Innovative Finance Portfolio Lead

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS

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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.

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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 Portfolio Lead

TYPE OF CONTRACT:Consultancy

UNIT/DIVISION:WFP Innovation Accelerator (INNA)

DUTY STATION (City Country):Munich Germany

DURATION:6 months extendable

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the United Nations frontline agency fighting hunger. WFP reaches more than 100 million people every day - delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with smallholder farmers communities and governments to improve nutrition and build resilience.

The WFP Innovation Accelerator was named by Fast Company as Most Innovative Non-Profit Organization 2021 for its work in identifying nurturing and scaling disruptive start-ups and innovations to end global hunger. Based in Munich Germany the Innovation Accelerator provides WFP employees entrepreneurs and start-ups with funding hands-on support and access to WFPs global operations. Through the Innovation Accelerator WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation - such as mobile technology artificial intelligence and blockchain - and new business models to transform the way it serves vulnerable communities across the 2022 Accelerator supported innovations that positively impacted the lives of 37 million people globally. Most recently the Accelerator runs programmes for external partners such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and others.

More information here: and Innovative Finance Portfolio Lead reporting to the Head of Innovative Finance Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad is expected to:

Lead the development and implementation of the Accelerators innovative financing models with a particular focus on building the Accelerators and WFPs impact investing mechanisms to fund impact at scale:

Drive to the development and implementation of new impact investing

mechanisms to attract additional funding towards investable and scalable innovations creating social impact at scale.

Orchestrate the development implementation and management of processes and tools for the impact investing mechanisms including impact measurement and management reporting and monitoring of investments facilitated by WFP. Develop a robust pipeline of investable and scalable innovations in the Accelerator and beyond covering all aspects of deal origination from market research to investment proposal. Foster the development of the Innovative Finance Strategy and its

implementation across WFP as required.

Conduct landscape mapping to further inform WFP impact investing activities and support relationship building with external investor funding partners to help

with fundraising efforts for the WFP funding mechanisms as well as direct capital raising by WFP and the innovations.

Drive the adoption of the investment readiness toolkit by the innovations and other WFP Innovation Accelerator teams to accelerate their path to scale advancing towards Zero Hunger and other Sustainable Development Goals:

Guide the development of all the necessary investment readiness toolkit processes and documentation as appropriate.

Provide investment readiness expert advice and thought leadership and lead continuous refinement of a toolkit to be used across the Accelerator.

Provide innovations with capital raising advice to secure most suitable funding either through WFP impact investing mechanisms or external donors and investor partners.

Share impact investing knowledge and best practices with the Accelerator and other WFP teams to promote and showcase the value of investment readiness activities.

Lead a team of Innovative Finance Consultants to reach the goals of the Innovative Finance Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad unit:

Guide and grow a team of Innovative Finance Consultants and/or other disciplines by establishing priorities providing coaching and making sure people are engaged in the right value-creation activities.

Coach innovative finance / impact investing team from ideation to implementation (as applicable) with a focus on innovative finance and impact investing while using methodologies such as human-centered design lean start-up project management venture building and business modelling.

Engage in creative leadership methods to foster the right conditions for collective and individual learning and growth.

Cultivate a collaborative and high-performing innovative finance team culture to help the team thrive in constantly changing environments.

Conduct performance feedback and development sessions.

Support the business growth of the WFP Innovation Accelerator and the Innovative Finance Frontier Innovations and Venture Launchpad unit to realise external and internal resource mobilisation opportunities:

Build up a network of public private and philanthropic donors multilateral agencies and impact investors to identify and realise resource mobilisation opportunities for innovative finance ventures and instruments.

Engage and collaborate with all necessary internal and external stakeholders (including WFP programme units regional bureaux country and field offices finance partnerships legal) to gather needed input secure internal support and approval and launch develop and scale innovative finance ventures and instruments.

Actively support the building of strong external partnerships within the Innovative Finance and venture-building ecosystem globally.

Define and implement outreach campaigns and communication plans to amplify the scope and impact of the innovative finance ventures.

Contribute to the strategic and organsational development of the Innovation Accelerators strategy deployment and operations:

Contribute to the establishment of strategic objectives and ensure work plans are in place to meet key results.

Ensure the building up of capabilities and skills across the unit and that resources are adequately deployed to the right projects and activities.

Contribute to a high-performing team culture driving results while promoting a collaborative and agile team spirit.

Create communication and knowledge product management products to amplify the scope and impact of the Acceleration Programs.

Build up a network of public private and philanthropic donors and impact investors to identify opportunities for the Accelerator Programs and its participants taking an active role in the leading generation proposal presentation and negotiation of new contracts and potential agreements.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

• New Innovative Financing and Impact Investing Mechanisms including all supporting documentations and underlying partnerships.
• Investment Readiness Toolkit and engagement approaches.
• Resource mobilisation opportunities successfully realised and delivered.
• Team of Innovative Finance Consultants successfully led.
• Ensure that all work and materials developed during the contract well documented and available to the WFP Innovation Accelerator team.
• Effective support of operations of the WFP Innovation Accelerator.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Education:

Bachelors degree in Finance Business Administration or equivalent. Masters degree is a plus.

Experience:

At least 7 years of progressively responsible international experience in a start- up leadership role start-up accelerator innovations in private businesses or innovative finance ventures in the humanitarian or international development sector. Experience in innovative finance and in microfinance are a plus as also

experience leading a team.

Knowledge & Skills:

• A proven track record building fintech projects and/or driving and implementing innovative finance venture building projects preferably in an impact humanitarian and/or development context.
• Experience in microfinance crowdfunding platforms preferably in crowdlending.
• Experience and interest in initiatives focused on financial inclusion microfinance and resilience programmes.
• Passion and understanding of technology innovations (e.g. digital payments crypto assets) and business model innovations (e.g. innovative finance venture capital impact bonds).
• Experience in innovation project life cycle - from ideation minimum viable product testing prototyping and implementation.
• Worked or led cross-functionally and get things done in an agile and hands-on way.
• Experience working in a large scale-organisation or with a client/in partnership with a large-scale organisation.
• Proven track record of driving projects - effectively delivering impactful elements of projects in a fast-moving environment ideally for new businesses new business models start-ups etc.
• Strong conceptual thinking to develop new strategies & innovative projects and able to interact with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Excellent communication/presentation skills with the ability to write strategy and partnership documents develop business plans and write and deliver presentations.
• Collaborative spirit able to partner with a wide range of people at all levels and across different cultures and to act with credibility and diplomacy.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a high degree of autonomy.
• Fully committed and motivated to achieve the aims of the UN World Food Programme.

Languages:

Fluency in oral and written English 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:

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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.