Innovative Finance Senior Manager, CFOFI
Innovative Finance Senior Manager, CFOFI
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Job Description
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS
2 August 2025-23:59-GMT01:00 Central European Time (Rome)WFP celebrates and embraces diversity. It is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all its employees and encourages qualified candidates to apply irrespective of race colour national origin ethnic or social background genetic information gender gender identity and/or expression sexual orientation religion or belief HIV status or disability.
ABOUT WFP
The World Food Programme is the worlds largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict disasters and the impact of climate change.
At WFP people are at the heart of everything we do and the vision of the future WFP workforce is one of diverse committed skilled and high performing teams selected on merit operating in a healthy and inclusive work environment living WFPs values (Integrity Collaboration Commitment Humanity and Inclusion) and working with partners to save and change the lives of those WFP serves.
To learn more about WFP visit our website: follow us on social media to keep up with our latest news: YouTube LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok.
WHY JOIN WFP
WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
WFP offers a highly inclusive diverse and multicultural working environment.
WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training accreditation coaching mentorship and other programs as well as through internal mobility opportunities.
A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across the various country regional and global offices around the world and with passionate colleagues who work tirelessly to ensure that effective humanitarian assistance reaches millions of people across the globe.
We offer an attractive compensation package (please refer to the Terms and Conditions section of this vacancy announcement).
JOB TITLE: Innovative Finance Senior Manager
TYPE OF CONTRACT: Consultancy Consultant Level II
UNIT/DIVISION: CFOFI CFO Division
DUTY STATION (City Country): Rome Italy
NTE: 31 December 2025
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
The contemporary world faces an escalating food crisis characterized by mounting humanitarian needs resulting from climate shocks pandemics conflicts and soaring food and fuel prices. Traditional donor funding falls short of WFPs funding requirements and the global funding needed to achieve SDG 2. Innovative Finance solutions are needed to mobilize new and additional multisectoral resources enhance financial efficiency and make financial flows more results oriented.
The IF Strategy is one of the Enabler Strategies of WFP Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and focuses on creating an environment conducive to innovative finance initiatives guided by principles of being impactful integrated empowering informed and actionable. The IF Strategy aims to leverage Innovative Finance solutions to effectively address global food security challenges. By embedding the Innovative Finance Strategy across various organizational functions WFP can unlock its full potential and drive meaningful change in addressing global hunger and food insecurity.
In accordance with WFPs Strategic Plan (2022-2025) the Innovative Finance Strategy aims to act as a key Enabler for WFP to achieve the following outcomes:
Encourage internal innovation to broaden the toolkit for financing the Zero Hunger agenda;
Design and catalyze new effective programmatic interventions with a focus on their longer-term sustainability;
Forge new partnerships with other UN agencies and international finance institutions (IFIs) governments and the private sector.
The Innovative Finance Steering Committee (IFSC) was formed in 2020 and has seen IF activities substantially increase since then requiring clear strategy mainstreaming and normative guidance for COs and RBx seeking to scale or initiate the use of IF to achieve their Country Strategic Plans (CSPs). Based on this evolution the Committee initiated a consultative process for the WFP Innovative Finance Strategy 2023-2025 in September 2022.
The Strategy consists of 8 Key Strategy Areas that will Enable IF through increased organizational capacity and toolkit efficiently Steer IF capacity and efforts towards the most impactful interventions and effectively Execute on those IF opportunities and activities. Leadership engagement disciplined systemization and adequate expertise will be the Key Success Factors to successfully deliver on the Key Strategy Areas and achieve the Strategic Goals.
Within this framework the Innovative Finance Senior Manager will work alongside WFPs Task Teams on Debt Swaps Blended Finance and Co-financing reporting to the Head of Innovative Finance Unit within the CFO Division.
Support to the Task Teams will include advice on strategic approaches/WFP positioning process structuring advocacy and negotiation.
ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Contribute to the definition of approaches and processes for engagements with specific: creditor and debtor governments in line with their interests in the case of debt swap agreements; stakeholders including impact investors guarantors private sector and multisectoral donors in the case of blended finance co-financing schemes as well as any other Innovative Finance mechanisms.
2. Contribute to defining WFPs strategic positioning vis--vis the three prioritized thematic areas by fostering and nurturing: debt relief/swap dialogues with both creditor and debtor governments considering political and other risks that may be involved in debt relief discussions; dialogues on co-investment and partnerships on blended capitals with identified stakeholders impact investors and multisectoral donors.
3. Contribute to WFPs efforts in engaging early with multisectoral partners (with a special focus on the private sector) to assess their willingness to contribute to or to design WFP Blended Finance and Co-financing initiatives while meeting their respective conditions.
4. Coordinate the development review and/or adaptation of WFPs tools and documents meant to guide harmonize and quality-assure all activities relating to organizations debt swaps blended finance and co-financing initiatives including documents supporting advocacy efforts.
5. Provide technical and strategic advice to WFP Country Offices Liaison Offices and Regional Bureaus in the operationalization of guidance and standards relating to WFPs participation in debt relief / debt swap discussions blended finance and any other Innovative Finance mechanisms.
6. Support WFPs contributions to global dialogues on debt sustainability including potential advocacy for the use of debt-to-food swaps in cases where debt and food crises co-exist; and identify opportunities to engage with potential new creditors for enhance resource mobilization.
7. Lead the design support to COs due diligence process negotiations execution and relationship management on behalf of the CFO division for commercial debt conversion transactions.
8. Advise and contribute to the design structuring and execution of potential new innovative finance instruments e.g. climate financing Islamic financing in collaboration with WFPs cross-functional teams and external financial institutions/advisers as may be required.
9. Contribute to WFPs resource mobilization efforts through Innovative Finance mechanisms the IF Strategy and engagement with multisectoral stakeholders.
10. Co-manage new IF junior consultants job shadowing and provide guidance/mentorship as needed.
Deliverables at the end of the contract:
Project based as determined by the CFO Division especially on securing additional funding for WFP though new Debt Conversion transactions traditional Debt Swap arrangements Blended Finance structures Co-financing and any other Innovative Finance instruments.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
Education:
Advanced university degree in economics finance law or a related field. A first University Degree with two additional years of relevant work experience from the minimum experience requirement stated below.
Experience:
At least 15 years of progressively responsible professional experience in international debt restructuring resource mobilization through debt swaps or a related activity is required. Experience working directly with creditor and debtor governments and/or institutional investors with history of participating in debt swaps is required.
Knowledge & Skills:
Advanced exposure and understanding of mandates and activities of UN entities funds and programmes as well as UNs role in debt relief dialogues including history of its specialised agencies in negotiating and working with funding from debt swaps. Demonstrated ability to structure new financial instruments that can serve as vehicles for administering and/or achieving debt relief goals on both creditor and debtors ends e.g. debt-to-health or debt-to-nature swaps. Knowledge of policy making processes within governments and proven ability to make high-level recommendations and influence government-level/institutional decisions. Understanding of major creditor/donor countries national policies on international development geography preferences modes of assistance programme priorities and their historical use of debt swaps in overseas development assistance (ODA) and/or debt relief efforts.
Languages:
Fluency in oral and written English is mandatory. Intermediate knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic Chinese French Russian and Spanish) or Portuguese (one of WFPs working languages) is a plus.
WFP LEADERSHIP FRAMEWORK
WFP Leadership Framework guides to the common standards of behavior that guide HOW we work together to accomplish our mission.
Click here to access WFP Leadership Framework
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
WFP is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process. If you require a reasonable accommodation please contact:
NO FEE DISCLAIMER
The United Nations does not charge any application processing training interviewing testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee please disregard it. Furthermore please note that emblems logos names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.
REMINDERS BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION
We strongly recommend that your profile is accurate complete and includes your employment records academic qualifications language skills and UN Grade (if applicable).
Once your profile is completed please apply and submit your application.
Please make sure you upload your professional CV in the English language
Kindly note the only documents you will need to submit at this time are your CV and Cover Letter
Additional documents such as passport recommendation letters academic certificates etc. may potentially be requested at a future time
Please contact us at in case you face any challenges with submitting your application
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified
All employment decisions are made on the basis of organizational needs job requirements merit and individual qualifications. WFP is committed to providing an inclusive work environment free of sexual exploitation and abuse all forms of discrimination any kind of harassment sexual harassment and abuse of authority. Therefore all selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
No appointment under any kind of contract will be offered to members of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) FAO Finance Committee WFP External Auditor WFP Audit Committee Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) and other similar bodies within the United Nations system with oversight responsibilities over WFP both during their service and within three years of ceasing that service.
Required Experience:
Chief
Employment Type
Full-Time
