Managing Director, WWF Impact

World Wildlife Fund, Inc.; United States; On-site; USD 181,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Leadership role

Global conservation network

Impact investing initiatives

Job summary

World Wildlife Fund, Inc. seeks a Managing Director for WWF Impact to lead the Nature Finance and Investment team.

This role shapes how private capital flows toward conservation outcomes, overseeing direct early-stage investing and partnerships with external asset managers, while building a high-performing, globally distributed team. The MD will drive strategy, strengthen stakeholder relationships, and advance blended finance structures that align with WWF’s mission.

Qualifications

• Minimum of fifteen years in financial services including private equity, venture capital, impact investing, or conservation finance.
• Advanced degree from finance/BA/IR/political science related field is preferred.
• Proven ability to develop investment strategies, conduct due diligence, and evaluate opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead WWF Impact, overseeing direct early-stage investments and external partnerships with asset managers.
• Forge new asset manager partnerships through due diligence, negotiations, and deal development.
• Oversee the investment portfolio, investment analyses, and governance processes.
• Ensure investment memoranda meet rigorous standards for impact and financial returns.
• Represent WWF Impact at conferences, workshops, and external events.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal teams, funders, and portfolio companies.

Skills

Portfolio management

Strategic leadership

Due diligence

Financial modeling

Blended finance

Stakeholder management

Fundraising

Multilateral finance

Education

Advanced degree in finance/Economics/Business

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

About World Wildlife Fund, Inc.

Founded in 1961, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations dedicated to helping people and nature thrive together. Operating in more than 100 countries, WWF works across diverse regions including Latin America, Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America to address the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. The organization has grown to include nearly one million members in the United States and more than five million members globally, reflecting widespread support for its mission and approach. WWF’s conservation efforts are grounded in scientific research and driven by collaborative partnerships with communities, companies, governments, and other stakeholders. The organization focuses on three interconnected priority areas: conserving biodiversity through habitat protection and species preservation, supporting resilient communities that depend on nature for their livelihoods, and addressing climate change through innovative solutions and sustainable practices. Rather than working in isolation, WWF recognizes that lasting conservation requires integrated approaches that balance environmental protection with human development needs. In recent years, WWF has expanded its work into the nature finance and investment space, recognizing that mobilizing private capital is essential for scaling conservation impact. This evolution reflects a strategic shift toward creating innovative financial mechanisms, blended finance solutions, and investment opportunities that align profit incentives with conservation outcomes. Through its Nature Finance and Investment team, WWF partners with asset managers, development finance institutions, and private sector actors to channel capital toward sectors critical for conservation, including regenerative agriculture, blue economy initiatives, sustainable infrastructure, circular economy solutions, and carbon markets. This approach enables WWF to leverage both philanthropic and commercial capital to achieve conservation goals at the scale required to address global environmental challenges.

About this Role

World Wildlife Fund seeks a Managing Director, WWF Impact to lead a dedicated investment function within the Nature Finance and Investment team. This role represents a unique opportunity to shape how private capital flows toward conservation outcomes while managing a team of skilled investment professionals. The Managing Director will oversee all activities of WWF Impact, which encompasses both direct early-stage investing in conservation-focused startups and partnerships with external sustainable investment asset managers where WWF serves as an impact advisor. The position requires strategic leadership across multiple dimensions. The Managing Director will be responsible for identifying and developing new asset manager partnership opportunities, managing a growing portfolio of direct equity investments, and maintaining critical relationships with internal conservation teams, external partners, and market actors. This role involves navigating complex investment decisions, structuring innovative financial instruments, and ensuring that all investments align with WWF’s conservation mission and impact objectives. The Managing Director will represent WWF Impact at conferences, workshops, and external events, traveling domestically and internationally to priority landscapes in Latin America, Asia, and Africa for up to twenty-five percent of the year. The successful candidate will demonstrate financial acumen, private capital mobilization expertise, and the ability to build trusted relationships across diverse stakeholder groups. The role requires balancing rigorous investment analysis with strategic vision, advancing nature finance innovations through new structures and partnership models, and mobilizing resources from both public and private sources. As a member of the broader NFI leadership team, the Managing Director will contribute to developing integrated nature finance strategies that advance WWF’s conservation goals on a global scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead WWF Impact, the dedicated team within the Nature Finance and Investment function, pursuing both direct early-stage catalytic investing opportunities and external partnerships with asset managers where WWF serves as impact advisor
• Oversee the process to forge new asset manager partnership opportunities through effective partner identification, collaboration, due diligence, and project or fund development
• Work with the WWF Impact team, NFI Management, and WWF programmatic teams to pursue and close high-potential asset management partnerships in priority sectors including regenerative agriculture, blue oceans, sustainable infrastructure, circular economy, and carbon finance
• Play a lead role in negotiating partnerships with potential asset managers and investment partners
• Oversee the early-stage direct investment portfolio, including opportunity pipeline review, investment analysis, and due diligence and legal process management
• Ensure that investment memorandums are well-prepared and uphold rigorous standards for investment and impact analyses
• Lead the investment team in presentations and deliberations in internal governance processes
• Develop, maintain, and advance key internal and external relationships for partnership success, including funding partnerships with philanthropic and investment partners, WWF programmatic goal teams, and portfolio company relationships
• Manage asset manager relationship development and maintenance on an ongoing basis
• Oversee a growing team of professionals within the WWF Impact team
• Manage WWF Impact’s budget and build capacity of both WWF US and Country Office staff in support of capital mobilization to conservation finance
• Represent WWF Impact and NFI at external events, conferences, and workshops
• Travel domestically and internationally to priority landscape regions in Latin America, Asia, and Africa
• Collaborate and develop partnerships across geographies, working closely with WWF’s conservation goal teams, country offices, and private sector engagement and development teams to advance integrated nature finance strategies
• Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

• Minimum of fifteen years of experience in the financial services sector, including private equity, venture capital, impact investing, conservation finance, or environmental and conservation-based investing
• Advanced degree from a relevant field such as finance, business administration, economics, international relations, or political science
• Demonstrated experience developing and evaluating investment strategies, conducting due diligence, and assessing investment opportunities
• Portfolio management experience and expertise in deal structuring
• Knowledge and experience with various capital instruments and blended finance techniques
• Experience working within or alongside multilateral and bilateral finance institutions, including development finance institutions and development banks, in support of investment structuring, partnerships, or capital mobilization initiatives
• Sector expertise in one or more of WWF’s priority areas such as regenerative agriculture and food systems, blue economy or aquaculture, sustainable infrastructure, or carbon markets, with experience working in Latin America, Africa, Asia, or other emerging markets preferred
• Strong preference for candidates who have worked with or in emerging market private equity in environmental sectors and have a track record of designing and executing multi-party blended finance solutions
• Awareness of key components of sustainable investment, including investment instruments, term sheets, blended finance techniques, and deal structuring
• Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills
• Financial modeling skills and fluency with Microsoft Excel
• Ability to review, analyze, and evaluate financial models, financial projections, and company valuations
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex problems and effectively communicate solutions to others
• Competency in a second language, ideally Spanish or Portuguese, is a significant plus
• Strong coordination and teamwork capabilities with excellent interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to manage and deliver against multiple time-sensitive priorities
• Dynamic, creative, and outgoing personality with a commitment to nature conservation
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams
• Alignment with WWF’s core values of courage, integrity, respect, and collaboration
• Legal authorization to work in the United States
• Willingness to travel internationally and domestically

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary ranging from $181,000 to $260,200 based on qualifications and experience
• International and domestic relocation assistance may be offered based on available budget
• Opportunity to lead a growing team of conservation investment professionals
• Role in a mission-driven organization working on global conservation priorities
• Access to a global network of conservation practitioners, scientists, and partners
• Involvement in innovative nature finance and impact investing initiatives
• Membership in a broader organization of nearly one million members in the United States and more than five million globally