The Climate Finance Support Unit (CFSU) is a new unit that works with country programs, regions and headquarters colleagues to develop CRS’ strategic approach toward climate finance, assess funding opportunities, and developing and sharing guidance to advance CRS’ climate adaptation programming in ways that achieve CRS’ strategic goals while managing risks. The CFSU is tasked with articulating CRS' programmatic, ethical and financial strategy for climate finance including carbon finance opportunities. 

This role is for someone who can straddle strategic high-level thinking and deliver specific technical outputs, guidance, and support to country program and business development (BD) and programming staff. The Senior Advisor will primarily be responsible for leading the BD processes for multilateral climate funding streams, including the Green Climate Fund. They will also carry out research on new donors and potential partners in climate finance, building relationships with these entities. They will aid country programs in go/no go decisions, proposal design and development, and support CRS regions/ countries and key partners in their growth objectives around climate adaptation. They will play a critical knowledge management role across the agency leveraging learning and past performance to facilitate strategic, informed and streamlined business development processes.   

This position would be ideal for someone with high level BD skillsets who has worked closely with multilateral climate finance instruments in the past. Candidates with a technical climate change background in key areas of interest to CRS would be preferable. These include but are not limited to: environmental safeguarding and compliance requirements; climate change risk and vulnerability analysis; climate resilience, nature based solutions, carbon projects particularly in the landscape restoration sector, alignment with NDCs; NAPs; NBSAPs; frequently used indicators measuring climate adaptation and/or mitigation objectives; and/or GHG emissions accounting for nature-based programming. 

The BD Senior Advisor will cultivate relationships with climate specific donors and ideally come with an existing understanding and network of these donors. Ultimately, it is a role for someone passionate about climate change, who wants to see more climate adaptation funding reaching vulnerable communities.

Specific responsibilities of the role: 

This role will support business development functions across the business development cycle and will remain flexible to the needs of the country programs and regions.

Strategy development and implementation:

• Lead the finalization of CRS’ climate finance strategy and develop a roadmap for implementation.
• Provide analysis on funding trends and validate existing analysis on priority donors.
• Map funding mechanisms and identify alignment with CRS’ climate portfolio. 
• Lead the internal committee working on stage 2 of the accreditation process of the Green Climate Fund.

Capture and Positioning

• Lead the process of selecting which projects should be prioritized for co-design investment to put forward for the Green Climate Fund.
• Co-develop competitive capture and positioning strategies and work with CFSU, IDEA, regional and CP leadership to facilitate improved positioning practices to secure climate financing from priority donors. Where engagements are already supported by colleagues (eg donor engagement leads), work collaboratively to determined how best to support and build on the existing strategies (leveraging existing networks, geographies and cyclical nature of these opportunities).
• Cultivate relationships with priority donors (in collaboration with relevant technical leads) and define preferred partner models. 
• Strengthen country program teams in strategically positioning for climate finance opportunities.
• Provide support to key partners (eg local partners and government actors) where appropriate and where CP is supporting these actors in accessing climate finance opportunities.

Opportunity alignment 

• Build BD understanding and capacity across the agency on institutional climate finance mechanisms, and recommend enhancements to current ways of doing business development to align with these mechanisms. 
• Lead opportunity tracking for climate specific funding streams to ensure that CPs are aware of the opportunities.
• Provide written and oral guidance and accompaniment to country programs and regions to support their go/no go decisions. 

Proposal development:

• Lead and support design processes for multilateral instruments like the Green Climate Fund and other institutional multilateral and bilateral instruments helping to identify appropriate climate technical support across CRS. This may include writing portions of proposals and in exceptional cases (high strategic value for the organization) could include leading the proposal process.
• Develop capacity statements and any other templates or guidance which make it easier for country teams to meet standard donor requirements including around any specific sections and/or annexes including  environmental compliance and environmental safeguards.

Cross-learning and Knowledge Management Support: 

• Support country program teams and regions to leverage BD learning from previous experiences internally and externally. Build a strategy for cascading BD learning across the organization, identifying key focal points. 
• Develop and lead the implementation of a strategy to transfer climate finance donor and funding stream expertise via staff development materials.
• Work with Knowledge Management staff in IDEA to document internal successes, internal issues/challenges and work arounds, data on past performance, and donor feedback so that recommendations  inform strategic funding opportunities.
• Work with Knowledge Management staff in IDEA to maintain an intelligence base, including updated Gateway records for related funders, donors, partners, projects and opportunities for prioritized climate donors. 

Qualifications

• Knowledge and demonstrated experience with institutional climate funding streams required, including with donors such as the GCF, GEF, WB, AdDB, ADB, IDB, USAID and the European Union. Experience with foundations and other corporate funding streams with a focus on climate appreciated. 
• Masters’ degree in climate change adaptation, environmental sustainability, ecology, carbon management, international development, and/or international relations, or related fields.
• Minimum of eight years of relevant experience in INGOs supporting across a range of business development processes (intel gathering, rules and regulations, relationship management, proposal coordination and writing)
• Applied knowledge of institutional Climate Change strategies and frameworks and environmental compliance requirements preferred.
• General programming experience and field experience in the countries where CRS works would be highly preferable and demonstrated the ability to work with staff and partners. 
• Track record of contributing to business development, including coordinating across different technical stakeholders. 
• Knowledge across a range of funding mechanisms, grants, payment by results and contracting processes preferred. 
• Ability to lead a strategic design process.
• Knowledge of budgeting practices around environmental compliance and relevant climate and environmental technical areas would be a plus. 
• Exceptional writer with expert command of English grammar and AP style would be a plus.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel). Web Conferencing Applications and strong understanding of information and budget management systems and knowledge-sharing networks.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to train and strengthen the capacity of colleagues and partners.
• Excellent interpersonal communication, negotiation, and representation skills.
• Ability and experience in building professional networks and trustful relationships.
• A technical background in one or several areas of climate change and/or environmental sustainability is preferred. This can include programmatic backgrounds in a variety of environment facing programs and/or background in environmental safeguarding and compliance requirements, climate change risk and vulnerability analysis, climate resilience, nature based solution, carbon projects particularly in the landscape restoration sector, alignment with NDCs, NAPs, NBSAPs and frequently used indicators measuring climate adaptation and/or mitigation objectives, and/or GHG emissions accounting for nature-based programming
• A demonstrated interest in the climate financing space and climate specific funding streams

Required Languages: 

• Oral and written fluency in English is essential. The ability to work and communicate in French or Spanish is preferred. Arabic a plus.

Travel:

Expected 30% LOE for travel. The role may entail a visit to Baltimore HQ, to strategic meetings/conferences and/or to support a proposal or strategy process within a region or country program.

Key Working Relationships:  

Internal: Director CFSU, Senior Officer for Contracts, Technical Advisor for Climate Action, ESG risk and compliance office; Director Donor Engagement and Strategic Partnerships, Institutional Donor Engagement and Advancement (IDEA) directors and technical advisors (USG and non-USG), BD focal points within regions and country programs, Deputy Regional Directors for program quality, and CP programming and technical staff. While the position does not currently supervise anyone, should Green Climate Fund accreditation be successful, a team will likely form which is responsible for supporting GCF projects. 

External: Institutional donor focal points, partnership and accreditation teams within multilateral institutions, donor climate change technical leads, counter-parts within peer organizations.

***Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.  

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.  

CRS' talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. 

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.

The CFSU team is based across time zones (mainly EST and GMT) therefore daily overlap with these working hours would be required for smooth functioning of the unit. The unit supports all CRS Country Programs and therefore flexibility would be expected as needed when supporting staff working in different time zones.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Catholic Relief Services works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality.  Catholic Relief Services’ relief and development work is accomplished through programs of emergency response, HIV, health, agriculture, education, microfinance, and peacebuilding.  We welcome as a part of our staff people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need. CRS’ processes and policies reflect our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

CRS welcomes candidates from the countries and regions in which we work. In the event the successful candidate is an expatriate, the anticipated duration of the assignment is informed by a term limit, based on the type and level of the job and the needs of the agency.

CRS is committed to safeguarding program participants, community members, staff and volunteers from all forms of exploitation and abuse.  The successful candidate is expected to sign and adhere to CRS´ Code of Conduct.

CRS talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all people - especially children and vulnerable adults - to live free from abuse and harm.

Disclaimer:  This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. 

CRS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

General Requirements

CRS offers are contingent on the selected candidate’s ability to legally work where the position is to be performed. Every government has a unique set of work permit eligibility requirements.  All positions requiring residence or frequent travel outside a home country must undergo and clear a pre-employment medical clearance; some work permit processes require clearing a separate government administered medical examination.

CRS prioritizes candidates who are citizens/ permanent residents of the countries where we have CRS offices.