Lead - Finance, Landscape Restoration

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About the Organization

WRI India, an independent charity legally registered as the India Resources Trust, provides objective information and practical proposals to foster environmentally sound and socially equitable development. WRI India’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations. Through research, analysis, and recommendations, WRI India puts ideas into action to build transformative solutions to protect the earth, promote livelihoods, and enhance human well-being.

We are inspired by and associated with World Resources Institute (WRI), a global research organization. Currently over 250 researchers are working with WRI India in our offices at Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Job Description

Landscape approach to restoration is gaining momentum in India as a strategy that delivers multiple benefits, including food and water security, biodiversity enhancement, job creation, livelihood improvements and climate change mitigation and adaptation. To achieve impact at scale, restoration efforts need to be funded by philanthropy, CSR, bilateral grants, and private finance. This requires a blended finance approach to mitigate the risks inherent in this early sector, and to ensure available finance is appropriate for restoration business models. Restoration businesses deliver a range of products (e.g., fruits, bamboo) and services (e.g., water, carbon, biodiversity).

You will work with the restoration team, international offices, and partner organizations to lead and implement Food, Land and Water (FLW) programs related to finance and market, this includes execution of restoration strategy on finance, leading and mentoring a dynamic and interdisciplinary team, support with fundraising, research on use cases for blended finance, external engagement and communication. You will grow the work of restoration on finance and markets within the FLW program.

Job Responsibilities

Executing restoration finance strategy and projects (60%)

• Lead the execution of restoration finance and markets projects, from launch to completion, ensuring adherence to timelines, scope, financial compliance, quality standards.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of restoration finance projects, ensuring effective financial disbursement, risk management, and adherence to funding agency requirements.
• Develop sustainable financial models and instruments to unlock funding for restoration, and its alignment with public funding
• Design comprehensive investment strategies, including identifying key public, private, and blended finance sources and modalities for restoration projects.
• Explores knowledge gaps where WRI India’s research can improve the quality and quantity of restoration finance available.
• Monitor relevant international and national finance landscape, identifying strategic opportunities for the program to develop blending finance mechanisms
• Oversee research and studies related to finance and investment within the program. Author or co-author knowledge products (e.g., reports, briefs, data-products)
• Advocate for progressive restoration finance policies at national, state, and local levels, ensuring alignment with India’s global commitments and domestic targets
• Identifying key public, private, and blended finance sources for restoration projects and provide expert guidance to governments and other stakeholders

Program Management (20%)

• Support strategic planning, ensuring delivery of the program’s vision and goals for finance
• Lead and mentor an interdisciplinary team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and professional development.
• Develop and implement work plans and procedures that enhance project delivery.
• Facilitate internal capacity building through workshops, training, and knowledge-sharing events focused on restoration finance.
• Oversee the management of the program’s budget on restoration finance projects with program leadership and the operations team, ensuring financial sustainability and accountability.
• Oversee the collection, analysis, and reporting of indicators on restoration finance projects to inform decision-making and track program impact with MEL expert. 
• Ensure compliance with reporting requirements for donors and other partners by preparing narrative reports and other materials to enhance donor relations and support with fundraising

Partnership and engagement (20%)

• Develop new partnerships and engagements to build and take forward program strategy on finance
• Attend external meetings and travel related to ongoing projects.
• Represent the organization at events, coalitions, roundtables, and similar settings.
• Understand and promote the tools and solutions offered by the FLW program.
• Enable strategic communication on restoration internally and with external partners.

Education Qualification/Required Skills & Experience

• Master’s degree in business, finance, economics or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in strategic planning, and project leadership within the finance and natural resource management/ restoration sectors.
• Experience leading teams in the design and delivery of market-oriented solutions and/or structuring, capitalizing, and implementing financial instruments.
• Experience with the private sector, especially corporate business or financial systems related to land use and/or restoration.
• Understanding of finance, restoration, sustainability investments, business models, ESG, green finance, and/or landscape and restoration in India.
• Proficiency in developing financial models for investment analysis and valuations.
• You have experience leading high-level research and communicating complex ideas to different audiences
• Excellent communication, partner management, and donor engagement skills.
• Proficiency in project management tools and methodologies.
• Professional fluency in English, fluency in one more Indian language (e.g., Hindi) is an advantage.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate ideas into applicable plans.
• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Data-driven approach to decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for engaging with multiple partners.

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