Climate Finance Associate, Washington, DC

Overview

The World Resources Institute ( www.wri.org) is seeking a Climate Finance Associate to help lead its work on climate finance within its Finance Center of Excellence (FCE). WRI's Finance Center of Excellence works with public and private financing institutions, investors, governments, civil society, businesses, and project developers to increase the volume of capital flowing to sustainable activities in developing countries by redirecting investments away from unsustainable activities. To achieve this vision both public and private actors will need to leverage each other's capital and competencies and, more importantly, find common ground that results in financial flows moving towards sustainable activities and away from environmentally and socially harmful activities.

WRI's FCE aims to

1. Increase the volume of finance directed to sustainable activities in developing countries;
2. Shift existing public and private sector financial flows into developing countries—including flows intermediated by financing institutions and ministries—to more sustainable pathways;
3. Promote the integrity of financial flows—that is, ensuring finance is used cost effectively, maximizes environmental outcomes, avoids harm, and demonstrates transparency and accountability.

FCE is actively working to ensure that new and existing public international financial institutions that will be channeling international climate finance, such as the Green Climate Fund, establish governance structures and institutional arrangements that are widely perceived to be legitimate by multiple stakeholders. This means having the capacity to back technologies, policy innovations, and investments in human and institutional capacity to stimulate the large-scale transformations necessary to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient development.

Responsibilities

The Climate Finance Associate will help lead elements of FCE's work on climate finance, and advance and develop WRI's institute-wide strategies on how to shift investments towards low-carbon, climate-resilient development. The Climate Finance Associate will be responsible for research, analysis, and outreach associated with international climate-related financial flows, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations on finance; the architecture of climate finance through engagement with the Green Climate Fund Board; policies and lending practices of financial institutions—particularly national-level funds and development finance institutions—that are climate-relevant; and tracking and participating in relevant policy debates and processes at international and national levels.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Managing strategy, projects, research, and communications in line with the FCE's five year strategic goals
• Authoring and publishing new research on climate finance, in particular on the roles of development finance institutions (DFIs), and national institutions in scaling up financing for climate activities
• Conducting outreach; pioneering and coordinating research on the architecture of international climate finance, specifically focused on work around the Green Climate Fund
• Providing leadership, creative direction, and oversight to researchers and interns
• Collaborating with colleagues across the institute on cross-cutting finance issues
• Serving as one of WRI's climate finance experts for internal and external audiences, including representing WRI at high-level events and convenings
• Fundraising for finance related projects and strategy development

Qualifications

Professional and/or research experience in one or more of the following topic areas is essential:

• Project finance, structured finance, and/or capital markets experience at a public or private financial institution, project developer, or other organizationDesigning and implementing development-oriented funds at the national level; experience specifically with climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans, including design of national climate change funds, will be an advantage but not required
• Experience in sustainable finance particularly in developing a pipeline of projects, creating 'green banking' guidelines, and establishing green investment banks or similar 'green financing' mechanisms
• Mobilizing public and private investments in low-carbon technologies in key sectors such as energy, transport, forestry
• Knowledge or familiarity with international climate policy processes such as the UNFCCC negotiations

Required qualifications include:

• Degree in a relevant discipline, such as development economics, finance, business, public policy, or environmental law or policy
• Minimum of 4-7 years of relevant work experience, with a preference for candidates with 8 or more years experience.
• Excellent writing and research skills
• Excellent computer skills
• Supervisory and management experience
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team
• Project development and fundraising experience
• Flexibility to travel (a must)

Salary and benefits

Commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Location

Washington, DC

Qualified applicants should apply online at www.wri.org/careers. All applications must be submitted online through this career portal in order to be formally considered.

The World Resources Institute ( http://www.wri.org/wri) is an environmental and development research and policy organization that creates solutions to protect the Earth and improve people's lives. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, it is WRI's policy to recruit, hire, and provide opportunities for advancement in all job classifications without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual preference, parental status, or disability. WRI's global agenda requires a staff that is diverse – with respect to race, gender, cultural, and international background. Diverse perspectives and experience enhance the way WRI selects and approaches issues, as well as the creativity and applicability of WRI's policy research and analysis. WRI, therefore, encourages applications from U.S. minorities, persons from other countries (especially developing nations), and from women of all backgrounds.

About WRI

The World Resources Institute is a global environmental think tank that goes beyond research to put ideas into action. We work with governments, companies, and civil society to build solutions to urgent environmental challenges. WRI's transformative ideas protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future.

Established in 1982, WRI is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization respected globally by policymakers, NGOs, and corporate leaders because of the rigorous quality, balance, and independence of its work. With its think-tank roots, WRI values innovative ideas, working collaboratively, and thinking independently. WRI employees see the results of their hard work and have the satisfaction of making a significant difference in the world.

Currently a $50 million organization with an international staff of approximately 250, WRI works with more than 400 partners in 50 countries. WRI provides objective information and practical proposals for policy and institutional change that foster environmentally sound, socially equitable development.

Values

In its day to day work, WRI is guided by several core institutional values:

Innovation: To lead change for a sustainable world, WRI is creative, forward thinking, entrepreneurial, and adaptive.

Independence: WRI's effectiveness depends on work that is uncompromised by partisan politics, institutional or personal allegiances, or sources of financial support.

Urgency: WRI believes that change in human behavior is urgently needed to halt the accelerating rate of environmental deterioration.

Independence: Our effectiveness depends on work that is uncompromised by partisan politics, institutional or personal allegiances, or sources of financial support.

Respect: Our relationships are based on the belief that all people deserve respect.

Approach

Everything WRI does is built on four key elements:

Focus on Results: WRI organizes all of its work to produce powerful and practical solutions, strategies and tools, policies and partnerships.

Analytical Excellence: WRI identifies problems, drivers of change, economic incentives, and consequences to arrive at comprehensive, incentive-based, practical solutions.

Partnerships: WRI works with scientists, governments, businesses, NGOs, and international institutions worldwide to create incentives and pressure for change.

Communications: WRI fosters change by disseminating their solutions and ideas to targeted audiences.