Senior Environmental Economist

This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days/month in the office. You can be based in our office in Washington DC or a remote position, to be based in California, Oregon, Colorado, or Utah. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.

About the Program:

Cities4Forests and the Natural Infrastructure Initiative are cross-programmatic efforts that include WRI’s Land, Water, and Cities programs. Cities4Forests is a global alliance of more than 90 cities, which serve as critical partners in implementing nature-based solutions (NBS) and Green-Gray Infrastructure to protect and restore critical ecosystems.

Through its U.S. Forests and Water program, Cities4Forests is working to increase investment in NBS across public and private lands to deliver key outcomes, such as improved water security, reduced wildfire risk, and enhanced infrastructure resilience for utilities, companies, and communities. Our decade-long partnership with U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in particular, helps to accelerate much of this targeted work, particularly in the Western United States. Since 2015, the U.S. Forests and Water program has helped catalyze over $115 million to restore and protect more than 323,000 acres across public and private lands.

The U.S. Forests and Water program — comprised of conservation, finance, forestry, water resource, and geospatial experts — is currently advancing 20+ projects across 14 states and multiple USFS regions. We work closely with key decision-makers, including utilities, public and private land managers, corporations, communities, tribes, investors, and local and national governments, to finance natural infrastructure, pilot innovative projects, and replicate successful approaches. Examples of financial instruments we utilize to scale forest health treatments include: Forest Resilience Bonds in California; Certified green bonds in Arkansas; State Revolving Funds in Wyoming; Resilience Funds in Utah; and corporate water stewardship in water stressed regions.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, WRI Africa, the Urban Water Resilience Initiative, and Cities4Forests’ Green-Gray Infrastructure (GGI) Accelerator are working with 11 cities to increase nature-based solutions and green-gray infrastructure to build climate resilience, fill infrastructure gaps, and deliver green jobs and public health benefits to vulnerable communities. The GGI Accelerator offers cities technical assistance across the arc of project development — from feasibility to financing, and from pilot implementation to scale and replication. Through the effective scaling of NBS and GGI, these cities will become more livable, equitable, inclusive, and vibrant.

Job Highlight:

You will integrate equity into your work.

Looking for someone specialized in articulating the business case and economic rationale to drive the adoption, funding, and expansion of NBS and GGI both in the U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa. You will be responsible for conducting in-depth research and economic analysis of the environmental and ecosystem services resulting from NBS projects, such as forest restoration to reduce wildfire risks, source watershed protection to enhance drinking water supplies, and reforestation programs to increase community resilience and health (reduced flood and extreme heat).

You will lead the development of cost-benefit models and similar analytical tools to quantify and clearly articulate the return on investment (ROI) for potential funders and financing partners of NBS and GGI projects. You will evaluate cost avoidance and revenue generation scenarios for water and electric utilities resulting from proactive investments in forest restoration treatments, the cost-effectiveness of corporate investments in watershed health to address water insecurity, and the economic and social rationale for public agencies to invest in collective action financing approaches to protect communities and infrastructure, increase recreational access, and improve health outcomes.

As part of the GGI Accelerator portfolio in Africa, you will support new and ongoing engagements with a diverse group of city stakeholders, funders and investors. You will develop business cases with local water utilities, support financial structures to facilitate transactions, work with local governments to build costs into municipal budgets, improve NBS and GGI project bankability, and liaise with multi-lateral development institutions and the private sector to unlock climate adaptation financing. You will collaborate with the broader team working across WRI’s projects on African climate resilient cities to host investor roundtables, garnering interest for innovative financial approaches and accelerating NBS and GGI investment. You will also work with the WRI Equity team to incorporate Gender and Social Equity considerations into their work.

Reporting to the Director of Cities4Forests and the Natural Infrastructure Initiative, and will collaborate with other team members, economists, senior management, and external partners across the U.S., Africa, and Europe. You have an outstanding economics background, robust analytical and modelling skills, as well as a proven track record of using analysis to influence and drive decision-making. You will have the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners, and a talent for communicating complex analyses and results in a clear and concise manner. You will also have an entrepreneurial spirit and the capability to support a rapidly growing portfolio.

What will you do:

Economic Research and Analysis (65%):

• Conduct in-depth research and economic analyses of the environmental effects, costs, and benefits of NBS and GGI projects, specifically forest restoration, source watershed protection, and urban resilience and green infrastructure. This may include developing cost-benefit analyses, benefit transfer models, ecosystem service assessments, and carbon market evaluations, among others. This work will primarily be focused on projects in the U.S. and Africa, with the potential for expansion across Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean
• Work with internal teams and external partners to develop tailored Excel-based cost-benefit models that demonstrate the ROI and economic justification for funding contributions from both public and private sources
• Complete in-depth literature review of published research to inform and shape decision relevant micro- and macro-economic analyses for individual projects and system-wide initiatives
• Produce and support WRI branded policy-relevant research and analytical outputs (e.g., reports, tools, Insights blogs, presentations, articles, etc.)
• Work with partners to develop project work plans and problem solve when barriers arise
• Track progress and co-lead project reporting both internally and externally

  Outreach and Communication (20%):

  • Increase the visibility of the program and its ability to influence decisions with key stakeholders including local and national governments, conservation partners, land managers, utilities, financial institutions, companies, and donors.
  • Represent WRI at events and with external audiences
  • Support and implement project communications strategies
  • Develop communications and marketing materials such as executive briefs, brochures, informational sheets, PowerPoint presentations, and more

    Fundraising and Operations (15%):

    • Co-lead and support team on fundraising and proposal development
    • Build and maintain relationships with funding partners and donors
    • Develop environmental economics program within Cities4Forests, with the potential to lead and manage future staff members
    • Coordinate and support core components of project operations, such as budgeting, project staffing, and developing agreements and contracts
    • Support performance monitoring, evaluation, learning, and reporting for multiple projects

      What will you need:

      • Education: You have completed a master’s in economics, natural resource or related field. MBA or PhD preferred. Relevant work experience is accepted in lieu of a degree
      • Experience: You have a minimum of 10 years of relevant full-time professional experience related to environmental or climate resilience economics
      • Expertise in NBS and/or natural resource economics, and track record of delivering on projects that influence external stakeholders and decision making
      • Demonstrated ability to simultaneously support multiple projects engagements, develop robust economic frameworks and models, research projects, and author high-quality publications and write-ups on relevant topics
      • Demonstrated success in fundraising on relevant topics a plus
      • Strong oral communications skills and experience presenting at relevant events
      • Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team, particularly in a remote setting
      • Demonstrated ability and willingness to work across multiple time zones
      • Strong appreciation for delivering on time
      • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with teams of individuals and colleagues at all levels inside and outside the organization
      • Ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner
      • Ability to work calmly and enthusiastically in a dynamic environment.
      • Ability to think creatively.
      • Highly responsible, and self-motivated.
      • Extremely well-organized and efficient.
      • Languages: You are proficient in verbal and written English. Additional language skills are desirable
      • Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization