Senior Resource Mobilization Specialist

Senior Resource Mobilization Specialist

Description

At the World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. For more information, visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/who-we-are/ibrd

About the Global Environment Facility (GEF)

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a family of funds dedicated to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution, and strains on land and ocean health. Its grants, blended financing, and policy support help developing countries address their biggest environmental priorities and adhere to international environmental conventions. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $23 billion and mobilized $129 billion in co-financing for more than 5,000 national and regional projects.

The GEF unites 186 countries in partnership with international institutions, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. An independently operating financial organization, the GEF serves as a financial mechanism for six major Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The GEF Secretariat, construed for administrative purposes as a Vice-Presidential Unit (VPU) within the World Bank, has approximately 100 professional and administrative and client support (ACS) staff.

About the LDCF and SCCF

The Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) are two dedicated financial mechanisms established under the UNFCCC and managed by the GEF. As part of the GEF family of funds, the LDCF and SCCF play a critical role in supporting developing countries, particularly least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS), in building resilience to climate change impacts and implementing priority adaptation actions identified in National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).

The LDCF and SCCF operate on the basis of voluntary donor contributions, which have historically been replenished through pledging meetings held in conjunction with GEF Council meetings, UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COPs), and/or other major events. Since their inception, the funds have received contributions from 28 donor countries and work with a voluntary contribution model, based on agreed four-year financial scenarios for the two funds.

The role will seek to advance multi-year pledging mechanisms, improved coordination among donors, clearer strategic positioning of the funds' comparative advantages within the climate finance architecture, and proactive engagement with potential new contributors. A central aim is to broaden and diversify the contributor base beyond traditional sovereign donors to include sub-national governments, philanthropies, and private sector actors, while using blended and innovative finance instruments to catalyze additional investment in climate adaptation. 

Role Summary:

The GEF Secretariat is seeking an experienced Senior Resource Mobilization Specialist to join the GEF Division on MEAs and Funds to coordinate LDCF and SCCF resource mobilization and partnership building, enabling timely and effective programming in developing countries to address their climate adaptation priorities under the UNFCCC. The role is also expected to make contributions towards the development and implementation of a resource mobilization strategy for the GEF family of funds.

The ideal candidate should have a strong understanding of the climate adaptation finance landscape, innovative financing opportunities, and the dynamics of GEF client countries. The candidate should possess strong interpersonal skills, demonstrated experience with climate finance resource mobilization, along with political acumen and the capacity to work effectively on sensitive issues with senior management, the GEF Council, LDCF/SCCF contributors, and across different agencies of the GEF.

The Senior Specialist will play an instrumental role in mobilizing resources and related strategic planning by developing and facilitating effective partnerships with confirmed and potential contributors to the LDCF and SCCF, including donor governments, philanthropic organizations, private sector actors, foundations, non-governmental organizations, sub-national governments, and bilateral and multilateral institutions. 

Key Duties and Accountabilities

Under the supervision of the Manager of the GEF MEAs and Funds Division, the Senior Resource Mobilization Specialist for the LDCF and SCCF will have the following duties:

• Coordinate resource mobilization for the LDCF and SCCF by articulating resource mobilization needs; organizing partnership building and fundraising efforts and supporting engagement of GEF management; and monitoring and tracking progress against targets. Engage with all sources of support, including sovereign and sub-national governments, philanthropic organizations, private sector, foundations, non-governmental organizations, and bilateral and multilateral institutions, in addition to innovative sources of financing.
• Enhance synergies across the GEF family of funds by contributing to GEF-wide resource mobilization efforts and external engagement, and by helping to articulate a unique value proposition for the LDCF and SCCF within the broader climate
• Develop and implement a forward-looking resource mobilization strategy, including segmented donor engagement strategies for traditional donors, emerging economy donors, private sector actors, and philanthropic foundations; specific, time-bound resource mobilization targets and milestones; mechanisms to strengthen predictability and planning security; and proposals for innovative financing instruments, including blended finance windows, co-financing frameworks, and impact investment mechanisms.
• Prepare documents and briefing materials to inform resource mobilization discussions for the GEF Council and GEF management. Contribute to GEF Council organization and discussions on matters related to LDCF/SCCF resource mobilization and organize outreach and visibility enhancement efforts in coordination with the Communications team, including the development of donor-facing investment case documents, infographics, and digital communications materials.
• Analyze priorities, operational modalities, and other requirements of potential contributors and support sources, and articulate responses that take into consideration LDCF/SCCF governance arrangements and policies. Support the design, external engagement and operationalization of arrangements to facilitate new and non-sovereign contributions.
• Conduct diagnostic assessments of the LDCF and SCCF resource mobilization landscape, including historical contribution trends, donor engagement patterns, funding gaps, and emerging opportunities. Benchmark LDCF/SCCF approaches against comparable multilateral funds to identify positioning opportunities and transferable lessons.
• Design and facilitate structured stakeholder consultation processes and external engagement, including multi-stakeholder workshops with donor governments, recipient country representatives, GEF Secretariat staff, and civil society organizations, as well as bilateral consultations with key donor government representatives.
• Collaborate with relevant teams, including the Policy and Operations Division regarding resource mobilization-related considerations, and the World Bank Trustee team on contributions and due diligence processes. Ensure cross-cutting considerations including gender equality, social inclusion, indigenous peoples' rights, and the needs of the most climate-vulnerable communities are integrated throughout.
• Provide backstopping to GEF management and carry out additional technical and policy-relevant tasks as assigned.

Selection Criteria

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in the field of climate finance, environmental finance, development finance, international development, economics, public policy, or any other relevant discipline.
• At least 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in resource mobilization, climate finance, development finance, or international partnerships management, with a demonstrated track record in developing and implementing resource mobilization or fundraising strategies for multilateral organizations, international NGOs, or development finance institutions. Knowledge of innovative and blended finance mechanisms is required.
• Demonstrated experience working with or supporting GEF-managed funds, including the LDCF, SCCF, or comparable multilateral climate funds, is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with the UNFCCC climate finance architecture, including the roles of other climate funds, bilateral climate funds, and MDB climate finance windows, as well as relevant UNFCCC negotiations and decisions related to adaptation finance.
• Experience in strategic interactions with sovereign and non-sovereign contributors, including donor government representatives at senior levels in the context of pledging conferences or replenishment negotiations, private and institutional investors, foundations, sub-national governments, and other entities, is highly desirable.
• Ability to think analytically, strategically, and programmatically, with strong skills in synthesizing complex information from multiple sources into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Proven ability to work with and across teams, both as a team leader and team member, in a multicultural environment and independently on complex tasks under tight deadlines.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, including the ability to communicate complex issues to a wide range of audiences, including non-technical stakeholders. Proficiency in French and/or Spanish is desirable, given the geographic distribution of LDCF/SCCF recipient countries.

This role provides support to a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF). Roles funded by a FIF are subject to the WBG Staff Directives and Procedures. Additionally, the FIF's governance framework and funding are also relevant to this role.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies 

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.