Deputy Chief Executive Officer

Position description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

Since its inception, the CIF has been a trailblazer in climate finance, achieving significant results to date.  The CIF has a project portfolio of more than 420 global climate projects, providing clean energy to over 9 million people worldwide, supporting over 6 million green jobs, and placing over 44 million hectares of land under sustainable management. The sense of scale and impact is also seen in one of the CIF’s flagship projects – the world’s largest solar park in India, which provides nearly 2 million homes with clean energy and has created over 25,000 new jobs.

The CIF is a partnership between six multilateral development banks (MDBs), contributor countries and recipient countries that is hosted by the World Bank Group (WBG) in the Sustainable Development Vice Presidency, Sustainable Development Practice Group (SDPG).

The CIF—comprised of the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and the Strategic Climate Fund (SCF)—is one of the world’s largest multilateral funds with over $12n in pledged contributions from fifteen contributor countries, maximising an additional $64bn in co-financing in over eighty recipient countries. In addition, plans are underway to raise additional funds for CIF through issuing bonds on the global capital markets. CIF uses climate financing to help low and middle-income countries accelerate low-carbon, climate-resilient development. CIF supports an inclusive and just climate-smart future, focusing on diverse partnerships that de-risk green markets and unlock additional investments and financing.

For more information, visit The Climate Investment Funds (CIF).

VPU Context:  The CIF is seeking a Deputy CEO for the CIF Secretariat which is at the center of the CIF governance structure. There are currently forty-five full-time employees as well as several consultants. This pivotal role stands at the center of CIF’s leadership, supporting the CEO in the implementation of the CIF strategy. People Management skills, a vision for automation, efficiency and modernization of products, services and processes, and a robust client and stakeholder management orientation are essential characteristics for success in this position.  Expertise, knowledge and experience in the financing of climate change adaptation and mitigation projects and multilateral development bank operations, and an understanding of capital markets, are also essential.

The CIF Secretariat facilitates the overall strategic coordination of CIF work between the CIF governing bodies, the Trust Fund Committees which are comprised of an equal number of contributor and recipient country members, the MDBs that serve as the CIF’s co-financiers and implementing agencies, and the World Bank as Trustee and host of the Secretariat, and other relevant stakeholders. The Secretariat also facilitates coordination with the Treasury Manager of CIF capital market mechanisms. It delivers an extensive program of thought leadership, knowledge, and learning work and is responsible for portfolio risk management and new private sector capital mobilization modalities and initiatives. As the Deputy CEO, you would play a role in leading and supporting all these functions, as described more precisely below.

Duties and accountabilities:   The Deputy CEO will provide thought leadership on innovative climate finance and will manage the Secretariat’s work program, staff and budget. She/he will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Investment Funds and will be based in Washington, D.C.

The role will focus on CIF Secretariat management and operations, allowing the CEO to focus more on strategic issues and fulfill increasing external obligations. The Deputy will be responsible for promoting a culture of respect and trust at all levels of the organization and among external partners. S/he will ensure effective internal communication, knowledge sharing, and other cross- cutting Secretariat functions for efficient program implementation, acting as facilitator and caretaker, coach and mentor, and will have role-specific and shared responsibilities including, but not limited to:

The role will focus on CIF Secretariat management and operations, allowing the CEO to focus more on strategic issues and fulfill increasing external obligations. The Deputy will be responsible for promoting a culture of respect and trust at all levels of the organization and among external partners. S/he will ensure effective internal communication, knowledge sharing, and other cross- cutting Secretariat functions for efficient program implementation, acting as facilitator and caretaker, coach and mentor, and will have role-specific and shared responsibilities including, but not limited to:

Finance and Operations
• Financial Management: Oversee the CIF Secretariat budget, coordinate the annual budget and business plan preparation, and manage finance and risk team leads.
• Trust Fund Management: Collaborate with the Trustee on the financial management of the CIF trust funds and ensure compliance with applicable World Bank Group policies and procedures.
• Financial Integration: Oversee the financial integration of the planned CIF’s capital markets mechanism (CCMM) from operations, financial reporting, and risk management perspectives.
• Private Capital Sector: Work with stakeholders including MDBs to design, develop and oversee CIF’s private sector/private capital programmatic approach.
• Oversight of the implementation of new CIF programs.

People Management
• Lead, motivate, and mentor staff to achieve organizational goals. Oversee work program management, workforce planning, and people systems, in accordance with The World Bank systems and processes as they apply to CIF.
• Set and monitor performance goals aligned with the Secretariat’s strategic direction.
• Oversee recruitment and training of new staff.
• Lead the performance assessment of Secretariat staff and their talent and professional development.
• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment that supports the team’s well-being, engagement, productivity, and accountability.

Monitoring and Reporting
• Provide oversight and guidance over the Monitoring and Reporting (M&R) function.
• Provide high-level strategic management of integration and system formation of M&R into core CIF programming.

General strategy, external relations, stakeholder management
• Support the CEO in matters related to general strategy, external relations, stakeholder management.
• Oversee Secretariat activities covering the existing operations. Work with Secretariat program teams on program design, management and the Secretariat’s role in overseeing and reporting on investment plan implementation.

MDB Engagement
• Help manage relations and MDB engagement with the CIF.
• Oversee the design and implementation of a comprehensive CIF operations manual.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s Degree or equivalent: In finance, business, economics, international relations, public affairs, climate, environment/natural resources, or a related field.

• Experience: At least 12 years of progressive management experience in climate finance, blended finance, clean energy, clean technologies, infrastructure, or adaptation/resilience sectors.

• Expertise: A deep understanding of the current climate finance landscape, including development finance trends and the broader financial system architecture.

• Problem-Solving: Proven ability to tackle complex challenges, find effective solutions, and communicate diplomatically with diverse global stakeholders.

• Governance: Experience managing multi-stakeholder boards or organizations, demonstrating success in complex governance structures.

• Leadership: A track record of recruiting, inspiring, and developing diverse teams of senior professionals.

• People Management: Proven track record of managing multicultural and cross-functional teams, allocating and communicating tasks based on the team’s strengths and weaknesses and evaluating performances.

• Project Management: Proven success in planning, implementing, and managing project strategies, budgets, and resources effectively.

• Performance Measurement: Experience evaluating and optimizing a funding/resourcing organization with a lean structure and large resources.

• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and at global events. Fluency in English is essential, and additional languages are desirable.

• Global Experience: Experience working in two world regions or a combination of one world region and a global/corporate role.

Application instructions

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