Consultant Expert in Sustainable Finance - International

The CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (OneSF)

The CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (OneSF), was established in 2022, to build on the CGIAR scientific expertise and extensive network to accompany private investors through the transition to sustainable and climate resilient food, water, and land use systems. The OneSF mission is to address the barriers and bottlenecks that prevent finance flowing responsibly and ethically to solutions tackling this transition in the Global South. The OneSF has three impact pathways (IPs); IP1) co-design and influence investments with public and private investors; IP2) strengthen project pipeline development and enable inclusive finance; IP3) improve the evidence of sustainable financing at all levels that contribute to transforming the financial ecosystem.

The OneSF team supports the implementation of several projects, including but not limited to: Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA). AICCRA works to make climate information services and climate-smart agriculture more accessible to millions of smallholder farmers across Africa. With better access to technology and advisory services -- linked to information about effective response measures -- farmers can better anticipate climate-related events to take preventative action that helps their communities safeguard livelihoods and the environment. Clim-ARM is focused on developing investment blueprints for Agriculture Risk Management Solutions in Ethiopia and Rwanda.


About the position

We are looking for an Expert in Sustainable Finance for a 10-month consultancy agreement. The primary focus will be to lead analytical work on mechanisms for unlocking and deploying sustainable finance, including blended finance, carbon markets, impact investing, ESG related issues, and climate adaptation financial instruments for investment in sustainable food systems.

Requirements

Deliverables

• Develop with Clim-ARM project teams in Ethiopia and Rwanda a set of investment blueprints/pitches (15+) targeted to investors for Agriculture Risk Management Solutions based on the data collected throughout the project. The investment blueprints will be a set of clearly articulated documents describing the impact & financial return potential for these investment opportunities, possible risks and solutions to address these and a recommendation of investment channels to mobilize finance for the solutions. This may include market demand analyses & scoping, high level economic costing and benefits analysis, project operationalization development and assessment of public and private investor suitability, including of appropriate financial instruments or mechanisms.
  
•  Support the OneSF team in developing a series (2-3 minimum) of storylines/investment theses for high impact investment initiatives to be brought to the market (investment fund / sustainably linked loan etc.). This will include the validation of the feasibility of 1-2 initiatives by December 2023. With at least one solution demonstrative with smallholder farmers and one scalable based on market and growth fundamentals. Using these concepts, together with the OneSF team, identify potentially relevant partners and engage with them with the objective to develop coalitions of partners interested in setting up the conceptualized solution.
  
• Develop with the AICCRA project team a pipeline sourcing methodology and database for bankable projects.
  
• Engage with OneSF in business development opportunities.
  
• Other tasks as needed to support the OneSF team.
  

  
  

  Education, experience, and skills
  

   
  

  • Advanced degree in Economics, Finance or Business Administration required. 
    
  • Minimum 10 to 15 years working experience at international level in 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 in pipeline development and in structuring investment vehicles with public and private investors.
    
  • Strong experience working on climate finance, sustainable finance, and/or other related fields. 
    
  • Proven experience in designing and bringing to the market an innovative financial product.
    
  • Good understanding of food systems 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; Spanish 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. 
    

     
    
    

    Benefits

    Terms of agreement
    
    

    The is an international consultancy agreement, based on deliverable products, and will be home-based. The initial agreement will be for up to 8 months with clear Terms of Reference and deliverable as per the project guideline.
    

     
    

    Applications