Principal Climate Change Specialist at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)

Job Description    

• The Principal Climate Change Specialist is responsible for providing high-level technical and strategic advisory services on climate change, climate policy, and green finance across all DBSA sectors. The role supports the mobilisation of climate finance from global mechanisms such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF). This position plays a pivotal role in embedding climate considerations into DBSA’s operations and contributing to the Bank’s climate finance targets.

Key Responsibilities    
Strategic Planning

• Contribute to the formulation and enhancement of DBSA’s infrastructure strategy with a strong focus on climate resilience, low-carbon development, and adaptation priorities.
• Align programme initiatives with national climate commitments, sectoral decarbonisation pathways, and DBSA’s climate-investment objectives.
• Identify climate-related risks, transition risks, and green-growth opportunities to inform strategic direction and portfolio positioning.
• Provide strategic insights to align climate-related initiatives with DBSA’s investment priorities and country strategies.

Climate Finance Advisory & Mobilisation

• Provide strategic advisory services to all Bank sectors on GEF/GCF climate finance processes, requirements, and opportunities.
• Identify and structure opportunities to co-finance projects, leveraging GEF and GCF funding to support the Bank’s climate finance objectives.
• Build strong partnerships with internal lending units, other development finance institutions, and private investors to expand access to climate and green finance.
• Advise on climate finance for adaptation and mitigation projects, including emerging market-based financing mechanisms.
• Contribute to the development, management, and administration of accredited funds in line with DBSA’s obligations.
• Provide and coordinate policy submissions to GEF/GCF, UNFCCC mechanisms (including the Work Programme on Long-term Finance, Standing Committee on Finance, and Warsaw Platform for Effective Climate Finance), and other climate policy fora.
• Support DBSA’s representation at GCF/GEF and other climate finance meetings, preparing key messages and ensuring dissemination of insights to senior management and internal stakeholders.
• Offer expert advice on national and international climate policy, including implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.
• Provide technical leadership, guidance, and mentorship to analysts and junior climate change professionals.

Project Appraisal and Portfolio Support

• Provide portfolio support for ongoing projects, including monitoring implementation progress, climate impact, safeguard compliance, and consultant performance.
• Provide hands-on support to executing agencies on procurement, monitoring, reporting, and documentation required by GEF/GCF.
• Monitor projects comply with environmental and social safeguards, fiduciary requirements, and climate fund accreditation obligations.
• Prepare technical inputs for project documentation, implementation reports, supervision missions, and periodic evaluations.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients at global, regional, and local levels, including businesses, banking and multilateral partners and government officials, to further develop specific project preparation opportunities.
• Manage expectations from programme owners and ensure third-party programme mandates are understood by the DBSA teams.
• Support partnerships, joint platforms, and networking initiatives that advance DBSA’s climate finance positioning at national, regional, and global levels.
• Represent DBSA in high-level forums, technical working groups, and climate-finance industry engagements.
• Liaise with Investment divisions' peers to develop a pipeline for the DBSA market at large.
• Contribute to the development of the DBSA’s brand and reputation through positioning the bank as a partner of choice for end-to-end infrastructure development and financing across Africa.

Reporting and Governance

• Provide accurate and timely reports to GEF, GCF, and other climate finance sources in line with accreditation, fiduciary, and safeguard requirements.
• Monitor DBSA partners meet the reporting obligations to GEF, GCF, and other climate finance sources by coordinating accurate and timely submissions.
• Support the management, administration, and operationalisation of DBSA-accredited climate funds, systems, and reporting frameworks.
• Maintain essential documentation, data integrity, and audit-ready records across the climate finance portfolio.
• Implement and refine reporting formats, portfolio dashboards, and decision-support tools to strengthen climate investment oversight and management.

Key Measurement of Outputs:

• Sector Strategies developed and maintained.
• Number of opportunities identified through the sector strategy papers.
• Number of programmes developed
• Value of bankable projects (Fee income & returns on project preparation investments)
• Value and number of projects approved and committed by the transacting division
• Value of funds catalysed towards projects approved and committed by the transacting division
• Value of bankable projects (Fee income and returns on project preparation investments)
• Quality of loan book
• Percentage of loan book in priority geographies and sectors
• Reduction in impairments through de-risking technical and commercial risk aspects of projects
• Management of client relationships and key stakeholders
• Team behavioural KPI’s.
• Coaching and mentoring to transfer skills

Expertise & Technical Competencies    
Business Acumen

• Reviews own actions against the organisation's strategic plan; includes the big picture when considering possible opportunities or projects, or thinks about long-term applications of current activities.
• Understands the projected direction of the industry and how changes might impact the organisation.
• Deep understanding of commercial drivers and can make decisions based on an assessment of alternativesconcerning complex business situations.
• Deep understanding of DBSA economic priorities and how they can be implemented to meet DBSA's strategic objectives.
• Deep understanding of DBSA's core sector role in achieving DBSA's strategic objectives.
• Deep understanding of the need to coordinate efforts with many government entities, the private sector, community groups and individuals to ensure effective implementation of new policies and regulations.

Project Preparation

• Demonstrates a sound understanding of limited recourse and balance sheet funding, the process required to prepare projects, and financing documentation required to present projects for investment decisions.
• Leads an internal team of sector specialists and analysts to appraise and present transactions to internal committees.
• Appoints and leads a team of external consultants/advisors (technical, environmental, financial and legal) to prepare and present the Project Information Memorandum (PIM) to prospective financiers.
• Analyses sponsors’ financial statements, understands and reviews financial models.
• Demonstrates a sound understanding of the water, transport and energy sectors to identify potential fatal flaws generally associated with these sectors in projects presented and key risks to be mitigated.

Project Management

• Ability to plan, initiate, execute, control and close projects related to a relevant function as well as to track and manage resources, timelines, costs, deliverables and performance, and implement contingency plans, if necessary, to ensure projects are completed.
• Defines, plans and manages large and/or strategic projects, including those with a high degree of technical complexity, with impacts across the organisation and/or with national implications.
• Assembles and leads diverse and multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring maximum effective resource utilisation.
• Successfully manages substantial project budgets and reports directly to senior managers on the progress and results of projects.
• Identifies complex issues that need escalation and proposes appropriate corrective action by maintaining a respected profile with relevant external organisations and the research community in general.

Solutions Focused

• Identifies complex problems based on a broad range of factors, many of which are ambiguous or difficult to define.
• While remaining guided by organisational values, identifies optimal solutions, thinking first in terms of possible approaches and flexibilities in the system vs. blind adherence to rules or procedures.
• Evaluates the effectiveness and efficiency of solutions after they have been implemented and identifies needed changes.

Planning and Organising

• Coaches others on advanced planning and organising skills.
• Plays a role in transferring advanced planning and organising skills and knowledge to others.
• Identifies and acts on opportunities to partner with other units in the department to achieve desired results.
• Develops partnership agreements that ensure win-win outcomes for all parties. Develops integrated plans for the work unit and others that interface with the function’s budget.
• Uses advanced time management processes to deal with a high workload and tight deadlines.
• Organises, prioritises and schedules tasks so they can be performed within budget and with the efficient useof time and resources.
• Achieves goals promptly, despite obstacles encountered, by organising, reprioritising and re-planning.

Detail-oriented

• Quickly identifies relevant and irrelevant information to support accurate decision making.
• Maps out all the logistics and details of a situation to ensure smooth and flawless implementation.
• Consistently identifies all relevant details that are not obvious in complex situations.
• Requires the highest standards for accuracy and quality for their work.
• Establishes processes to ensure accuracy and quality of services delivered by the team.

Reporting & Communication

• Designs, reviews and improves reporting processes and provides guidance.
• Leads production of complex environment reports, takes an editorial role, determines content and level of detail, and ensures consistent messaging and branding.
• Is relied on by others to help them write complex technical and non-technical documents and briefs.
• Can determine which aspects of this knowledge area need to be transferred to others to achieve organisational goals.
• Coaches others and transfers communication skills and knowledge to others.
• Able to communicate complex problems or concepts by making them simple and understandable for others.
• Adapts language to the level of the audience to ensure that the message has a positive impact and is interesting to the audience.
• Is articulate, demonstrates a wide range of vocabulary, and is confident when talking to large/high-level audiences.

Presentation Skills

• Knows how to deliver arguments persuasively by employing a range of advanced presentation techniques (e.g., the appropriate use of body language, how to close a presentation so that the audience continues to think about the subject matter, etc.).
• Knows various feedback mechanisms to check levels of audience understanding.

Minimum Qualification

• A postgraduate degree in Environmental/Natural Sciences, Engineering, Finance, Commerce, Economics or a relevant field.

Desirable Qualification

• A postgraduate qualification, e.g. A Master's in Environmental Science related qualification, an MBA or a relevant Master's degree.

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in the climate and/or environmental sector or the financial/DFI/development sector with a focus on Climate and Environmental Financing or project development for energy, water or transport, including the technical and financial aspects of energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and investments.
• Experience in climate change adaptation, resilience or mitigation.
• Strong experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, water security, sustainable transport, or related lowcarbon sectors.
• Proven expertise in climate & environment metrics and GHG accounting tools.
• Understanding of GEF/GCF operations, climate definitions, eligibility criteria, and fiduciary standards.
• Demonstrated ability to structure complex financial instruments (debt, equity, blended finance, guarantees).
• Extensive knowledge of climate-related markets in Sub-Saharan Africa and international best practices.
• Experience engaging senior executives in government, DFIs, the private sector, and DFI/financial institutions.
• Strong track record in client relationship management and transaction execution.

Desirable Experience

• Experience in policy dialogue and stakeholder engagement on climate issues.

Deadline:9th February,2026