This is more than a role - it's a chance to help build the environmental markets of the future.
The Role: What You'll Lead
Catchment Markets & Strategy
1. Co‑design commercial strategies for nature markets (e.g. nutrient offsetting, water trading, natural capital).
2. Build funding models that blend public, private and green finance.
3. Develop investable propositions and business cases for nature recovery.
Finance Modelling & Negotiation
4. Lead modelling and costings for catchment-scale delivery.
5. Negotiate long-term contracts with buyers and sellers.
6. Establish performance, certainty and risk-sharing frameworks.
SPV / CIC Structuring
7. Create and oversee structures (SPVs, CICs, Ltd entities) to enable scalable project delivery.
8. Ensure governance, compliance and investor-readiness.
Green Finance & Investment
9. Attract and manage investment from corporate buyers, water companies, financial institutions and government.
10. Develop investment prospectuses and performance-based contracting models.
Organisational Commercial Leadership
11. Embed commercial thinking across the Foundation.
12. Support long-term sustainability planning and pricing strategy.
13. Build commercial capability across projects and teams.
Contracts & Commercial Management
14. Lead contract development, negotiation and risk management.
15. Provide oversight for WINEP agreements, partnership frameworks and funding bids.
Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
16. Represent the Foundation at high-profile forums.
17. Collaborate with landowners, farmers, regulators, investors and NGOs.
18. Champion investment-readiness and commercial rigour across the organisation.
About You
We'd love to speak with you if you bring:
19. Strong commercial, business development or green finance experience
20. A track record in complex contract negotiation and investment modelling
21. Experience in environmental markets, ecosystem services or nature finance
22. Confidence working with government, regulators, landowners and private sector buyers
23. An entrepreneurial mindset, able to bring structure to emerging markets
24. Strategic thinking combined with hands‑on delivery capability
Experience with SPVs/CICs, UK biodiversity policy, nutrient neutrality or catchment management is a bonus - but not essential.
About the Wye & Usk Foundation
WUF is dedicated to improving the ecology, habitat and water quality of two of the UK's most important river systems.
Through initiatives like Resilient Rivers, they partner with farmers, communities, businesses and public bodies to address flooding, drought, water quality and biodiversity loss at landscape scale. The programme brings together stakeholders to treat the environment as one connected system - because our water challenges can only be solved collaboratively.
This is your chance to help deliver innovative, nature‑based solutions backed by science, community and long-term investment.
Robert Half Ltd acts as an employment business for temporary positions and an employment agency for permanent positions. Robert Half is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Suitable candidates with equivalent qualifications and more or less experience can apply. Rates of pay and salary ranges are dependent upon your experience, qualifications and training.