Post of duty: Washington, DC - USA

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:

CSD/CCS is looking for a professional with experience in biodiversity or climate impact reporting and MRV, as well as development effectiveness to support the deployment of the IDB Climate Linked Incentive Mechanism for Ambition (IDB CLIMA). As a consultant, you will focus on nature positive interventions and you will support the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program team lead, the Biodiversity Cluster and the rest of the climate change division in the operationalization of the Pilot Program, including the design of the first pilot projects, research activities, collaborating with relevant areas to design and implement an enhanced monitoring and evaluation framework. You will also work with other relevant stakeholders within the IDB Group and the IDB Constituency.

In 2023, the IDB became the first multilateral development bank to offer a financing tool that rewards countries for achieving nature and climate objectives. The Biodiversity and Climate-Linked Incentive Mechanism for Ambition (IDB CLIMA) is an innovative financial approach that rewards borrowers for achieving nature and climate objectives. The reward is provided in the form of a grant, in the amount of 5% of the IDB loan principal. Disbursement of the grant will take place once the achievement of an operation’s three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) has been independently verified. These KPIs will measure borrowers’ progress in terms of the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program’s three Specific Objectives: i) the achievement of climate and biodiversity goals through sectoral investment programs (KPI #1); ii) the improvement of the capacity to identify and design sectoral investments that mainstream climate and/or nature-positive interventions to achieve scale (KPI #2); and iii) the creation or improvement of climate and/or biodiversity monitoring, reporting and verification capabilities within the sector and/or governing bodies (KPI #3). The Green Transition Framework (GTF) – a framework for assessing the institutional capacities of borrowers with respect to climate and/or biodiversity – provides the vertical logic of the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program. Its purpose is to diagnose, guide, and offer tailored support in line with borrowers’ capacities and needs, and coupled with an Assessment Questionnaire, will be key in designing IDB CLIMA operations and identifying their respective ambitious, relevant and impactful KPIs.

In 2024, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) agreed to undertake a stock-take of key performance indicators on nature and biodiversity. MDBs will undertake a joint stock take of existing biodiversity KPIs to understand which are used for what purposes. There exists a multitude of indicators proposed and used by the financial, academic, non-for-profit, conservation, climate, and public sectors on biodiversity; in addition, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is identifying indicators to track the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Based on this initial stock take, MDBs will continue to identify areas of commonality among frameworks to share insights at COP 30, and explore the feasibility of alignment of some indicators, which would facilitate faster and easier development and interoperability of financings and financial products. You will also support these cross-MDB efforts, ensuring that IDB-CLIMA guidelines take advantage of this line of work.

You will work for the Climate Change Division (“CSD/CCS”), which is part of the Climate Change and Sustainability Sector (“CSD”). This team is responsible for advising IDB management and developing policies, strategies, operational guidelines, and programs on issues relevant to the sector, as well as related areas. In addition, CSD carries out relevant sector research, analytical work, sector practices and case studies on climate change and sustainability. As a division of CSD, CSD/CCS provides support: (i) in the mainstreaming of climate change and biodiversity in the actions and operations of the IDB group and (ii) in the mainstreaming of climate change and biodiversity in the regional countries of the IDB group through support to the ministries of environment, planning, and economy and finance of the region. Both axes share the objective of strengthening climate policy at the subnational, national, and regional levels.

What you’ll do:

  • Support IDB CLIMA related activities in coordination with internal stakeholders of the IDB, including in the Vice Presidency for Countries, the Vice Presidency for Sectors, and other relevant areas including the Office of Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness.
  • Advise on technical and policy-related issues concerning nature-positive interventions in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and the identification and design of relevant impact indicators as well as methodologies and approaches for the reporting of relevant interventions
  • Advise and support project teams and external stakeholders in the development of IDB CLIMA pilot projects.
  • Advise internal and external stakeholders on the identification and deployment of systems to enable sector-driven investments at scale in relation to KPI #2 under the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program Objectives, with a focus on nature positive and biodiversity protection interventions.
  • Advise internal and external stakeholders on the creation of sector driven impact reporting and MRV type systems in relation to KPI #3 under the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program Objectives, with a focus on nature positive and biodiversity protection interventions.
  • Monitor the effectivity of the proposed KPIs and advise on improvements to the indicators or their technical reference sheets.
  • Coordinate with IDB HQ and Country teams to support institutional and operational support tied to the development of effective coordinated environments to mainstream nature and climate policy with a focus on the operationalization of NBSAPand other relevant domestic policy instruments.
  • Participate and support design missions, capacity building workshops, and supervision visits.
  • Participate in applied research to support the deplopyment and improvement of the IDB CLIMA Pilot Program.
  • Prepare inputs for cross sector strategic documents, institutional strategies, country strategies, private sector strategic documents.

    What you'll need:

    • Education: Master’s degree or equivalent in environmental management, environmental engineering, environmental sciences, environmental policy, environmental economics, public policy, political science, development practice international development, project management or similar, with a focus on environmental sciences. Studies in biological sciences or natural resources, either as a bachelor’s or as a graduate degree are preferable but not necessarily required.
    • Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience in environmental engineering, sustainable infrastructure, ecosystem services, climate change, biodiversity loss, climate finance, public policy, environmental management, conservation, forestry, or other related subjects. Understanding of projects design, financing related to biodiversity, climate change, infrastructure as well as project management principles. Experience working with MDB, government agencies in LAC is highly desirable.
    • Languages: Proficiency in English and Spanish, 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: 12 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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