Cluster Lead: Sustainable Finance at WWF South Africa

Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership on Sustainable Finance :

• Provide overall, strategic leadership in how WWF-SA’s work on Sustainable Finance can make the greatest contribution towards its 2030 Impact Goals and Targets

In particular, lead strategic direction towards:

• The development of sustainable finance mechanisms that mobilise significant funds (target = R5 billion) towards environmental efforts in South Africa
• Influencing significant financial flows (target R50 billion) within public and private financial institutions towards green principles

Leadership of WWF-SA Environmental Programme:

• Contribute to the overall leadership of the WWF-SA Environmental Programme through active participation in the Programme Leadership Team (PLT)

Project, Programme and Financial Product Design and Implementation:

• Lead the design and delivery of projects, programmes and financial products that make the greatest possible impact against WWF-SA’s Strategy 2030 Impact Goals and Targets
• Develop new financial products, broker relationships, and close financial deals that lead to more finance for nature
• Work with WWF-SA’s Business Development team to raise funds to implement these projects

Thought Leadership & Policy Influence:

• Provide cutting-edge thought leadership on sustainable finance matters in relevant fora within the financial sector and more broadly through public media
• Proactively identify key opportunities to influence policies on sustainable finance and develop and implement politically informed advocacy strategies to influence these policies

 Team Leadership:

• Lead a team of sustainable finance programme leaders and technical experts on sustainable finance

Stakeholder Engagement and influence:

• Engage key strategic stakeholders with a view to influencing and supporting green financial policies and practices
• Work with WWF-SA’s Business Development team to support existing partnerships and develop new partnerships with financial institutions

Minimum Requirements

• At least a master’s level qualification in Business, Finance or Investments.
• Post graduate qualification in sustainability, ESG or green financial solutions is an advantage.
• At least 10 years’ experience working in the finance or investment sectors.
• Proven experience in designing and developing financial products and closing financial deals that mobilise finance for nature
• Proven experience of providing strategic leadership to organizations and programmes of work specifically related to Finance and Investment
• Experience in managing teams of highly qualified experts
• Experience in synthesizing complex information, regulations and policies and translating these into clear advice and compelling communications with specific reference to sustainable finance.
• Ability to develop financial products and close financial deals that deliver more finance towards environmental outcomes
• Interest and understanding of latest public, private and blended financial mechansims that can mobilise significant sums of finance for environmental efforts
• Ability to understand the key elements of investment, lending, and insurance processes, as well as to identify key leverage points that can be influenced through due diligence and negotiation. 
• Interest and understanding and awareness of the key drivers of public policy and corporate strategy applicable to the green infrastructure sector in emerging markets.
• A good understanding of how investment decisions are undertaken in a variety of contexts internationally, and the ways in which ecosystems and the environment can be reflected in this decision-making.
• A strong technical environmental background, to enable assessment of environmental issues within Investment, Lending, and Insurance.
• If no formal technical environmental skills, experience applying ESG to the finance sector, developing financial solutions to solve environmental issues, integrating environmental risk in investment decision making and disclosure on ESG may be relevant. 
• Motivation and drive to develop financial products and close financial deals that deliver more finance for nature and environmental outcomes
• Strong leadership, interpersonal and team building skills to manage a team of specialists.
• Good stakeholder and people management skills to enable interactions across all Practices and key collaborators.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results or outputs in a fast-paced environment.
• Capacity to form and maintain good working relationships with a wide network of internal and external stakeholders, some at senior levels - particularly Executives and Directors in Investment, Lending and Insurance sectors, Green or Sustainable Finance Teams, Portfolio Management, Heads of Risk, and external and internal auditors and external NGOs, Labour unions, Government and other related stakeholders.
• Ability to work collaboratively with teams within WWF SA locally and globally.
• Ability to manage competing demands or deliverables and operate flexibly in a fast-moving environment. 
• Ability to work in a networked environment such as the WWF global Network, with a proven capacity to define and defend priorities.
• Excellent oral and written communication and advocacy skills.
• Ability to put complex environmental and social issues into concise terms for non-specialist audiences in Finance, Insurance and Investment and vice versa.
• Ability to work independently. 
• You recognise yourself in the values of WWF: Courage, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration and Inclusion