Climate Finance Advisor at Power Shift Africa (PSA)

Role Overview:

As the Climate Finance Advisor, you will spearhead our efforts to drive and shape climate finance policies that are crucial for climate action and sustainable development in Africa. This role involves engagement with UNFCCC processes, CSOs engagements and advocacy, project coordination, strategic communications and resource mobilisation to support climate action initiatives.

The programs associate will report to the Programs Manager, with oversight from the Executive Director of Power Shift Africa.

Key Responsibilities:

Policy Influencing and Advocacy:

•  Lead advocacy efforts to influence climate finance policies at international forums, including the UNFCCC.
•  Develop policy briefs, position papers and recommendations on climate finance strategies.
•  Represent Power Shift Africa at key relevant regional and international events.
•  Work with the Campaigns Lead and PSA team to implement campaign plans focused on climate finance by using a variety of tools and tactics.

Project Coordination:

•  Oversee the implementation of climate projects from inception through completion.
•  Coordinate with internal teams and external partners to ensure project alignment with strategic goals.
•  Monitor project progress, addressing any issues that arise and adjusting strategies as necessary.
•  Produce workshop documents, reports and other relevant materials with the support of the Power Shift Africa team and other stakeholders.

Resource Mobilisation:

•  Identify funding opportunities and lead proposal development efforts to secure financial support for climate finance initiatives.
•  Cultivate relationships with donors, foundations and other potential funding sources.
•  Manage reporting requirements to ensure compliance with grant conditions.

Stakeholder Engagement and Coordination:

•  Organise and coordinate events and engagement strategies with partner organisations, CSOs and other key stakeholders.
•  Facilitate workshops, roundtables and meetings to align stakeholder objectives with financial strategies for climate resilience.
•  Build and maintain relationships with financial and climate policy communities within Africa and internationally.

Communications and Networking:

•  Develop and execute communication strategies to raise awareness about climate finance issues.
•  Prepare press releases, op-ed pieces and articles for publication in international media.
•  Manage digital content related to climate finance, including website updates and social media engagement.
•  Represent PSA in various conferences and meetings as appropriate.

Supporting the wider team:

•  From time to time, support the wider PSA team on different projects, which may involve presenting our work, representing our perspectives or supporting other colleagues’ activities.

Qualifications:

•  Education:  A Bachelor’s Degree (a Master’s is an added advantage) in a relevant field (e.g. Environmental Science, Economics, Public Policy, or a related field.

Experience: 

•  5+ years of relevant experience in an environment/sustainability related field (climate finance focus valued highly) with a social or environmental justice NGO 
•  Experience working on complex projects with multiple stakeholders and varying interests
•  Experience in positions of leadership in previous jobs, institutions or communities.
•  Experience coordinating logistics for multiple events, projects or activities.
•  Strong knowledge of climate policy and experience working with stakeholders around climate policy development in Africa will be valued highly. 
•  Understanding of Africa’s development and climate context and opportunities, the political economy and development partners. 
•  Knowledge of the socioeconomic and political landscape of climate issues in Africa.
•  Demonstrated ability to develop effective partnerships and secure funding from various sources.

The ideal Climate Finance Advisor

Should have:

•   Permission/eligibility to live and work in an African country, preferably Kenya.
•  Strong problem-solving, analytical, research and communication skills.
•  Passion for working in small, dynamic teams. The candidate should be comfortable working remotely (if relevant)
•  Ability to take independent ownership of a workstream and drive progress without close supervision and direction.
•  Skills to strategically tailor communication of complex ideas to different audiences
•  Existing networks within climate finance spaces.
•  Ability to work with a high level of detail while maintaining a view of the bigger picture
•  Emotional intelligence and is comfortable to give and receive constructive feedback.