Public Finance Officer

PURPOSE

The Officer will lead country engagement and coordination efforts to ensure project ownership, design sustainable finance instruments, establish governance structures, deliver demand-driven capacity building to public officials, and ensure timely delivery of project results. The Officer will:

• Coordinate the stakeholder’s engagement process with relevant public institutions including the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Environment, and other relevant stakeholders in Ecuador
• Analyze Ecuador’s public finance policies, federal expenditure budget, debt instruments and obligations, and public spending in key climate and sustainability sectors.
• Evaluate Ecuador’s financing needs in alignment with climate change and sustainable development goals.
• Support the elaboration of a thematic bond framework and sustainable finance roadmaps
• Deliver capacity building workshops for public officials and other key actors
• Support the GIS team in the Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office in all other activities and tasks related to the project and to GGGI’s engagement in Ecuador including development of a thematic bond framework, development of sustainable finance roadmaps, and development and implementation of other green growth interventions in the country.  
• Support the implementation of activities with counterparts in the national and subnational governments, as well as with the consortium’s partners and other relevant project stakeholders.

ENGAGEMENT

• Engage with government officials of developing countries to influence finance policy development and decision making
• Provide technical advice to government counterparts on sustainable finance instruments and green investment projects
• Represent GGGI in Ecuador and provide support for stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship building with government counterparts, donors, and private sector actors in Ecuador

DELIVERY

• Develop a detailed workplan outlining timeline of proposed interventions
• Collaborate with MEF internal teams to evaluate and analyze federal expenditure budget, debt obligations, and financing needs according to Ecuador sustainable development policies.
• Perform a financial, economic, and regulatory analysis of Ecuador’s readiness for a thematic bond issuance;
• Support the establishment and operationalization of an Interministerial working group
• Develop an evaluation of technical feasibility to issue thematic bonds, performance-based bonds, and climate debt swaps in Ecuador, including identifying weaknesses, gaps, and areas of improvement
• Collect and analyze Ecuador’s economic and financial data
• Deliver presentations to the projects’ primary beneficiaries
• Develop and deliver recommendations to MEF and other relevant ministries to plan future thematic bond emissions
• Assist MEF in identifying, developing and formalizing their Sustainable Finance governance structure
• Support MEF in defining eligible expenditures categories
• Develop and deliver recommendations to NAFIN on impact reporting standards and practices, including the development of indicators for periodic use of proceeds and impact monitoring, standardized procedures for portfolio-level and project-level monitoring and reporting
• Assist MEF in obtaining a Second Party Opinion by a reputable green bond certifier/verifier
• Ensure periodic and accurate validation of work products and deliverables
• Support project reporting to GGGI HQ

• Develop and disseminate capacity development and knowledge sharing products such as insight briefs and toolkits;
• Organize relevant workshops, consultations and focal group discussions with key department-level stakeholders to ensure alignment of GGGI´s service with client needs. 
• Participate in any other relevant activities deemed necessary for the development of GGGI’s Mexico and Regional programs, including monitoring and evaluation of related activities.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Economy, Finance, Public Administration or other related fields. An advanced degree in Policy, Public Finance, Public Administration, Economics, or a relevant field is a plus.
• Preferably 7 years of professional experience in public finance roles, structuring vanilla bonds, contracting loans, or raising public debt
• Experience in client facing roles in public institutions or development agencies, establishing and leading technical working groups is highly desired.
• Understanding of green finance and sustainable financial instruments (bonds, grants, debt, guarantees and equity) is a plus
• Previous work experience in Ecuador’s public sector institutions, international organizations or multinationals working in Ecuador on public finance issues is a strength
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and a proven ability to develop, maintain and enhance relationships with a variety of internal and external contacts
• Fluent in English and Spanish (written and verbal)

FUNCTIONAL

• Entrepreneurial and innovative in spirit and approach, with a ccomprehensive understanding of the significance of green growth to developing and emerging countries, as well as the financial implications and deep understanding of financial instruments that can fund climate ambitions and initiatives.
• Exceptional analytical skills, alongside strong synthesis and strategic thinking skills
• Outstanding stakeholder engagement, client relationship, communication and consensus building skills
• Proven project delivery experience, i.e. managing the delivery of results on time and on budget
• Leadership, teamwork and creative problem-solving abilities
• Able to pick up and assimilate relevant information quickly and easily. Learns new tasks rapidly. Responds swiftly and appropriately. Can think on their feet in rapidly changing environments.
• Sets high but achievable standards for self and others. Seeks opportunities to improve process and outcomes. Constantly reviews performance to identify areas of improvement.
• Capacity to provide technical guidance towards strategic targets, work plans and high-quality deliverables, understanding the counterparts´ needs, limitations and capacities.
• Excellent ability to multi-task and prioritize under stressful circumstances.
• Attention to detail, quality control and strong organizational abilities.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and Spanish are essential for this position.

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values.
• Promote the optimum use of public resources
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Process and share information easily.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Promote creativity and innovation among staff.
• Be able to lead where needed and provide solutions to project-level challenge.

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.