WaterEquity is seeking a Director, Climate Impact to lead on the development and implementation of investment policies, tools, and processes that integrate consideration of climate change and other environmental factors into the investment lifecycle. This new role at WaterEquity will ensure that investments maximize positive climate impacts while improving access to water and sanitation for millions of people in emerging markets.
The ideal candidate will have expert familiarity with climate resilience and adaptation and be excited at the prospect of building a new approach to impact management within a leading impact asset manager. S/he will have an ambitious, entrepreneurial mindset, excellent communications skills, and strong analytical skills.
WaterEquity is the first impact investment manager dedicated to mobilizing private sector investments to accelerate universal access to water and sanitation in emerging markets. Since 2016, WaterEquity has raised three funds with total investor commitments exceeding $200m and over $144m in loans disbursed in 47 loans in 10 countries. WaterEquity’s primary investment strategy to date is debt investing in financial institutions to expand water and sanitation lending to underserved households and enterprises. WaterEquity’s new infrastructure investment strategy focuses on equity and mezzanine investments in corporates and small to mid-market infrastructure projects. Impact and sustainability are core components of all investment decisions.
WaterEquity is a purpose-driven company with a culture of innovation. The company is launching additional investment vehicles and expects to rapidly scale up assets under management over the next few years. Additional information about WaterEquity is available at www.waterequity.org.
Job Responsibilities
The Director, Climate Impact reports to the Director, Impact & ESG within WaterEquity’s 15-person Investment Management Department.
Working closely with investment management team members, this new role will provide leadership on all climate and sustainability-related aspects, specifically:
- Develop policies and tools to integrate climate-related considerations into WaterEquity’s investment process. Elements include climate scenario analysis and assessment of physical risks; minimum ESG standards that must be met; reporting best practices such as volumetric water accounting and greenhouse gas accounting; etc.
- Train the WaterEquity investment team to implement these policies and tools, and educate WaterEquity’s business development team, senior leadership, and others within the organization and at affiliate Water.org.
- Serve as an expert resource to the investment team during due diligence and portfolio monitoring, to assess the climate impact of specific deals, identify climate risks, and determine potential steps to mitigate them.
- Oversee consultants as necessary to support deeper analysis on specific deals, for example, environmental impact assessments, climate risk assessments, or water quality monitoring.
Provide general impact and ESG oversight as needed as a member of the investment management team:
- Review deal screenings, term sheets, and due diligence memos to ensure compliance with WaterEquity’s impact and ESG policies, including both social and environmental impact
- Provide analysis and content for investor reporting and internal portfolio reporting
Provide guidance on climate and environmental aspects of investment pipeline development:
- Identify specific consulting engagements around climate or environmental management that could strengthen investment opportunities and build the investment pipeline.
- Assess national climate and sustainability policies in target countries and advise on favorable markets for investment and advocacy priorities to improve policy and regulatory environments.
Build WaterEquity’s partnerships and network:
- Participate in field-building activities and ensure WaterEquity stays current with new thinking, research, and innovations in climate change and water resources management.
- Represent WaterEquity, including at sector events and in investee or investor meetings.
- Contribute to communications and thought leadership including the annual impact report, social media content on topics related to climate impact.
Skills and Qualifications
A successful candidate will be a proven, self-driven professional with a passion for impact and an ability to position WaterEquity as a leader on climate. The following qualifications are necessary:
- Master’s degree in relevant field or a relevant BA/BS degree and an additional 3 years of professional experience.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in fields such as sustainable investing, impact investing, climate finance, corporate sustainability, environmental consulting, or water and sanitation.
- Minimum 7 years of experience and demonstrated subject matter expert in climate change adaptation and mitigation and/or water resources management.
- Minimum 5 years of experience with climate/sustainability analysis of investments or projects, with a preference for experience with emerging markets infrastructure, particularly water and sanitation.
- Familiarity with climate and environmental protection policies and regulations in emerging markets.
- Demonstrated relevant analytical experience, including climate risk modeling, carbon accounting, climate impact scoring or measurement, watershed modeling, or other environmental data analysis experience.
- Experience producing high-quality analyses, reports, or presentations to recommend business decisions based on environmental data.
- Familiarity with industry frameworks such as TCFD, Green Bond Principles, volumetric water benefit accounting, the EU sustainability taxonomy, etc.
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced workplace with a startup culture.
Additional qualifications
- Experience working or investing in emerging markets.
- Strong communication skills, and experience working with team members or clients from multiple countries.
- Demonstrated ability to take a project from idea to execution.
- Foreign languages an advantage.
Location
WaterEquity is headquartered in Kansas City, MO, U.S.A. Investment Management team members are located in Kansas City, Washington DC, London, Pretoria, Chennai, and Singapore. Preference for Washington DC or Kansas City, but applicants are welcome to apply from any location, provided they have a high degree of comfort using remote-working technology and a willingness to travel.
Compensation and Benefits
Details of the compensation package will be dictated by contract status, which will be determined based on location. Overall compensation will be commensurate with education and experience and structured to reflect a competitive package for a full-time mid/senior-level team member.
No relocation benefits will be offered.
cted status as required by applicable law.