(300232) Senior Sustainable Finance Expert

THE ORGANIZATION

The Alliance of Bioversity International (www.bioversityinternational.org) and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) (www.ciat.cgiar.org) delivers research-based solutions that harness agricultural biodiversity and sustainably transform food systems to improve people’s lives. Alliance solutions address the global crises of malnutrition, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

With novel partnerships, the Alliance generates evidence and mainstream innovations to transform food systems and landscapes so that they sustain the planet, drive prosperity, and nourish people in a climate crisis.

The Alliance is part of CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future.

About the consultancy

The CGIAR Hub for Sustainable Finance (ImpactSF) is a key technical partner for sustainable finance actors, integrating science-based impact indicators in all areas of the investment lifecycle. Building off CGIAR evidence, ImpactSF offers an array of data-driven solutions empowering financial institutions and investors to de-risk investments by quantifying climate and environmental risks and impacts. Our goal is clear: drive investments toward climate-smart and nature-positive Food, Land, and Water systems. ImpactSF, hosted by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, is implementing activities pertaining to a new project, Financing for Agriculture Small and Medium Enterprises in Africa” (FASA), which is a multi-donor fund of funds which aims to unlock financing for agricultural Small and Medium Enterprises across Africa, by supporting investment funds (IFs) that are active in the sector. FASA, managed by Investisseurs & Partenaires (I&P) will invest in IFs financing agriculture small and medium enterprises in line with FASA’s vision. FASA’s vision includes enhancing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods and promoting climate smart agriculture value chains. The mission of FASA is to reduce the funding gap faced by agri-SMEs in Africa by mobilizing catalytic capital, empowering investment managers, and fostering a supportive ecosystem.

The project would need a candidate that would provide impact advisory leveraging deep previous experience in agri-sme investment in Africa through Funds. Working remotely (home-based), the candidate would support the inception and implementation phases of the project, by contributing to the pre-investment screening of investment funds during the due diligence process, provision of capacity building training to fund managers, identifying pathways for donor funded catalytic capital to generate impact which would feed into the learning strategy, and co-design of user manuals and training materials following the validation of the reporting platform for post investment Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of agri-sme activities, tailored to FASA’s needs.

Key responsibilities

1. Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Framework

• Support the design of the IMM (both investments and for Technical Assistance (TA)); the theory of change, the measurement plan, and the relevant policies and processes.
  
• Advice on impact tools, screening, due-diligence, assessments and report templates and guidance across the portfolio of IFs to bring in industry experience and critically review their adequation for FASA needs.
  

2. Due Diligence & Investments

• Contribute, alone or together with CGIAR Impact Officer, to the evaluation of investment proposals, including via investment and impact memos.
  
• Review and recommend suggestions for the impact and other relevant sections of the TA concept notes.
  

3. Capacity Building

• During due diligence, advise CGIAR Impact Officer and work with investees to improve their IMM, policies and procedures, including impact data collection and monitoring.
  
• Design training modules for Fund Managers / FASA investees on agriculture topics, climate finance, climate risks etc.
  

Deliverables and timeframe per activity

• Co-developed Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Framework. (31 March 2025)

• Co-developed impact section of investment memorandum for up to 5 IFs. (ongoing until 31 March 2025)

Deliverables and Time frame

• Co-developed climate knowledge test and climate training course. (31 March 2025)
  
• Delivered coaching sessions with fund managers to improve their IMM framework. (ongoing until 31 March 2025)
  
• Delivered coaching sessions to incoming CGIAR impact officer. (ongoing until 31 March 2025).
  

Requirements

Education qualifications and experience

•  Advanced degree in Economics, Finance or Business Administration required.
  
• Minimum 10 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.
  
•  Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, collaborative, and decentralized environment, and operate under tight deadlines.
  

Benefits

Terms of consultancy

This is an internationally recruited consultancy and will be home-based. The initial contract will be for up to 2 months starting February 2025 (as soon as possible) with clear Terms of Reference and deliverables as per the project guideline.

The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT is committed to fair, safe, and inclusive workplaces. We believe that diversity powers our innovation, contributes to our excellence, and is critical for our mission. Recruiting and mentoring staff to create an inclusive organization that reflects our global character is a priority. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability statuses, sexual orientations, marital status, and gender identities. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applications
Applicants are invited to visit  https://www.bioversityinternational.org/jobs/ to get full details of the position and to submit their applications, including a brief technical and financial proposal.The technical bid should include the following:

• Description of proposed approach and methodology including an indicative work plan (1 PowerPoint slide)
  
• ​CV
  

The financial offer should include the following:

• Daily rates and estimated number of days required.
  

Applications MUST include reference number Ref: (300232) Senior Sustainable Finance Expert as the position applied for. Application and CV should be saved as one document using the candidate’s last name, first name for ease of sorting.

Note: The Alliance does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing or training). The Alliance also does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts.

Applications closing date: 31st January 2025

Please note that email applications will not be considered.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

We invite you to learn more about us at:

                                                                      http://alliancebioversityciat.org