Position Title: Climate and Sustainable Finance
The Organization
The Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstreams innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis. The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future. Please visit http://www.alliancebioversityciat.org/ for more information on the Alliance.
The new One CGIAR has initiated a novel global research initiative on Building Systemic Resilience Against Climate Variability and Extremes, known as ClimBeR, who is recruiting a consultant for sustainable finance specialist to provide leadership on work related to climate finance and related innovative sustainable finance mechanisms. ClimBeR is working to promote “transformative adaptation” (tackling root causes of vulnerability) via a gender and social equity framework with the goal of making food systems truly resilient to climate change. This new initiative will bundle climate information services and climate-resilient practices within a framework of supportive, socially inclusive policies and institutions, while working to unlock finance to invest in transformative adaptation. The sustainable finance work is crosscutting, working across the four ClimBeR specific work packages: (1) Reducing risk in production system-linked livelihoods and value chains at scale; (2) building production-system resilience through recognizing the relationships among climate, agriculture, security, and peace; (3) developing adaptation instruments to inform policy and investments; and (4) multiscale governance for transformative adaptation.
To support ClimBeR and the One CGIAR more generally, a multidisciplinary Sustainable Finance (SF) sub-unit has been institutionalized. The SF sub-unit advises governments, public and private investors, and corporates by developing innovative and high-quality decision-making solutions to help unlock and reorient investments towards sustainable and resilient food, water, and land-use systems. This is critical, given more than US$300-350bn a year is required to transform food and land use systems.
Despite the potential capital that sustainable finance could mobilize for the transformation of agricultural production systems, private sector actors often lack the expertise to effectively allocate funding and monitor business models and initiatives that are climate smart and environmentally sound. Private sector actors require science-based risk mitigation assessment support and cost-effective measurement and evolution (M&E) approaches to guide investment in food, water and land systems interventions. The sustainable finance consultant within the
ClimBeR initiative will lead the identification and co-design with public and private investors of innovative instruments to unlock finance for transformative adaptation and climate security-sensitive finance, and in doing so explore the potential for sustainable finance to contribute to environmental peace building and conflict prevention. To achieve these goals, the selected candidates will play act as a link between the ClimBeR initiative and the One CGIAR Sustainable Finance team as well as public and private partners.
The ClimBeR initiative and the sustainable finance teams are international and multicultural, working in a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment. ClimBeR is one of 33 research initiatives that form a fundamental part of the One CGIAR global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research with the mission to deliver science and innovation that advance transformation of food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis (https://www.cgiar.org/food-security-impact/one-cgiar).
Main duties and responsibilities include:
- Lead analytical work on mechanisms for unlocking and deploying sustainable finance, including work on carbon markets, impact investing, ESG related issues, blended finance and climate adaptation financial instruments for investment in sustainable food systems.
- Co-design with the ClimBeR scientific team science-based tools and frameworks needed to facilitate the implementation of innovative sustainable finance and deployment of capital (e.g. for pipeline screening and due diligence).
- Lead analytical work exploring solutions to integrate climate security risks into innovative financial instruments (e.g. peace bonds), that leverage climate action for peace building purposes within food systems.
- Support with the analysis of complex information and develop investment cases for sustainable food systems that are sensitive to climate risks.
- Keep abreast of latest innovations on sustainable finance and sustainable food systems
Requirements
- Advanced degree in Economics, Finance or Business Administration required
- Minimum 4 years working experience at international level in the area of sustainable finance, climate finance and/or impact investing. Direct experience working in the financial services industry or in a top tier consulting firm strongly preferred
- Strong experience working on climate finance, sustainable finance, and/or other related fields.
- Solid knowledge of innovative financial instruments in climate finance and finance for peace building.
- Good understanding of food systems, climate security, and climate related challenges in developing countries, and how environmental and social issues relate to business risks and opportunities
- Intellectually curious and business-driven to deliver innovative and high impact results to clients
- Solid knowledge of Microsoft Office, with advanced Power Point/presentation skills
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English; French language skills would be a strong asset.
Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative and decentralized environment, and operate under tight deadlines
How to apply
Applicants are invited to visit https://www.bioversityinternational.org/jobs/ to get full details of the position and to submit their applications. Applications MUSTinclude reference number Consultancy Ref: CON-KE-LC-2022-079as the position applied. Applications should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting.
The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.
Closing date for applications: 15th September 2022
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