Catalytic’s mission is to accelerate the design and deployment of catalytic finance solutions for sustainable infrastructure. We identify and develop robust project pipelines and deploy technical assistance to support infrastructure projects to become more investible and impactful. Catalytic seeks to ensure positive social and environmental outcomes in addition to financial returns for impact investors, applying credible methodologies for the measurement and evaluation of impacts. In addition, Catalytic incubates and structures blended-finance funds aiming at scaling up and speeding up the implementation of infrastructure projects with positive climate impacts.

Catalytic is seeking an Ocean Finance Specialist covering multiple initiatives regarding the blue economy and the protection of the oceans within the organisation.

Catalytic has been mandated by the GFCR to support the Technical Assistance of the investment windows and deployment of acceleration capital. To this end, Catalytic’s mission is to support the pipeline of local projects bringing positive impact on the coral
reefs. These projects will be supported by Catalytic with technical assistance as well as early-stage investment.

Catalytic is also developing a blended financial instrument dedicated to port decarbonisation infrastructure.

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and working closely with other team members and Catalytic’s partners, the Ocean Finance Specialist will support the organisation on the blue economy and ocean conservation efforts. This will include sourcing projects,
evaluating, and assessing projects and business models related to the blue economy. The Specialist will lead the stakeholder engagement with multiple stakeholders.

Building partnerships with donors, investors, other development partners in the sector will be an important part of the Specialist’s responsibility.

Role & Responsibilities:

• Lead the development work on the port decarbonization fund, managing the pipelining of projects for the decarbonization of ports.
• Support Catalytic in activities regarding the financing of blue economy and ocean conservation.
• Map and outreach to key stakeholders in the sector including financing partners from the public and philanthropic sectors, technical partners, industrial partners, and so on.
• Support the development of future initiatives concerning ocean finance and the blue economy.
• Provide numbers, results, and deliverables for Communication, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting.

Profile:

• Minimum 5 years of experience in ocean financing and/or blue economy, either with investment funds, international organizations, or NGOs.
• Knowledge and working experience in projects aiming directly or indirectly at enabling the blue economy and/or ocean conservation.
• A good understanding of business development and financial models of infrastructure projects, deep knowledge of ports would be a strong asset.
• Experience working with stakeholders in the space of impact, blended-finance investment for climate targets would be a plus.
• Experience with international standards, such as IFC Performance Standards, Gold Standard, would be a plus.
• Passionate about climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, protection of the oceans with a strong commitment towards a more sustainable world.
• Team player, flexible and experienced in working in a multicultural environment.
• Taking initiatives and thinking out of the box to find solutions to challenges are needed on a daily basis.
• Strong skills with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proficient English level in writing and speaking, additional language skills a plus.
• Excellent writing, drafting and editing skills.
• Minimum Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in environmental science, finance, economics, or international relations.

The ideal working station will be Geneva with travels depending on project needs.
However, depending on the competence of the candidate, remote work could be considered, and if so, a minimum time zone difference would be preferred.

Please send your CV and a Cover Letter to secretariat@catalyticfinance.org by 28 February 2025.