| Role: | Senior Policy Advisor |
| Function: | Contributing to the activities of Financial Futures Center by acting as advisor to the activities of the Climate Vulnerable Countries Support Program, including V20 |
| Start Date: | 01 June 2023 |
| Duration: | 12 months with possibility of renewal |
| Compensation/Benefits: | 700 US Dollars per day |
| Occupation Rate: | Up to 40% |
| Contract Type: | Part-time basis |
| Working Location: | Washington, D.C., United States of America |
Organizational Context
Aroha was established with its seat in Geneva in 2017 as an independent, international non-profit organization operating worldwide, and currently support the countries vulnerable to climate change to overcome its threats through the Climate Vulnerable Countries Support Program. Aroha aims to avert climate chaos by mobilizing actions towards limiting global warming to 1.5ºC, enhancing protection of vulnerable communities and ecosystems, and maximizing benefits of the transition to a climate resilient future. Towards these objectives, Aroha operates in partnership with public and private entities across four principal work domains:
- Policy Shift: Contributing to the development of policies to ensure action consistent with averting climate chaos
- Financing and Implementation: Contributing to the effective financing and supporting the implementation of actions to avert climate chaos, including through the work of the Financial Future Center (FFC), hosted at Aroha
- Communications and Partnerships: Contributing to awareness and understanding and developing and sustaining partnerships vital to averting climate chaos
- Administration: Supporting Aroha’s programs in the policy, financing and implementation, and communications and partnerships domains with effective internal finance and administration systems
The Financial Futures Center, which is hosted in Aroha, aims to support developing country governments, civil society/development partners, and the investment community with different types of economic and financial climate risk-based analysis and data to support informed decision-making on investment and technological pathways to achieve maximal resilience and high shares of renewable energy.
Position Purpose
The purpose of this part-time role is to fulfil the functions of the Climate Vulnerable Countries Senior Policy Advisor within Aroha’s Financing and Implementation workstream. This position is under the Support Squad for the V20 of FFC/Aroha.
Reporting Relationships
The Senior Policy Advisor reports to the Senior Manager for Financing and Implementation.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Senior Policy Advisor role is primarily focused on contributing to the implementation of the Climate Vulnerable Countries’ work plan in assisting the countries vulnerable to climate change with their cooperation, advocacy and partnerships activities as related to the program. In support of and in coordination with Climate Vulnerable Countries Support Program:
Part 1: Climate Vulnerable Economies Representation in an Improved Bretton Woods
Key Objectives: Course-correct the Bretton Woods System in the implementation of its Climate Agenda
Goal: A fit-for-climate prosperity Bretton Woods System with climate vulnerable economies represented in global governance and implementation rules.
Activities:
- Support the setup of institutional presence in Washington DC via office setup and staff for regular engagement/briefings with IMF ED offices, World Bank ED offices, Global Environment Facility, US government and civil society allies.
- Advocate and contribute to reforming MDBs
Intended Outcome: Established climate vulnerable countries’s representation directly/indirectly engaging in the IMF and the WBG
Part 2: Debt, Concessional Financing and Climate: Leveraging developments in research and evidence building
Objective: Advocacy and Support for:
Debt Sustainability and Fiscal Space:
- Debt sustainability and utilization of fiscal space, including cooperation with the US
- Follow global developments on provision of liquidity needs for climate vulnerable countries
- Engage in developments on new ways to alleviate debt distress and release fiscal space, e.g., Common Framework solutions, debt-for-climate swaps (DFC). debt restructuring with credit enhancement as a climate resilience tool, and unlocking new climate resources.
- Articulate emerging issues on concessional financing, including allocation mechanisms, to support climate and development
Scaling up L&D:
- Promoting contingent financing instruments, including engaging with Global Shield and how it can also support loss and damage, including from slow onset events.
- Engagements to advocate for global solidarity to deal with climate-fueled losses and damages
- Engagement with US government and US regulators on strategies to drive financing
Goal: Build public support and international cooperation to deal with debt to propel investment this decade towards a transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy.
Activities:
Debt Sustainability and Fiscal Space: Policy research around fiscal space and probability of fiscal space in relation to climate investment challenges; Conditions for debt-for-climate swaps; Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on how and when to use DFC swaps along with the relevant terms for implementation; Identification of debt-for-climate swaps experts to form technical committee to support climate vulnerable countries . Engage with think tanks and international financial institutions, when feasible, on developments in the Common Framework and formulate views from the perspective of climate vulnerable countries.
New Financing Strategies: Work with the Global Shield team to highlight links between “insurance” based instruments and support for loss and damage, including from slow onset events.
Part 3: Advocacy methods (e.g., Climate Vulnerable Countries’ Ministers and Senior Officials – high-level summary with talking points for policymakers and technical workshops for senior officials using the research outcomes; briefing papers on G7/G20 Ministers and Senior Officials, Multilateral Financial Institutions, such as the World Bank, IMF and Regional MDBs, and Debt restructuring.)
Intended Outcome: Build support (from public and US government/regulator) for climate vulnerable countries to make available L&D resources, new financing strategies and fund allocation assessment, and improve debt sustainability and fiscal space for investing in climate action to protect V20 economies, underscoring the urgent need for immediate liquidity support, as well as debt relief and restructuring to crowd-in investment for climate change (adaptation, mitigation and resilience).
Profile
- 20+ years of progressively responsible economics or finance post-graduate professional experience
- 20+ years or more of policy experience in finance, economics and international governance.
- Experience in engaging with climate vulnerable countries’ stakeholders, and developing country stakeholders broadly.
- English fluency, with other languages especially of key climate vulnerable countries in the Global South an asset
- Experience in implementing development programs within multilateral development banks, including financial sector instruments to support climate risk financing.
- Experience in implementing capacity building with developing country governments
- Experience in coordinating Minister-level international meetings
- Experience in directly advising Minister-level government officials from developing countries including Ministers of Finance, Trade and Central Bank Governors
Other
Contract Duration
12 months with possibility of renewal, working on an occupation rate basis of up to 40% (part-time).
Working Hours & Modalities
16 gross working hours per week, divided into 4 days of 4 hours (unless otherwise agreed with the Supervisor).
Compensation and benefits
Competitive non-profit sector compensation according to experience and expertise qualifications (to be determined).
Accommodation & Travel
Local and international travel for Climate Vulnerable Program activities in authorized official missions at Aroha’s expense in accordance with Aroha travel rules.
Application
Interested applicants should email their letter of interest, CV and a writing sample to info@financialfutures.ngo by 31 May 2023.
