Director, Agriculture & Innovative Finance

Overview

Title : Director, Agriculture & Innovative Finance

Job Family/Level: Program/ Director

Reports to : SVP of Freshwater and Food

FLSA Status: Exempt

Date: October 2, 2023

Major Function

Major Function

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, seeks a Director, Agriculture and Innovative Finance to lead the Freshwater & Food team’s engagement on major initiatives at the nexus of sustainable livelihoods, regenerative agriculture, producer incentives, landscape and nature-based solutions financing, and innovative, blended finance mechanisms. In this role, the incumbent leads the design and implementation of an agriculture finance strategy for the F&F team. The incumbent will help design approaches to ensure combining and sequencing of public and private investment to achieve WWF’s conservation objectives especially related to food systems transition in our priority landscapes. The incumbent will develop priority interventions to strengthen agricultural finance, especially to support producers in WWF priority landscapes and geographies. In addition, the incumbent will work with the WWF Impact team to advise and support in the strategy development of an impact investment portfolio to generate positive development and conservation outcomes in priority landscapes and agri-food supply chains aligned with the Freshwater and Food team strategies and workstreams. They will also lead the organization’s work on regenerative agriculture finance, ensuring further integration of WWF’s regenerative agriculture work into ongoing programming and new initiatives.

In addition, the Director will act as a thought leader on these topics, representing the Freshwater & Food team in various internal and external working groups, roundtables, conferences, global platforms, etc. to drive alignment around WWF’s strategies related to the use of impact investment to scale regenerative agriculture. They will also develop and review strategic documents or reports and support major corporate engagement initiatives, including exploring other new programmatic areas and funding opportunities for the WWF-US Freshwater & Food; and other strategic planning activities.

Responsibilities

• Develop the strategy to leverage innovative, climate/green/ecosystem finance for development and conservation-based outcomes and nature-based solutions, defining WWF’s approach to integrate regenerative agriculture into programming, ensuring it includes an explicit focus on livelihood benefits for farmers and communities, positive landscape-level nature-based outcomes, and a process to monitor, verify, and report on decarbonization initiatives within agri-food supply chains. Ensure alignment between this initiative and WWF’s global strategies.
• Responsible for developing/originating and managing a portfolio of Nature-based investments and projects which mainstream a regenerative agriculture approach, within prioritized supply chains and landscapes in North America, Latin America, and other geographies as possible.
• Support WWF’s work with agribusiness/commodity traders, landscape finance platforms to strengthen sustainable supply chains, integrating a regenerative agriculture approach, water resilience, and decarbonization goals.
• Represent WWF at international events, on global platforms, and with relevant working groups. Draft articles and materials to position WWF as a leader in regenerative agriculture and Agri-finance.
• Engage and collaborate with corporate partners committed to building sustainable, agricultural supply chains.
• Act as a liaison between the Freshwater & Food team and other internal teams developing blended finance vehicles and impact investment funds including the WWF Finance Practice, WWF Impact and others across the organization and in priority geographies.
• Build a learning agenda, linked to WWF’s strategic priorities for regenerative agriculture and sustainable livelihoods and landscapes. Ensure data/information is captured to respond to learning questions, and lessons are reported.
• Leads and supports efforts to fundraise for and develop new areas of work for the WWF-US Freshwater & Food team related to innovative agriculture finance and market-based incentives for producers.
• Other duties and responsibilities assigned by the manager.

Qualifications

• 10 years of technical working experience in sustainable agriculture, regenerative agriculture, and agri-finance, including at least 7 years of project or program management experience and at least 3 years of experience in impact investment or innovative finance.
• Master’s degree in sustainable agriculture, conservation, development, or another applicable field.
• Deep knowledge of smallholder agriculture systems, value chain and market system development approaches globally and especially in emerging markets, and how they intersect with landscape-level conservation goals.
• Excellent leadership and organizational skills with an emphasis on international and multi-stakeholder program management experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with global agricultural supply chains, especially internationally relevant commodities.
• Experience engaging with the private sector highly desirable.
• Global experience in Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa is required.
• Language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese
• Experience developing and managing project budgets.
• Excellent negotiation, facilitation, and relationship management skills.
• Successful experience in resource mobilization including developing complex proposals for private philanthropy, public sector development agencies including bilateral and multilateral entities, corporates, and other donors.
• Ability to interact and represent WWF with senior business, government, and NGO staff.
• National and international travel required (15-25%)
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values: Courage, Integrity, Respect, and Collaboration:Demonstrates courage by speaking up even when it is difficult, or unpopular.Builds trust with colleagues by acting with integrity, owning mistakes, and holding oneself accountable.Welcomes other points of view and ideas, recognizing and embracing different and contrary perspectives with kindness, curiosity, and encouragement.Makes conscious efforts to promote cooperative practices, behaviors, and ways of working across many groups and individuals.

Responsibilities

• Develop the strategy to leverage innovative, climate/green/ecosystem finance for development and conservation-based outcomes and nature-based solutions, defining WWF’s approach to integrate regenerative agriculture into programming, ensuring it includes an explicit focus on livelihood benefits for farmers and communities, positive landscape-level nature-based outcomes, and a process to monitor, verify, and report on decarbonization initiatives within agri-food supply chains. Ensure alignment between this initiative and WWF’s global strategies.
• Responsible for developing/originating and managing a portfolio of Nature-based investments and projects which mainstream a regenerative agriculture approach, within prioritized supply chains and landscapes in North America, Latin America, and other geographies as possible.
• Support WWF’s work with agribusiness/commodity traders, landscape finance platforms to strengthen sustainable supply chains, integrating a regenerative agriculture approach, water resilience, and decarbonization goals.
• Represent WWF at international events, on global platforms, and with relevant working groups. Draft articles and materials to position WWF as a leader in regenerative agriculture and Agri-finance.
• Engage and collaborate with corporate partners committed to building sustainable, agricultural supply chains.
• Act as a liaison between the Freshwater & Food team and other internal teams developing blended finance vehicles and impact investment funds including the WWF Finance Practice, WWF Impact and others across the organization and in priority geographies.
• Build a learning agenda, linked to WWF’s strategic priorities for regenerative agriculture and sustainable livelihoods and landscapes. Ensure data/information is captured to respond to learning questions, and lessons are reported.
• Leads and supports efforts to fundraise for and develop new areas of work for the WWF-US Freshwater & Food team related to innovative agriculture finance and market-based incentives for producers.
• Other duties and responsibilities assigned by the manager.

Qualifications

• 10 years of technical working experience in sustainable agriculture, regenerative agriculture, and agri-finance, including at least 7 years of project or program management experience and at least 3 years of experience in impact investment or innovative finance.
• Master’s degree in sustainable agriculture, conservation, development, or another applicable field.
• Deep knowledge of smallholder agriculture systems, value chain and market system development approaches globally and especially in emerging markets, and how they intersect with landscape-level conservation goals.
• Excellent leadership and organizational skills with an emphasis on international and multi-stakeholder program management experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Experience with global agricultural supply chains, especially internationally relevant commodities.
• Experience engaging with the private sector highly desirable.
• Global experience in Latin America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa is required.
• Language proficiency in Spanish, Portuguese
• Experience developing and managing project budgets.
• Excellent negotiation, facilitation, and relationship management skills.
• Successful experience in resource mobilization including developing complex proposals for private philanthropy, public sector development agencies including bilateral and multilateral entities, corporates, and other donors.
• Ability to interact and represent WWF with senior business, government, and NGO staff.
• National and international travel required (15-25%)
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values: COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home. INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve. RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future. COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

WWF is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy workplace and requires all US-based staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. WWF will consider requests for accommodation from the vaccine requirement based on disability, medical contraindication, sincerely held religious belief, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law.

To Apply:

• Submit cover letter and resume through our , Requisition #24044
• 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, age, marital status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or protected Veteran status. WWF values diversity and inclusion and welcomes diverse candidates to apply.

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