Senior Innovative Financing Advisor

Job Description

CAMRIS is an international development, health, and research firm that realizes innovative solutions to health and development challenges through high-quality, cost-effective program and research management services. With experience working in more than 100 countries, we combine our proven systems with today’s most effective, evidence-based best practices to improve the lives of people around the world.

Title : Senior Innovative Financing Advisor

USAID/Bureau for Global Health/Center for Innovation and Impact (USAID/GH/CII)

Location: Washington DC

GS: 15 Equivalency

Application Deadline: Open until Filled

In order to fully evaluate your eligibility, your resume must include relevant paid and non-paid experience showing dates held with month, year and hours worked per week for each position.

BACKGROUND:

USAID has a long-standing record of success in the development, introduction and scale-up of high-impact health products and interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), yet working in these markets presents a variety of challenges. With myriad life-saving health technologies readily available in the 21st century, too few are accessible to people who need them in LMICs. Health technologies and interventions that do reach the last mile in places like sub-Saharan Africa often take years, or even decades, to get there. Because successful product development and introduction requires viable public and private markets with clear pathways to achieve scale, the Agency must rely on cutting-edge thinking to push boundaries and address formidable barriers to adoption, from limited user demand to market failures, which can prevent innovative technologies from reaching those most in need.

In 2012, USAID established a center of excellence in the Bureau for Global Health to accelerate the development, introduction and scale up of priority global health interventions. CII, in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health, encourages business-minded approaches and accelerates impact against some of the world’s most important health issues. CII invests seed capital in the most promising ideas and applies rigorous, market-oriented approaches to cut the time it takes to transform discoveries in the lab to impact on the ground.

To achieve its goals, CII:

• Serves as a catalyst, driving innovation and partnerships;
• Works with the Bureau’s technical offices to help prioritize existing and new innovations and interventions that align directly with the Agency’s priorities in global health;
• Supports rapid introduction of and/or access to these priority interventions; and,
• Seeks not only to develop best practices in innovation, introduction and uptake across sectors, but to push the boundaries of current thinking to improve the health and efficiency of the marketplace.

CII employs a range of market access approaches, such as strategic and product introduction planning, market shaping, and innovative financing to do just this. In particular, innovative financing has grown in importance and prominence given steady / decreasing donor funding and increasing private sector investment in low- and middle-income countries. Stakeholders across the public and private sectors are increasingly interested in innovative financing approaches to catalyze new funding for global health and achieve health outcomes. Moreover, as USAID moves towards greater engagement with the private sector, innovative financing is an important component to help achieve development objectives.

USAID/CII is seeking a Senior Innovative Financing Advisor to play a key role identifying and building innovative financing mechanisms to bring life-saving products and services to the people who need them most. The Senior Innovative Financing Advisor will be part of a dynamic, start-up team that will continue to help shape the direction of the Center, building partnerships with thought leaders globally, and pushing new boundaries in this critically important area of development. The Senior Innovative Financing Advisor will partner with the financing-focused Market Access Advisor to jointly develop a strategy and implement high-priority innovative financing opportunities.

The Senior Innovative Financing Advisor will be expected to have experience in innovative financing and market dynamics and leverage this background to develop and execute strategies on priority innovative financing and market shaping opportunities, working in close partnership with Global Health technical staff and USAID country-based Mission staff. They will possess a deep knowledge of, and strategic perspectives on, the range of existing innovative financing mechanisms and market incentives that exist, including the ability to think creatively about the development and application of new tools, and will be held accountable for negotiating and executing new deals. They will present USAID’s technical viewpoints in public meetings and cultivate strong relationships both internally with technical and Mission staff and externally with senior executives of companies, investment firms, foundations, and governmental, multilateral and nongovernmental organizations.

Primary areas of responsibility will include the development of investment strategies and corresponding financial transactions, partner identification and due diligence; assessment of market dynamics and implementation of market shaping interventions, with a focus on financing; and the integration of new frameworks and strategic guidance into USAID programs to increase access to capital, improve value-for-money and promote financial sustainability in projects supporting the goals of the Global Health Bureau. The role will also include mentoring and coaching of USAID staff to improve overall knowledge and understanding of the roles that financial innovation can play in catalyzing impact at scale. The role may involve periodic travel to USAID Missions (Country Offices).

We are seeking a highly motivated, entrepreneurial, and fun individual with outstanding problem solving, analytical, project management, communication, and collaboration skills. The candidate must be able to function well independently and on teams, and have a commitment to excellence and producing results. The Center places great value on the following personal qualities: resourcefulness, responsibility, tenacity, energy, humor, and positive attitude.

Responsibilities

• Work within the Center’s Market Access team, helping to set priorities for the Center, seize opportunities, and support the Global Health Bureau priorities.
• Primary responsibility is to identify and support development of innovative financing mechanisms to accelerate rapid deployment and sustainable uptake of priority global health products and interventions.
• Where needed and appropriate, identify and support development of market incentives or market shaping interventions to accelerate rapid deployment and sustainable uptake of priority global health products and interventions.
• Provide support to USAID’s leadership, technical offices in the Global Health Bureau and Missions, ensuring they have tools needed to support the development and implementation of new financing tools.
• Build key relationships with companies, investment firms, foundations, donors, and other stakeholders to advance USAID’s global health priorities.
• Present USAID technical programs and policies at relevant meetings with external parties and conferences.
• Possess, or rapidly develop, deep knowledge of and strategic perspectives on the range of existing innovative financing mechanisms and market incentives that exist, including the ability to think creatively about the development and application of new tools.
• Contribute to the Center’s team-building and supportive culture, such as troubleshooting across specialization areas and projects.
• Identify and support opportunities and new initiatives as priorities within the Center expand.
• Prepare reports, project plans, leadership talking points, briefers, and templates as needed.

• A Master’s degree and 11 years of relevant experience or a Bachelor’s degree and 13 years of relevant experience, preferably in financial services such as investment banking, impact investing, or development finance.
• Demonstrated experience developing and executing financial mechanisms/transactions, emerging or developing markets experience preferred.
• Demonstrated knowledge of global health preferred.
• Exceptional analytical and communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and communicate effectively with people of varied professional, cultural, and educational backgrounds.
• Entrepreneurial mindset, including ability to think strategically, operate independently, self-motivate, be flexible, and set and achieve ambitious targets.
• Ability to work effectively in high-pressure situations, juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, problem solve in a fast-paced environment, and set priorities.
• Ability to understand incentive structures and engage and persuade senior-level executives and other stakeholders.
• Ability to absorb and synthesize a broad range of information, including financial, regulatory, clinical, demographic and scientific information.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and project management skills.
• High level of proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Willingness to travel both domestically and internationally.

Applicants selected will be subject to a background investigation and must obtain and maintain a favorable adjudication as applicable to their position/duties

This is an opportunity for employment or a contract, but we reserve the right to make no selection or award.

CAMRIS offers competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits. Please submit your resume online at www.camris.com. CAMRIS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by any applicable federal, state, or local law.

About the Organization

CAMRIS International is a growing international development and research firm that realizes innovative solutions to health and development challenges through high-quality, cost-effective program and research management services. With experience working in more than 80 countries, we combine our proven systems with today’s most effective, evidence-based best practices to improve the lives of people around the world. We apply a customized, customer-centric, cost-effective business approach to offer greater value to our clients and challenge the way things have always been done in our field.