Overview
The primary responsibility of the Sustainable Investment for Climate and Nature Lead is to shape CIFOR-ICRAF’s transition from research to implementation by driving investment partnerships and scalable finance solutions.
Duties and responsibilities
· Designing and steering the sustainable investment research and delivery agenda in line with our renewed strategy.
· Providing strategic leadership and coordination for CIFOR-ICRAF’s work on sustainable climate and nature finance, bridging science, finance and policy to support investments into resilient landscapes.
· Aligning and integrating finance-focused work across CIFOR-ICRAF, GLF and Resilient Landscapes.
· Developing and fostering a community of practice focused on innovative climate and nature finance solutions across CIFOR- ICRAF regions and projects, ensuring quality, efficiency and effectiveness across the CIFOR-ICRAF portfolio.
· Working closely with the CIFOR-ICRAF Quality for Impact unit to establish KPIs to track financial performance and environmental impact of blended finance programmes.
· Contributing to the organization’s system thinking and delivery by conducting emergent analysis over a two-year period, identifying key trends and strategic insights to enhance overall performance.
Blended finance programme design and implementation
· Developing financial structures that combine public, private and philanthropic funding to de-risk investments in sustainable agriculture and forestry.
· Designing first-loss capital mechanisms, guarantees, concessional finance and risk-sharing models to attract investors.
· Working with donors, development banks and impact investors to structure sustainable finance mechanisms that align with climate, biodiversity and rural development goals.
· Conducting financial feasibility assessments to ensure the viability of investment projects.
· Working closely with CIFOR-ICRAF teams to design and advise on performance-based payment options and instruments such as payments for ecosystem services and ecological compensation.
Stakeholder engagement and capacity building
· Leveraging the GLF Investment Case partnerships and networks to cultivate relationships with financial institutions, development banks, impact investors, philanthropic actors and government agencies.
· Building the capacity within CIFOR-ICRAF science teams to translate science and landscape knowledge into actionable investment insights.
· In collaboration with the CIFOR-ICRAF Capacity Development and Education Hub and the GLF Investment Case, identifying community-of-practice activities, sustainable finance blended learning tools and learning exchanges.
· Overseeing the development of knowledge products (e.g., investment guides, financial models, policy briefs) to build awareness across the financial sector (including MFIs, commercial banks, national development bank(s), etc.) about nature-related financial risks and opportunities in conservation of primary forests and the restoration of semi-natural forests at the landscape level.
· Representing CIFOR-ICRAF in global events, especially the GLF Investment Case and UNFCCC COPs.
Regional innovation and business development
· Under the leadership of the Director of Europe, identifying, supporting and pursuing innovation and new business opportunities.
· Together with CIFOR-ICRAF country teams, developing opportunities for technical advisory roles, including feasibility assessments, due diligence, environmental and social safeguard reviews, concept pilots and business model development.
· Supporting the design and implementation of innovative regional projects aligned with the thematic area.
· Collaborating with the Director of Europe, theme leaders, the Resource Mobilization Team, and regional and country leads to identify and pursue new business opportunities.
· Aligning thematic contributions to regional strategic goals and client priorities.
· Participating in proposal development and donor and client engagement efforts in Europe, with specific emphasis on agencies based in Brussels, Luxembourg and Germany.
· In collaboration with the Communications, Outreach and Engagement Team and other research theme leaders and scientists, ensuring that information about CIFOR-ICRAF and the outcomes of its work are effectively conveyed to partners and target audiences.