ThaiNGO

TITLE: Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor (Consultant)

CONTRACT TERM: Six months (with possibility of extension)

LOCATION: Bangkok, Thailand (preferred)

SUMMARY OF JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

The Asia Foundation’s Thailand Office is seeking a part-time, qualified, experienced, and talented Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor (SSFA) to support the USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program (Mekong Safeguards). The SSFA will advise Mekong Safeguards on sustainable finance activities, particularly to identify, liaise, and coordinate with financiers and investors on improvements and promotion of environmental, social, and governance standards and practices. The focus will be on engagement with governmental and commercial banks, including regional financial institutions and multilaterals on sustainable infrastructure financing.

The USAID and Australia Mekong Safeguards Program is a five-year, $10.6 million project working with major banks, governments, and developers in Thailand, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China on large energy and transportation infrastructure investments to strengthen environmental and social standards and adopt clean technologies in Southeast Asia’s Lower Mekong region. The program offers an exciting opportunity to support new and improved ways governments, financiers, developers, and civil society organizations can invest and build sustainable energy and transportation infrastructure.

REPORTING & SUPERVISION

The candidate will report directly to Chief of Party of Mekong Safeguards.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Directly identify, engage, and formalize assistance support with bank officials, financiers, and finance professionals and representatives.

• Lead the acquisition of testimonials and supportive monitoring and evaluation evidence and substantiating documents related to programmatic indicator results for Mekong Safeguards’ Sustainable Finance Initiative.

• Collaborate with Sustainable Finance Initiative lead, Mekong Safeguards staff, and fellow consultants to design and implement events and fora, direct technical assistance, and knowledge products that drive stakeholder impact and strengthen environmental and social investment standards and practices. Improvements to investment standards and practices will focus on medium-to-large energy, transportation, and/or water infrastructure projects in the Lower Mekong subregion.

• Support and advise on stakeholder landscape analysis and strategic deployment of resources for assisting and incentivizing local, national, and multinational banks, financial institutions, funders, and private financiers to strengthen environmental and social investment standards and practices.

• Maintain a high standard of professionalism and ethical standards in outreach, negotiation, and formalization procedures with local, national, and multinational banks, financial institutions, funders, and private financiers.

• Strengthen and incentivize environmental and social investment standards and practices on infrastructure with financial institutions located in Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar. This may also include banks outside of this region, though, relating to impacts to investment portfolios targeting infrastructure projects in the Lower Mekong subregion, for instance, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation, and the Green Climate Fund.

• Creatively determine and design engagement approach for financiers, investors, and other relevant stakeholders.

• Prepare materials/collateral for investment promotion and financing trainings and capacity building for targeted audiences, including consideration of environmental and social benefits.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, engineering, or related discipline; advanced degree or relevant certifications will be considered.

• At least 10 years of experience working in banking, finance, and investment on either the developer or funder side; experience in Southeast Asia region and in the energy and transportation industry are highly preferred.

• Strong working knowledge of regional power and transportation markets, project economics, and infrastructure project finance in Thailand and Mekong subregion.

• Ability to build strong relationships with partners and colleagues in challenging environments.

• Excellent presentation skills and the ability to communicate clearly with diverse audiences, including those not familiar with business and finance topics.

• Fluency in English (speaking, listening, and writing).

• Experience working for multilateral donors (not a requirement, but this is a plus).

Please send a cover letter specifying the position to which you are applying with your resume or CV by email to mekong.safeguards@asiafoundation.org by April 29th, 2022. In the email subject title, please include ‘Position Senior Sustainable Finance Advisor’.