Senior Advisor, Green Financing

WWF-NL is a professional and dynamic organization with an informal work culture based in Zeist, the Netherlands. The organization consists of four departments: Conservation, Engagement, Organization & Talent Development, and Finance & Operations. The Green Finance team within the Conservation department at WWF-NL is looking for a Senior Advisor for Green Financing (32–40 hours per week). 

This position will report to the Head of the Green Finance Team, who reports to the Chief Conservation Officer.

Green Finance Team

The Green Finance Team at WWF-NL aims to drive a meaningful shift in finance to achieve WWF’s conservation goals and the Global Goals on climate, nature, and development. This involves greening finance to reduce investment in activities that drive climate change and nature loss, and scaling sustainable finance as a key enabler that accelerates WWF’s overall conservation mission. WWF-NL is uniquely positioned to work with governments, key financial organizations, global initiatives, and many different stakeholders as the world moves from commitments to action. WWF will seek to catalyze implementation and provide expertise to mobilize sustainable financing and help close climate and biodiversity funding gaps.

To achieve our mission, the Green Finance team has two main pillars:

1. Financing Green: This pillar works to accelerate the mobilization of finance from all sources to scale up private-sector action and help close funding gaps, including by integrating finance into our conservation efforts on the ground;
2. Greening Finance: This pillar works to influence global, regional, and national financial systems to align with and support the achievement of WWF’s conservation goals.

This role will lead the Financing Green pillar within WWF-NL, and will do so by:

• Green Finance for Landscapes - Support the acceleration of landscape conservation in areas where WWF operates, by leveraging a comprehensive set of complementary financial tools and solutions;
• Green Financial Solutions - Support the allocation of capital to companies, projects, and activities in line with the Global Goals through green financial solutions;

WWF-NL runs two main programs under the green finance pillar: theDutch Fund for Climate and Development (DFCD) andMobilising More for Climate (MoMo4C). In addition to these programs, the Green Finance team supports efforts to make finance greener and to fund green initiatives in 12 key landscapes around the world.

The role

The Senior Advisor for Financing Green will coordinate and support all of WWF-NL’s Financing Green activities. This includes capacity building, proposal writing, assisting with due diligence on certain deals, and ensuring that WWF-NL is viewed as a high-quality, impact-focused partner in the green/impact finance sector. The role also involves supporting the Financing Green programs (the DFCD and MoMo4C), the Financing Green components of other WWF-NL programs, and collaborating with other WWF offices to align and develop initiatives together.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a technical expert to identify and support opportunities related to various green finance instruments, such as Bankable Nature Solutions (BNS), Debt-for-Nature Swaps, green and blue bonds, carbon financing, Project Finance for Permanence (PFPs), species bonds, and blended finance facilities.
• Support major initiatives at WWF-NL and within the network.
• Build organizational capacity and develop proposals that incorporate Green Finance in collaboration with WWF-NL’s International Landscape Team, Thematic Team, Public-Private Partnerships Team, and fundraising teams, as well as offices in the Global South.
• Ensure that WWF-NL remains a leader within the Financing Green sector, and maintain close contact with the WWF network and the Finance Practice.
• Represent WWF-NL in the WWF Bankable Nature Solutions network, which brings together all the green financing programs of the WWF network, and manage the BNS Network Coordinator based in the Netherlands.
• Support the Head of Green Finance in developing a strategy and providing the various program managers with technical expertise to help them achieve their objectives.
• Continue to build and maintain a network of organizations relevant to the implementation of our Financing Green strategy. Increase WWF’s external recognition and position WWF-NL as a strong partner. 
• Support activities related to identifying investable or bankable projects, due diligence, risk mitigation, and investor matchmaking.
• Integrate green financing and opportunities for leverage into the development and implementation of the new 2030 WWF-NL strategy.
• Work with the Greening Finance Lead to build a shared understanding and identify areas where there is room for greater alignment and where opportunities for financing green initiatives and greening finance can be developed.

Who are you?

We are looking for someone who combines expertise in green finance with project management experience.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in economics, finance, or business.
• At least 7 to 10 years of experience in business development, sustainable economic development, landscape finance, conservation finance, project and/or corporate finance, and/or impact investing.
• Extensive experience in finance and budgeting.
• Fluent in English.
• Preferably experience with (development) financial institutions, building bankable or investable pipelines, and/or market-based mechanisms for conservation.

Desired Skills and Competencies

• Analytical, strategic; sees the big picture.
• Experience working in the Global South.
• Proven organizational, diplomatic, and negotiating skills that produce positive results on the sustainability agenda, particularly as it relates to the finance and business sectors.
• Strong ability to lead the development or implementation of large-scale initiatives, including working with and coordinating funding partners, third parties, and users.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team with a diverse group of people from different cultures and across time zones, and ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and partners.
• Independent worker who proactively seeks out opportunities to further improve the work.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• A strong interest in nature conservation and the mission of WWF.
• Prior experience in assessing financial institutions and climate risks would be an advantage.

Core values

You identify with the core values of WWF-NL:

• Courage
• Integrity
• Respect
• Collaboration

What do we offer?

• You will be able to work in a sustainable office surrounded by nature;
• Fun coworkers and the opportunity to build an international network;
• Vegetarian lunches in our cafeteria and free after-work drinks every other Thursday;
• An employment contract for 32–40 hours per week. Initially, a one-year fixed-term employment contract with a one-month probationary period will be offered;
• Salaries that are in line with the standard in the Dutch nonprofit sector; The minimum gross monthly salary for this role is 4,644 EUR and the maximum monthly salary is 6,672 EUR (based on a 40-hour workweek);
• Employees receive a personal budget consisting of an 8% vacation allowance and a 2.08% flexible budget, and are entitled to 6 weeks of vacation per year (based on a 40-hour workweek);
• We encourage flexible work arrangements, the use of public transportation, and biking for work-related travel. Employees receive an NS Business Card for second-class travel to and from work;
• We also have a hybrid work model, so employees can alternate between working from home and from the office.

Information and procedure

If you are interested in this position, please apply by11:59 p.m. on September 8, 2024,via the WWF-NL website.  

Please note that you must have a valid work permit to work for WWF-NL.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Babette Vanlancker (Recruitment Coordinator) atbvanlancker@wwf.nl. Questions about this role can be directed to Jaap de Jong (Project Manager in the Green Finance team) at jjong@wwf.nl. Due to the summer season, it may take us a little longer to respond.

We actively strive to ensure that our workforce reflects society and the international nature of our organization. We therefore especially encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

We take the safety and protection of our colleagues seriously. The successful candidate is therefore required to complete an integrity statement and provide a Certificate of Good Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent Gedrag). We may also request references.

If you are an intermediary, please do not contact us. We will contact recruitment agencies directly if necessary.