Royal Society of Biology is a global collaborative network working across consulting, healthcare, and education to support the transition from fossil-based economies to sustainable, biocircular models. Its members include companies, civil society organizations, academic institutions, and government bodies. The organization provides a sustainability framework for developing projects with environmental and social impact, while its platforms, initiatives, events, and certification work help advance the biocircular economy and improve sustainability across supply chains.
Independent Consultant – Sustainable Biomaterials and Regulatory Compliance
Independent consultant supporting RSB on greenhouse-gas assessments, certification readiness, and regulatory compliance across sustainable bio-based value chains.
Description
- Advise on regulatory compliance and sustainability assessments for bio-based materials, sustainable fuels, feedstocks, and related value chains.
- Help define assessment scopes, system boundaries, and methodologies under EU RED, CORSIA, RSB, and other applicable frameworks.
- Review third-party greenhouse-gas inventory data, test consistency and plausibility, validate assumptions, and identify missing information.
- Recommend defensible proxy data or literature-derived values when appropriate.
- Support or conduct greenhouse-gas calculations and carbon-intensity assessments using relevant methodologies and tools, including the RSB GHG Calculator.
- Prepare greenhouse-gas, life-cycle assessment, and sustainability reports covering methodologies, assumptions, data quality, results, and interpretation.
- Provide technical input on sustainable biomaterial pathways and low-ILUC-risk considerations.
- Assist with regulatory and voluntary-scheme gap assessments and compliance-risk analysis.
- Evaluate third-party organisational documentation against applicable criteria.
- Review certification-readiness materials covering feedstock origin, traceability, chain of custody, sustainability criteria, and greenhouse-gas claims.
- Interpret policy and regulatory requirements for feedstocks, technologies, products, and markets through data and literature research.
- Convert assessment findings into practical compliance options.
- Create or improve methodologies, blueprints, and decision tools for innovative sustainability assessments.
- Deliver scoping notes, greenhouse-gas data reviews, calculations, assessment reports, eligibility assessments, benchmarking analyses, certification-readiness reviews, and regulatory interpretation notes.
- Complete onboarding and join project assignments as relevant needs arise.
Requirements
- Strong written and spoken English skills.
- At least four hours of daily overlap with Central European Time working hours.
- A demonstrated record of delivering work in the relevant area of expertise.
- Compliance with applicable local laws and regulations, including tax and social-security obligations.
- Legal authorisation to provide consultancy services in the country of residence or operation.
- Strong communication and collaborative working abilities.
- Capacity to work independently while proactively communicating progress, risks, and opportunities.
- Ability to work self-sufficiently in a fully remote, digital environment with dependable internet access.
- Hands-on experience applying EU RED, CORSIA, RSB, or equivalent greenhouse-gas and sustainability methodologies.
- Working knowledge of at least one major voluntary sustainability certification scheme, preferably RSB, ISCC, or another relevant scheme.
- Ability to evaluate feedstock eligibility, greenhouse-gas data quality, certification readiness, or regulatory compliance.
- Ability to work independently with limited onboarding and document assumptions clearly.
- Ability to identify uncertainty, data gaps, and compliance risks.
- Strong written English and effective reporting skills for technical and non-technical audiences.
- Comfort handling client-provided data subject to confidentiality requirements.
- Compatibility with CET ±5 hours unless another arrangement is agreed.
- For firms or agencies, ability to assign qualified personnel and maintain delivery continuity.
- For firms or agencies, named personnel must satisfy the essential criteria.
- Desirable: working knowledge of the RSB standard or ISCC.
- Desirable: practical experience using the RSB GHG Calculator.
- Desirable: experience developing methodologies, blueprints, or decision tools for emerging pathways, bio-based materials, fuels, or chemicals.
Benefits
- Mission-driven work supporting sustainability standards and measurable impact across global value chains.
- Flexible, high-impact, intellectually stimulating project assignments.
- Potential for continued collaboration and multiple assignments with RSB.
- Agreed daily rate.
- Remote working arrangement.
- Framework Agreement running until September 2028, subject to removal or change.
- Work with an organisation focused on diversity and inclusion.
- Chance to contribute to a globally recognised sustainability organisation.