Next Gen Investment Specialist (AKA Bedazzled Badger)

Position Summary

Canopy is accelerating the use of circular alternatives to high-carbon and biodiversity-value tree/forest fibre in the production of pulp for paper and textiles. Textile waste, agricultural residues, and other cellulose materials can make excellent, lower-impact material substitutes for these major commodities. Our five-year goals include 40 million tonnes of Next Gen production capacity and $52 billion in investment catalyzed into the sector. Canopy does not finance projects directly. We are an ecosystem architect and transform these supply chains by creating the conditions for progress with and for the key decision makers such as brands, investors, conventional producers, innovators, and policymakers.

Scaling a Next Gen materials sector requires more than strong technology or a willing buyer. Feedstock, infrastructure, market demand, capital, policy, and timing all have to align. The
Next Gen Investment Specialist helps Canopy understand how those parts fit together to facilitate the mobilization of capital into regional supply chain transitions and the scaling of specific projects, along with where the critical gaps are, and where our intervention can make a difference.

Working with the Senior Director of Next Gen Transformation, the Next Gen Investment Specialist helps shape and drive strategy, advances key investment partnerships, maintains a clear view of the producer and project pipeline, assesses the strength and readiness of opportunities, and provides the analysis colleagues need to make sound decisions. This role combines detailed research and commercial analysis with a wider strategic view to leverage systems change in practice for the sector.

Key Responsibilities

• 
  Next Gen investment strategy. Develop and coordinate Canopy’s strategy on where and how investment can be most effectively deployed to scale Next Gen including the different kinds of capital required in different regions.
• 
  Expand Canopy’s Next Gen investor network. Directly open doors and advance key partnerships as well as support Canopy leadership with priority investor partnerships.
• 
  Portfolio and pipeline development. Build and maintain a well-qualified pipeline of Next Gen producers and projects across priority regions. Keep records current and track progress, dependencies, decisions, and next steps, so colleagues have a reliable view of where each opportunity stands.
• 
  Project assessment and due diligence. Assess feedstock security, technology and operational readiness, management capability, market demand, permitting, capital needs, and key risks. Test claims against primary sources and produce concise, evidence-based assessments.
• 
  Pathways to scale. Identify what credible projects need to advance, such as customer validation, conditional demand, feedstock agreements, technical support, financing, or policy changes. Show how these needs connect, and where Canopy and its partners can be most useful.
• 
  Financing readiness. Review financial and techno-economic assumptions and help clarify capital requirements and financing gaps. Work with the team to prepare projects for productive engagement with funders while respecting the distinct role of investors and lenders.
• 
  Partnership and decision support. Prepare briefings, evidence packs, and meeting materials for engagement with producers, brands, investors, and other partners. Participate in selected external discussions and document decisions, commitments, and follow-up.
• 
  Regional and market analysis. Support regional strategies through market sizing, feedstock assessment, mill and converter mapping, and analysis of policy, trade, and infrastructure. Connect project-level findings to wider patterns across North America, China, India, and other priority geographies.

What you'll bring

• 
  Approximately 3 to 5 years of relevant experience in investment or market analysis, project finance, corporate development, management consulting, supply-chain analysis, or a related field. Experience in the industrial, infrastructure, or commodities sectors is helpful.
• 
  Strong analytical judgement. You know how to test a claim, locate reliable evidence, identify what is missing, and distinguish genuine progress from a well-written announcement.
• 
  Comfort working with financial and techno-economic models, including the ability to question assumptions and explain their implications clearly.
• 
  A systems perspective. You can examine the details of an individual project while also seeing the connections between supply, demand, finance, policy, infrastructure, and relationships.
• 
  Clear written and verbal communications. You can turn complex analysis into a concise brief and adapt it for technical colleagues, senior leaders, and external partners.
• 
  Sound organization and follow-through across multiple projects, regions, and contributors, including work with incomplete information and changing priorities.
• 
  Professional judgement and discretion when handling commercially sensitive or unannounced information.
• 
  Confidence with spreadsheets, research databases, and other analytical tools, together with the ability to learn new systems quickly.
• 
  Knowledge of pulp, fibre, packaging, textiles, circular materials, or relevant regional markets is an asset. Curiosity, rigour, and the ability to learn is more important than having worked in every part of the sector.

How this role fits

The Next Gen Investment Specialist sits within the Impact team and works day-to-day with the Senior Director of Next Gen Transformation. The role collaborates closely with colleagues leading producer engagement, brand partnerships, investment, regional strategies, and research. It provides a shared evidence base that helps those teams act in a coordinated way.

Success in this role means that Canopy has a credible and prioritized pipeline, understands what is enabling or constraining each opportunity, and can direct its relationships and resources where they are most likely to unlock progress. It also means colleagues and partners can rely on the analysis, see how decisions were reached, and know what needs to happen next.

How to Apply: Please submit your CV, a cover letter, and a separate response to the prompt below. Applications missing either the cover letter or the prompt response will not be considered.

Please answer the following question in a clearly labelled section within your cover letter document:

At Canopy, the Next Gen Investment Specialist helps translate complex information into clear, evidence-based decisions that guide where we direct our relationships and resources.

Imagine Canopy has limited capacity to deeply assess three potential Next Gen projects. You need to recommend which one receives our immediate analytical support.
Choose one of the following two fictional projects to prioritize:

Project A
- Technology: Agricultural Residue pulp
- Stage: New pulp facility
- Key Gap: Needs offtake from brands to secure capital
- Geography: Canada

Project B
- Technology: Textile-to-textile recycling
- Stage: New plant in India
- Key Gap: Needs bankability assessment for VC
- Geography: India

In your response, briefly describe:

1. Which project would you prioritize (A or B) and why - considering Canopy's five-year goal of 40 million tonnes of Next Gen production capacity.
2. The biggest analytical red flag or missing piece you would investigate first for your chosen project.
3. One specific way your analysis would inform how Canopy's Impact Teams (Brand Partnerships, Investment, Producer Engagement) act differently as a result of your recommendation.

Please keep your response to 300–400 words.

On AI Use and Authenticity

You may use AI tools to brainstorm, edit, or proofread, but please do not use AI to write your cover letter or prompt response for you. We want to hear your voice, experiences, and perspective, not a polished, generic version generated by a model. If you use AI for minor editing assistance, please add a short note at the end of your prompt response (e.g., "I used [tool name] to proofread this response"). Applications written in a genuine, original voice will be prioritized.