Overview
The Blue Economy Investment Specialist will lead the origination, structuring, and deployment of ocean-positive and nature-based blended finance investments in the Pacific. The role focuses on mobilizing capital for enterprises and financial intermediaries that generate sustainable livelihoods while protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage all aspects of blue economy initiatives in the Pacific, including Annual Work Plans, budgets, and activity schedules.
- Lead sourcing, screening, and development of a diversified pipeline of blue and green economy MSMEs.
- Guide and quality-assure due diligence processes for MSMEs and financial-sector partners.
- Coordinate the structuring and deployment of investment grants, concessional loans, and credit guarantees.
- Serve as UNCDF’s primary focal point for blue economy related engagement with governments, central banks, regulators, donors, financial institutions, NGOs, business development service providers, and private investors.
- Oversee and maintain robust M&E systems capturing programme and investment-level results.
- Contribute to timely and accurate donor reports, annual progress reviews, and mid-term and final evaluations.
- Lead knowledge capture and dissemination, including case studies, lessons learned, and good practices for blue and green economy finance.
Required Experience
- A minimum of 7 years (with a Masters’ Degree) or 9 years (with Bachelor’s Degree) of relevant work experience in either the financial sector or the private sector or a mix, preferably with investment and/or business management expertise.
- A minimum of 5 years investment experience in the blue economy and financial instruments is required.
- Experience working in venture capital and/or banking within an international financial environment, preferably in development finance institution, impact investor or similar is required;
- Experience in private credit and/or equity for investments with a social mission in emerging/frontier markets, is required.
- Experience in project preparation and/or in development of investment opportunities, especially for investment projects focusing on blue economy in developing countries is required.
- Competency with financial modeling and analysis in Microsoft excel is required.
- Computer literacy, including proficient use of research applications is required.
Qualifications
An Advanced (Master’s level) university degree in business administration, finance, marketing, economics, accounting or related fields is required. A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.
