Senior Program Officer, Finance and Commodities - 17006 - World Wildlife Fund - Washington, DC

The Senior Program Officer will lead in : (1) developing tools and strategies for multi-stakeholder engagement initiatives and ways in which financial institutions can be drawn into these processes; (2) working with finance sector partners in the development of new financial analytic tools that promote more responsible production and trade of soft commodities ; and (3) supporting WWF global work in key international locations and in key issues (water, ecosystem services and climate) where there appear to be nascent markets emerging.

Responsibilities:
With the VP, International Finance, implement strategy for Commodities Finance. Lead assigned components, activities, and projects within the overall strategy against milestones.

Assist in monitoring, evaluating, budgeting and reporting of project performance against planned objectives and deliverables and milestones, working effectively with program staff, accountants, and donors.

Participate in an externally focused strategy on Commodities Finance, driving awareness, commitments, and actions from FIs (Financial Institutions), and communicating these developments back upon the target audience – through written research, external presentations, web, and social media.

Participate in management of critical relationships with donors, financial institutions, and financial institution platforms to ensure successful delivery on major grants. Work with internal and external partners towards global coordination on commodities finance activities across investors and banks. Advise regional platforms and regulatory engagements

Identify needs for new FI tools for risk management in commodities finance, and/or modifications or mergers of existing tools. Work with external partners in the development/adaptation of analytic tools.

Work closely with other offices within the WWF Network (e.g. WWF-Brazil and WWF-Argentina /FVSA) to achieve a leadership position for WWF on sustainable commodities finance in those markets.

Identify and manage opportunities for WWF to participate in innovative financial transactions for commodities finance (e.g. land restoration, intensification, etc.).

Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:
A Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g. business, economics, environmental studies) and at least five years relevant professional experience in private finance, consulting, environmental conservation and/or international development is required; the ideal candidate will have a combination of exposures to these sectors. A Master’s degree can substitute for two years of experience.

An ability to analyze sustainability issues and to effectively communicate these to financial institution partners – regarding ESG, deforestation, illegality and soft commodity markets is required.

Strong knowledge of, and professional experience in sustainable finance and/or commodity value-chain finance is needed.

Experience implementing programs or projects with diverse, cross-sector stakeholders.

Excellent interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to work in a networked environment is a must.

Excellent oral and written communication, and ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder conversations.

Strong organizational skills and ability to analyze, prioritize, and complete work of high quality with minimal supervision.

Motivated self-starter. Ability to work independently and with remote teams is needed.

Must be able to travel up to 10% internationally.

To Apply:
Please visit our Careers Page , job# 17006 , to submit an online application including resume and cover letter

Due to the high volume of applications we are not able to respond to inquiries via phone

As an EOE/AA employer, WWF will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and veteran or disability status.