The Director of Climate Investment Origination will report to the Deputy Managing Director of Investment Origination. The Director’s role will be to source, model and structure potential investment opportunities that support natural climate solutions (NCS) to climate change, including forest management, protection and restoration, soil carbon, blue carbon, and others, in deal structures that are competitive with similar NCS market offerings and meet investor expectations. They will work closely with TNC’s Tackle Climate Change, Corporate Engagement, and regional conservation teams to originate a pipeline of opportunities globally. This will include exploring investment opportunities with regional conservation and finance experts (including Nature Conservancy staff), corporate partners, and potential cornerstone investors and operating partners to assess project and investment viability. Responsibilities include investment and business design; financial analysis and modeling; transaction structuring (including capital stack development); market analysis; investor and partner negotiation, carbon credit monetization and sale including negotiating carbon purchase agreements and/or offtake agreements, and risk assessment and mitigation.
The Director will also be responsible for working closely with the Senior Director of Investment Fundraising at NatureVest on investor engagement and fundraising. In this capacity, they will prepare financial models, investor pitch decks, and other materials. They will engage in all aspects of capital-raising including the soliciting of potential investors and the management of investor relationships. The Director will also be responsible for managing any corporate and/or investor co-creation opportunities including the potential to co-create one or several pipelines of NCS projects with an investment partner. Project management will include managing and negotiating the commercial needs of the partner and working with global, regional and local colleagues as well as TNC management to ensure alignment with and support for the investment project(s). Additional responsibilities include representing the NatureVest team at various conferences and investor events and working with the Tackle Climate Change team to embed market intervention and finance in TNC’s global NCS strategy.
RESPONSIBILITIES AND SCOPE
Origination and Pipeline Development:
- Growing NatureVest’s NCS transaction pipeline by working with the Deputy Managing Director of Investment Origination, the Deputy Managing Director of Forestry Investments, regional TNC directors and staff and external partners (including potential investors and corporate partners) to source new investment transactions across multiple conservation priorities.
- Working closely with Global and Regional TNC colleagues to identify and develop potential pipeline transactions and ensure transactions are aligned with TNC’s conservation priorities and values and the priorities of TNC’s key partners.
- Working closely with potential partners (corporates and/or investors) to collaboratively develop individual or pipelines of projects that meet both the partner and TNC’s priority objectives
- Conducting financial assessment of new investment opportunities including: detailed business model, financial model and cash flow analysis; regulatory and business risk assessment; and stakeholder engagement and negotiation.
- Making independent decisions frequently based on analysis, experience, and judgment.
- Requires willingness and capacity for significant domestic and international travel up to 30% of the time, and to work occasional weekends and evenings.
- Representation of the NatureVest team at industry and stakeholder events globally for both thought leadership and investment origination purposees
Transaction Closing and Fundraising:
- Develop financial and legal structures that satisfy TNC’s conservation and reputational priorities while meeting investor needs
- Conduct detailed negotiations with potential investors, operating partners and key stakeholders
- Working closely with the Senior Director of Investment Fundraising, develop detailed pitch decks, investment memorandums and any other necessary investor materials. Conduct investor roadshows and investor calls as needed.
Project Management:
- Primary management of and accountability for individual investment project or pipeline development workstreams including: (i) ensuring appropriate support and resourcing from within TNC for project execution, (ii) management of an internal execution team that includes stakeholders from across TNC, (iii) for those projects co-created with a corporate and/or investor partner, management of the partner’s needs and negotiation of key terms of project structuring and resourcing, (iv)marketing and sales of carbon credits.