Climate Finance Associate

The World Resources Institute (www.wri.org) is seeking a Senior Associate to help lead its work on climate finance within its International Financial Flows and Environment project (IFFE). Through research, analysis, and policy dialogue, IFFE’s objective is to ensure that international public finance for climate change is governed by institutions that meet legitimacy standards and supports transformation towards low-carbon and climate-resilient development in a manner that avoids environmental and social harm to affected communities. The IFFE project is housed in WRI’s Institutions and Governance Program, which works with partners in civil society and government to improve the transparency and accountability of institutions entrusted with environmental decision-making.

The IFFE objective focuses on those international financial institutions (IFIs) that have been particularly influential in shaping international capital flows in environmentally and socially sensitive sectors, such as members of the World Bank Group, regional development banks, and other development finance institutions. Our strategies prompt these institutions to more systematically incorporate climate change considerations into their mainstream project and sectoral lending as well as their technical assistance programs. We seek to ensure that financial institutions contribute to global climate mitigation and resilience while continuing to apply strong environmental and social safeguard policies in each investment, and align their policies and lending criteria with internationally agreed-on climate objectives as expressed in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

In addition, IFFE 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.

The Senior Associate will help lead IFFE’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 Senior 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; IFI policies and lending practices that are climate-relevant; and tracking and participating in relevant policy debates and processes at international and  national levels.  Specific responsibilities include:

• Authoring and publishing new research on climate finance, in particular on the roles of MDBs, 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 and within the Institutions and Governance Program 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
• Lead fundraising for climate finance initiatives

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

• International climate policy processes such as the UNFCCC negotiations
• National-level experience in designing and implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation action plans, including design of national climate change funds
• Environmental and social policies and practice of one or more of the above mentioned IFIs, including World Bank safeguard policies and the Equator Principles
• 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 

A successful candidate will demonstrate excellent research and writing skills in English and the ability to work effectively in teams. Required qualifications include: 

• Graduate degree in a relevant discipline, such as development economics, finance, business, public policy, or environmental law or policy
• At least 7-10 years of relevant work experience
• At least 5 years’ experience working with NGOs, academic institutions or private sector on sustainability issues particularly in the areas of climate, energy, and sustainability in finance issues
• Excellent writing and research skills
• Excellent computer skills
• Supervisory and management experience
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with teams of individuals and colleagues
• Strong project development and fundraising experience
• Flexibility to travel (a must)

Salary is commensurate with academic and professional qualifications and experience.

Please apply online. For questions, contact Emily Norford (enorford@wri.org).