Job Description
Position Overview
The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) works with a global network of partners to build an inclusive industry that makes clean cooking accessible to the three billion people who live each day without it. Established in 2010, the CCA is driving consumer demand, mobilizing investment to build a pipeline of scalable businesses, and fostering an enabling environment that allows the sector to thrive. Clean cooking transforms lives by improving health, protecting the climate and environment, empowering women, and helping consumers save time and money. In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, CCA is working to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030.
CCA seeks to make high-impact clean cooking solutions desirable, affordable, and accessible for consumers and viable for businesses to provide sustainably at scale. It supports companies that design, manufacture, distribute, and retail electric, biomass, ethanol, biogas, and LPG-based clean cooking solutions in addition to more efficient wood and charcoal cookstoves. It also supports technology innovation with the aim to commercialize new technologies such as highly energy-efficient electric cookers for off-grid/mini-grid communities.
Innovative Finance and Market Strengthening:
Innovative Finance is one of the emerging initiatives in CCA’s new Clean Cooking Systems Strategy. The mission is to identify key financing gaps within the clean cooking ecosystem and support the development of innovative financing solutions that enhance or complement existing initiatives within and outside of the Clean Cooking Alliance. The strategic thrust is being operationalized through the Innovative Finance Initiative under the Market Strengthening team which fosters the development of a pipeline of sustainable, scalable, and investable clean cooking businesses that can attract capital to scale and replicate, accelerating the transition to cleaner cooking technologies that meet consumers’ needs.
The role of the Innovative Finance Initiative is to:
- Position the Clean Cooking Alliance as an influential voice and market facilitator for innovative finance in clean cooking markets. This includes facilitating the CCA’s representation in key innovative finance fora (policy, standards, and practice), particularly in the clean cooking ecosystem, as well as leading the (co) creation and facilitating the adoption of public goods related to innovative finance solutions across the clean cooking sector such as tools, platforms, databases, knowledge briefs and networks developing/hosting.
- Lead and manage the development and execution of the Results-Based Finance Accelerator (RBFA), a shared platform to resolve the most urgent challenges inhibiting the deployment of outcome/impact-driven results-based funding, including through the carbon markets, financial and capital markets, and traditional official development and philanthropic markets. More specifically, the primary objective of the RBFA is to galvanize support for outcome/impact-driven results-based funding for clean cooking by enhancing the effectiveness of existing schemes/funds and institutional arrangements, as well as unlocking new funding.
- Enhance Clean Cooking Alliance’s internal capability to adopt and promote innovative finance instruments, platforms, and knowledge, including through:
- Maintaining an overview of innovative finance interventions across CCA and facilitating synergy.
- Advising the intervention areas in the Market Strengthening Team across the project cycle to enhance effectiveness.
- Collaborating with the Strategy and Development team, the Evidence and Impact team as well as with the Chief of Staff and External Affairs on strategic cross-cutting Clean Cooking Alliance-wide initiatives.
As a member of the Innovative Finance Initiative, the Manager, Innovative Finance supports the Senior Director, Innovative Finance with the day-to-day management of projects across the Innovative Finance Initiative portfolio, with a higher level of effort dedicated to work-streams and deliverables under the Results-Based Finance Accelerator.
Location:
This is a global full-time position with working hours that are aligned with London. The position requires up to 20% international travel. Candidates applying for a position in the United Kingdom, where UNF has an office, will be considered for a staff position.
Essential Functions:
Technical assistance
- Managing the roster of RBF Technical Support Providers (TSPs) to both internal teams and external stakeholders such as outcome buyers, project developers, clean cooking market facilitators and implementors, and national governments
- Structuring and managing technical support transactions to which TSPs are assigned, ensuring that their work delivers the impact and transformative support we have commissioned
- Provide direct technical assistance, particularly in the early stages of assessment, planning and inception – until more dedicated capability can be contracted and deployed
Proposition Development
- Capture and develop initial policy, knowledge, technical assistance, pilot testing, and fundraising propositions, documenting the scope of work and work breakdown structure including the resource requirements and expected time commitment, resolving resourcing challenging and running relevant procurement exercises where relevant
- Overseeing the further development and implementation of specific propositions working with specialist internal/external partners where needed to template the offering; refine its design; prepare it for implementation by insourced/outsourced/contracted partners with the associated project governance oversight and reporting requirements including aspects of contract/reporting management
Project Management
- Establish and manage project management system, including training teams in its use and developing dashboards for tracking
- Engage multi-disciplinary resources on specific programmes, establishing clear roles and deliverables
- Work collaboratively with external partners, balancing the need for strong project/contract/agreement management with our ethos of convening the best partners and collaborating to build solutions for the sector and managing stakeholder relationships effectively through excellent communications
Planning and Reporting
- Assist in drafting and completing required reports, analysis, evaluations, and other documentation including yearly business plan.
- Supporting the smooth running of our operations and all our programmes by coordinating, managing, and aligning delivery of organizational change
- Supporting programme oversight reporting on programme portfolio
- Programme management of new initiatives as appropriate
Coordination
- Maintain a log of team meetings, capturing decisions, and following up on commitments
- Deputize for the Senior Director, Innovative Finance in internal cross-departmental meetings where agreed and in his/her absence
Selection Criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s/MBA degree or equivalent in relevant field (international studies, development studies, economics, public policy, public administration, research methods, statistics, social science, or finance) is preferred
- Technical accreditations or qualifications or experience in MSP, PMP, Agile or equivalent will be looked on favorably but are not essential
- 5-7 years of applicable work experience in development contexts, preferably related to working with the clean cooking, energy access, climate change, and health
- Experience in designing, implementing, monitoring, and verifying results of outcome-impact driven results-based finance programmes, ideally across a range of market contexts
- Experience working on credit lines, grant facilities, retail financial services, or other innovative financing facilities also desirable
- Understanding of the different operational programme delivery models and where these are most appropriate (outsourced/contract managed; in-sourced)
- Proven track record in delivery of end-to-end propositions, from discovery to development and including post-launch review
- Experience with and understanding of carbon finance is essential
- Strong writing and analytical skills
- Excellent communicator, able to synthesize and convey complex information clearly
- Proficiency in Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), with particular emphasis on ability to create compelling and professional PowerPoint materials. Advanced skills in data visualization and graphics will be an advantage
- Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
- Solutions-oriented and able to manage and advance multiple tasks and responsibilities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
- Problem-solver with a proactive, no-task-is-too-small nature, who takes initiative and displays a ‘growth mindset’
- Team-oriented, supportive work style, and able to work independently
- Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills
- Ability to work under pressure and handle stress
Benefits& Compensation
For full-time, benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:
- a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
- dental insurance
- vision insurance
- flexible spending accounts
- 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
- group term and supplemental life insurance
- short-term disability
- long-term disability
- health club discounts
- commuter subsidy
- back-up care
- employee assistance program
Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.
CLOSING: 31st July 2022
About the Organization
About Us
The UN Foundation, a public charity, was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner's historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. We are an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas and resources to help the United Nations solve global problems.
We help the UN take its best work and ideas to scale—through advocacy, partnerships, constituency building and fund-raising.
