Financial Mechanisms and Investment Manager

Position summary:

Rainforest Alliance (RA), in partnership with Clarmondial, CDP and Conservation International (CI) - Ecuador and with support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is leading the “Business Case Initiative for Collective Landscape Action” (the Business Case henceforward).

Across the Amazon and Indonesia, the rates of forest loss and biodiversity loss are increasing at a time the global impacts of climate change are escalating. If the world is to turn the corner from increasing rates of forest and biodiversity loss, and climate disaster towards a net forest-positive and climate-positive future, transformative solutions that have the potential to unleash systems change are needed.

The goal of the Business Case is to scale-up reductions in commodity-driven deforestation while accelerating biodiversity conservation, restoration, and community livelihood gains by demonstrating the business case for collective landscape action and enabling its application globally. There are many problems that a single organization or a sector cannot face alone, such as adaptation to climate change, access to quality water (social conflict), and loss of biodiversity and its ecosystem services (pollinators, pest control, and soil quality). When facing these problems, the landscape approach facilitates collaborative landscape governance processes to develop solutions to complex challenges, involving key stakeholders by creating or strengthening a landscape partnership. A landscape partnership aims to be long-term in nature, have a vision of more than 10 years, and have multiple sources of financing, markets, and incentives to support priority projects and activities, which are outlined in a formal landscape action plan (LAP).

The Business Case initiative consists of three interconnected components that support the theory of change:

1. Facilitation of multi-stakeholder landscape action plans and enhanced local capacity to implement activities and attract finance to achieve positive landscape-scale outcomes through the work of partners Rainforest Alliance and Conservation International. Component 1 works at the local level and is led by RA and CI.

2. The development of innovative financing mechanisms to support investment in high-performing landscapes through the work of partner Led by Clarmondial.

3. Increased disclosure of information on the performance of and governmental and private sector participation in landscapes and jurisdictions through the work of CDP.

As a result of this work, the initiative aims to unlock additional finance for sustainable production, channel it to well-planned landscapes, and ultimately stabilize critical deforestation frontiers.

The finance and invest manager for the Business Case will be responsible for capital mobilization in close collaboration with the landscape’s teams, RA, and Clarmondial.  

Responsibilities: 

• Review the Colombia and Peru LAPs and engage with the identified stakeholder groups to understand financing needs associated with the LAPs.

• Identify financing/incentive mechanisms available to mobilize financing to the Colombia and Peru landscapes.

• Design investment models based on the information of the LAP for Colombia and Peru.

• Scope the Colombia and Peru LAPs to identify potential private finance opportunities, shortlist these and take meaningful steps on execution including governance.

• Using the information provided by the landscape’s teams from Peru and Colombia, identify at least two potential counterparts to collaboratively develop their business plan.

• Based on the business plans developed under the previous activity, help the counterparts formulating investment strategies to fulfil their needs and reach their financial and operational goals.

• Make reliable and specific linkages to direct investors and financiers for at least two local businesses in Peru or Colombia (e.g., impact investment funds, local institutional investors, local financial institutions).

• Serve as the point of contact to facilitate the interaction between the landscape’s teams, selected organizations, and Clarmondial representatives.

• Assist the Rainforest Alliance team from The Business Case in meetings or questions related to the above-mentioned activities.

Qualifications: 

• Demonstrated ability to evaluate businesses and investment opportunities, good communication and project management skills.

• 10 years of relevant work experience in private investment funds, banks or other finance organizations on managing, developing, channelling or supporting finance mechanisms within the agriculture or forestry industry.

• Interest in sustainable agricultural supply chains and landscapes with experience in relevant sectors - e.g., in agribusiness, forestry, renewable energy, water, circular economy, climate finance, impact investing.

• Strong network with relevant stakeholders within South America region - for example, with local financial institutions, cooperatives, soft commodity traders & exporters.

• Experience and skills on data analysis, critical, systems thinking, and ability to work under tight deadlines with reduced supervision.

• Good verbal and written communication skills for preparing analytical reports, provide presentations to different audiences, and making clear and concise recommendations.

• Facilitation skills and experience conducting effective group discussions among different stakeholders and ability to organize workshops involving stakeholders from different sectors (i.e., civil society, government, and private companies)

• Native Spanish speaker. Fluent in verbal and written business English.

• Preferable:

• Master’s degree in finance, management administration or other relevant areas to the position.

• Good understanding of conservation and forest protection issues, a solid understanding of the dynamics, issues, and trends associated with commodities value chains and public finance, as well as issues of transparency and governance, government policies and structures, and ecological processes.

• Experience working with diverse social groups, including women and Indigenous peoples (IP), in the Amazon Basin.

Job Level: 3

Salary: Commensurate with experience

Deadline: 18 August 2024

Notes: Only candidates authorized to work in Colombia or Peru will be considered.

If you have any questions about the job vacancy, please contact the HR department: recruitment@ra.org

Who we are:
The Rainforest Alliance is creating a more sustainable world by using social and market forces to protect nature and improve the lives of farmers and forest communities. To achieve our mission, we partner with diverse allies around the world to drive positive change across global supply chains and in many of our most critically important natural landscapes.

Our alliance spans 70 countries and includes farmers and forest communities, companies, governments, civil society, and millions of individuals. Together we work to protect forests and biodiversity, take action on climate, and promote the rights and improve the livelihoods of rural people.

As an international nonprofit organization with more than 30 years of experience in sustainability transformation, we understand that the social and economic well-being of rural communities is tightly connected to ecosystem health. This knowledge has shaped our rigorous programs to advance sustainable land-use and commodity production.

At the Rainforest Alliance we combat climate change, protect forests and biodiversity, promote human rights, and improve livelihoods. The enormity of the social and environmental challenges we are facing requires working together in a broad alliance. This is why we bring farmers, forest communities, companies, and consumers together to change the way the world produces, sources, and consumes.

Why
To protect nature and improve lives it’s becoming increasingly urgent that we approach the way we use our land and produce food and other products in more sustainable ways. For this to succeed we need to fundamentally change the way that businesses operate and source, and the choices we all make as consumers.

How
Our growing global alliance aims to transform our relationship with our natural resources and each other, to create a better future for people and nature together.

The Rainforest Alliance encourages diversity and inclusion across the global organization. With this commitment to diversity, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, ages, disability and any other protected group.