Conservation International Looking for Aquaculture Finance Manager at Arlington, VA, United States Full Time

Job Description

Aquaculture Finance Manager

Conservation International protects nature for the benefit of humanity. Through science, policy, fieldwork, and finance, we spotlight and secure the most important places in nature for the climate, biodiversity, and for people. With offices in 30 countries and projects in more than 100 countries, Conservation International partners with governments, companies, civil society, Indigenous peoples, and local communities to help people and nature thrive together.

POSITION SUMMARY

Conservation International is recruiting an Aquaculture Finance Manager to provide financial analysis and modeling expertise in support of a diverse portfolio of sustainable aquaculture and other blue economy development and investment initiatives. The Aquaculture Finance Manager will work closely with a team of science, policy, engineering, and other technical experts to design strategies for financing sustainable, restorative, and climate smart aquaculture systems in priority coastal and marine areas. Ideal candidates will possess education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree and five (5) or more years of progressively responsible experience with a concentration in finance, natural resource economics or related disciplines and working knowledge of aquaculture or agriculture industry dynamics and sustainability trends.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Projects & Initiatives:

• Support interdisciplinary research initiatives related to sustainable development of aquaculture and other blue economy sectors and industries with emphasis on macroeconomic, sector, industry, and market analyses to guide investment strategies.
• Design and develop ad hoc financial analyses, models, and tools to facilitate capital and resource allocation, investment, and other economic and financial decision-making relevant to sustainable aquaculture and other blue economy investment priorities.

Conservation Impact Investments:

• Provide research and analytical support to Conservation International Ventures (“CIV”) investment team including, but not limited to relevant macroeconomic, industry, and market dynamics and trends and environmental and social risks and factors other factors associated with screening, evaluation, and due diligence for prospective blue economy and other investments.
• Develop ad hoc financial models and supporting analyses to support financial due diligence and investment decision-making including, but not limited to review and analysis of target company financial reporting and forecasts, financial statement modeling and ratio analyses, and other qualitative and quantitative assessment of company operating performance and financial position.
• Support private market investment valuation, modeling and sensitivity analyses using relevant valuation methods and approaches.
• Conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of prospective investment and portfolio company environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) risks and impact screening and assessment.
• Provide support to CIV investment team as needed in investment sourcing, screening, due diligence, preparation of investment memoranda and other activities as assigned.

Knowledge & Learning Development:

• Contribute to development of tools, publications, and other knowledge assets relevant to sustainable aquaculture and other blue economy sector development, including communication and dissemination of results and lessons learned in peer-reviewed publications, internal and public-facing websites, conference and workshop presentations, and other external and internal venues and platforms.
• Provide technical advisory, support, and guidance to program and project staff on sustainable finance and investment strategies, methods, and approaches relevant to priority aquaculture and blue economy initiatives.
• Drive enhancements and improvements to the group’s valuations and reporting processes, procedures, offshore resources, and use of technology

Internal & External Partnerships:

• Foster and maintain effective partnerships with key internal stakeholders within and across CI divisions, programs, and regional and country teams through knowledge and resource sharing and regular communication and relationship building.
• Support the cultivation and management of strategic public and private sector partnerships with key stakeholders including, but not limited to relevant national and subnational government ministries, domestic, bilateral, and multilateral development financial institutions, private financial sector institutions, industry organizations, civil society and non-governmental organizations, research and academic institutions, and other external stakeholders critical to program success
• Represent CI at key conferences and meetings, and advance and influence stakeholder understanding and support through the development of proactive communication materials, publications, and other outreach products

Fundraising & Development:

• Support fundraising and development efforts for priority programs, projects, and initiatives including research, identification, and development of competitive and non-competitive funding proposals.
• Support the preparation of programmatic and project reporting to donors
• Together with division and program leadership and development colleagues, support cultivation and engagement of key donor relationships.

Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This position is flexible within the United States, preference for Arlington, VA or Providence, RI.
• Local and/or international travel of 25% or more, sometimes in difficult travel conditions
• Willingness and ability to work in remote locations or under difficult working conditions.
• Flexibility in work schedule in order to accommodate time zone and working hour differences between U.S. and international programs
• Guidance on flexible work arrangements will be shared during the interview process.
• For the health and safety of our employees, their families, and our community, all US-based Conservation International staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. This mandatory vaccine requirement applies to all staff working remotely, in a hybrid work arrangement, and on-site in CI US offices. CI follows CDC recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines. Requests for reasonable accommodations or exceptions related to medical or religious reasons will be considered. Candidates are NOT required to state their COVID-19 vaccine status in their application.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Education & Experience Requirements: Education and experience equivalent to a bachelor’s degree plus 4 to 6 years of progressively responsible professional experience in finance, natural resource economics, or related discipline(s) and working knowledge of aquaculture industry dynamics and sustainability trends.

Required Knowledge & Expertise:

• Knowledge of aquaculture and other blue economy sector industry, market, trade, and supply chain dynamics and industry sustainability issues, risks, and trends.
• Conceptual and applied knowledge of analytical frameworks, tools, methods, and approaches to macroeconomic, industry, and market analyses. applied economics, including fundamental concepts, and common analytical frameworks.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the public sector and private market debt and equity investment instruments and structures and familiarity with blended financing and concessional financing approaches and tools (e.g. first loss capital, credit enhancements, etc.) relevant to conservation and development financing
• Familiarity with a range of private market investment valuation frameworks, techniques, and methods.
• Fluency in impact, sustainable, and/or development finance approaches, strategies, and trends across geographies and asset classes.

Required Skills & Abilities:

• Interdisciplinary Research – Strong interdisciplinary research capabilities including the ability to source, analyze, synthesize, and interpret a broad range of economic, financial, and scientific data and information.
• Analytical Skills & Abilities – Superior analytical and conceptual skills, and demonstrated ability to understand, evaluate, and interpret a broad range of economic, financial, scientific, and non-technical information used in resource allocation, capital budgeting, or other economic and financial decision-making. Demonstrated ability to translate complex and ambiguous information into actionable strategies and plans.
• Financial Modeling Skills – Demonstrated proficiency in corporate and/or project financial analysis, forecasting, and modeling and demonstrated skill in construction, interpretation, and testing of investment valuation, sensitivity analyses, and other quantitative analytical models, techniques, and approaches. Proficiency in MS Excel.
• Project Management – Demonstrated ability to manage and successfully execute multiple projects, initiatives, and workstreams with varying degrees of complexity and at multiple scales. Knowledge and skill in project/program performance assessment, measurement, and reporting.
• Communication Skills – Superior written, oral, and interpersonal communication and presentation skills. Demonstrated ability to interpret and communicate complex analytical data and information to technical, and non-technical audiences
• Collaboration & Relationship Management – Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to foster effective collaboration within highly matrixed, cross-disciplinary, and geographically and culturally diverse teams and/or organizations to achieve shared goals.

Preferred

• Advanced-level PowerPoint design and layout capabilities.
• Experience working in emerging, developing market contexts.
• Language fluency in Bahasa Indonesia or Spanish.

To apply for this position please submit a resume and cover letter.
See all Conservation International Career Opportunities HERE

Conservation International is an Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Vets/Disabled