Coordination and technical support to CMF’s Amazon Programs - Consultant

Post of duty: Washington D.C.

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About this position

The Amazon home to 40% of the world's tropical forests and 25% of terrestrial biodiversity. The conservation of biodiversity and carbon stocks in the Amazon is fundamental for global climate regulation and for safeguarding social and economic benefits for the region. The Amazon Basin comprises 8 Latin-American countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname. Pan-amazon government capacities to efficiently plan, develop needed financial incentives and access, as well as absorb and coordinate international development finance flows have been identified as key elements for countries’ effectiveness in promoting sustainable and inclusive development of the Amazon basin, while responding to threats of deforestation and biodiversity loss and accelerating strategies for climate change mitigation and adaptation in the region. With their capacity to promote necessary financial incentives, manage national funds, leverage international funding, and increase its impact through their field knowledge and expertise as well as develop innovative financing schemes, National Development Banks (NDBs) and other key players in domestic capital markets could play a critical role in promoting sustainable development of the Amazon region.

The Connectivity, Markets and Finance Division (IFD/CMF) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) seeks to scale up IDB’s current activities in the Amazon basin to promote sustainable and inclusive development of the region while conserving its biodiversity. Through the structuring and implementation of innovative financial solutions and technical cooperation programs, IFD/CMF aims to support the scaling up public-private investments in green enabling infrastructure and sustainable productive activities by supporting national and subnational governments and Development Banks, as well as local financial and capital market players across the Pan-amazon region.

A consultant with expertise on structuring and implementation of innovative development finance solutions and technical cooperation programs in the Amazon Basin is required to provide technical and coordination support in the execution of such portfolio of CMF’s financial operations and technical assistance programs in coordination with IDB’s clients and partners in the region. The incumbent would also be responsible to ensure that all the support information, including implementation reporting and knowledge materials developed, would be maintained within IDB information systems, information systems from beneficiary clients.

What you’ll do:

  • Provide technical backstopping and support in the structuring, implementation and monitoring of CMF’s financing operations and technical cooperation programs with National and Subnational Development Banks and Governments in the Amazon region, including support in the preparation of conceptual notes, non-objection, consultation and intent letters, Project Profiles (PPs), Proposals for Project Development (PODs), Draft Loan Proposals (DLPs), Program Monitoring Reports (PMRs) to be submitted to, evaluated and approved by IDB’s Eligibility Review (ERM), Quality and Risk Review (QRR), Operations Policy Review (OPC), Executive Board Meetings (DIR) and the Office of Evaluation and Oversight (OVE), as well as National Government Authorities for the following clients and operations under development, as well as others to be developed in the context of the Green Coalition of Development Banks in the Amazon region:

    o BNDES to scale finance for sustainable MSMEs in the Amazon (Pro-Amazônia);

    o Banco do Brasil (BB) to finance Bioeconomy (BID-GCF Bioeconomy Fund), Sustainable Agriculture, Renewable Energy and Connectivity in the Amazon (BBAmazônia);

    o Banco da Amazônia (BASA) to scale financing for sustainable projects with economic feasibility as well as developing innovative instruments to promote carbon credits and enviromental services (“CPR verde”)

    • Directly support clients in the implementation of IDB programs, ensuring clients have record keeping systems, and that planned activities are timely executed, as well as promoting stakeholder consultation, workflow and consultant management, and product review.
    • Review and coordinate feedback on products and background materials developed by other consultants and consultancy firms in support to clients to ensure quality of outputs before delivery.
    • Assist the team in the identification of potential new ideas and projects, clients within the countries that IDB work with and in the client portfolio review process.
    • Collect data, perform desk research, and develop working documents for IDB and IDB clients’ internal use.
    • Support the preparation of knowledge products and review and provide inputs to knowledge dissemination tools.
    • Assist in the executive secretariat of the Green Coalition of Development Banks
    • Development, implementation and monitoring of innovative financial instruments for clients in the Amazon region, such as the Debt-for-nature swaps for Subnational and National Governments.
    • Support the preparation of new project proposals to access international funds, donors, capital markets, and other sources of funding, for activities related to the Amazon Region. The support will include the identification of potential new funding sources and the support to the development of project proposals.
    • Support in the establishment of cooperation agreements with non governmental organizations and other potential partners in the public and private sector to support the effective implementation of CMF’s financing operations and technical cooperation programs.
    • Support the organization of event dialogues, preparing presentations and draft agendas, briefings, talking points, draft reports and background papers.

      What you'll need

      • Education: Master’s degree in international development, economics, management, engineering or related discipline.
      • Experience: At least 10 years of relevant working experience with financial structuring, project development and management, as well as sustainable finance, of which 5 years should have been in the Amazon.
      • Languages: Proficiency in Spanish and English, spoken and written, is required. Additional knowledge of French and Portuguese is preferable.

        Key skills:

        • Learn continuously.
        • Collaborate and share knowledge.
        • Focus on clients.
        • Communicate and influence.
        • Innovate and try new things.

          Requirements:

          • Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries.
          • Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

            Type of contract and duration:

            • Type of contract: International Consultant Full-Time.
            • Length of contract: 24 months.
            • Work Location: On site.

              What we offer

              The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee’s life. These benefits include:

              • A competitive compensation packages.
              • Leaves and vacations: 2 days per month of contract + gender- neutral parental leave.
              • Health Insurance: the IDB Group provides a monthly allowance for the purchase of health insurance.
              • Savings plan: ​​​​​​​The IDB Group cares about your future, depending on the length of the contract, you will receive a monthly savings plan allowance.
              • We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
              • Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
              • Development support: We offer learning opportunities to boost your professional profile such as seminars, 1:1 professional counseling, and much more.
              • Health and wellbeing: Access to our Health Services Center which provides preventive care and health education for all employees.
              • Other perks: Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, and others.

                Our culture

                At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

                Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.

                We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

                Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.

                About the IDB Group

                The IDB Group, composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the IDB Lab offers flexible financing solutions to its member countries to finance economic and social development through lending and grants to public and private entities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

                About IDB

                We work to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through financial and technical support for countries working to reduce poverty and inequality, we help improve health and education and advance infrastructure. Our aim is to achieve development in a sustainable, climate-friendly way. With a history dating back to 1959, today we are the leading source of development financing for Latin America and the Caribbean. We provide loans, grants, and technical assistance; and we conduct extensive research. We maintain a strong commitment to achieving measurable results and the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability.

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