Senior Specialist, Sustainable Debt

World Wildlife Fund; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) seeks a Senior Specialist, Sustainable Debt to design, develop, and implement WWF’s debt-based financing initiatives aimed at conservation priorities. You will work across sovereign and corporate opportunities, coordinating with WWF teams, country offices, donors, and external partners to drive high-quality execution.

The role emphasizes rigorous financial analysis, research, and proactive collaboration in a fast-paced environment, with opportunities to influence

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with minimum 6 years of relevant experience; advanced degree with 3 years preferred.
• Experience in finance, economics, international relations, public policy, environmental economics, conservation, or related field.
• Fluency in English; Spanish and/or additional languages desirable.
• Working knowledge of debt instruments and markets; understanding of sustainable debt instruments.
• Ability to manage complex projects involving multiple institutions and partners.
• Strong research, writing, financial analysis, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Support development and implementation of WWF’s sustainable debt portfolio; contribute to origination, structuring, due diligence, and execution.
• Support KPI development and corporate debt guidance for sustainability outcomes; coordinate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Assist in coordinating parallel debt opportunities; track milestones and prepare materials.
• Maintain project management tools, trackers, budgets, and meeting notes for the Sustainable Debt pillar.
• Assist with external engagement, briefing materials, and donor/investor materials.
• Support donor engagement and fundraising materials related to sustainable debt initiatives.

Skills

Financial analysis

Communication

Partnership engagement

Resource mobilization

Global collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Major Function

Situated within WWF’s Nature Finance and Investment (NFI) team, the Senior Specialist, Sustainable Debt supports the design, development, and implementation of WWF’s sustainable debt work to mobilize financing from debt markets for nature and conservation priorities. Reporting to the Senior Director, the Senior Specialist provides technical, analytical, coordination, and relationship management support across sovereign and corporate sustainable debt opportunities, including debt conversions, sustainability-linked loans, sustainability-linked bonds, and related instruments. The role helps advance transaction pipelines, supports due diligence and stakeholder engagement, contributes to the development of science-based conservation and financing frameworks, and coordinates across WWF teams, Country Offices, financial institutions, donors, and external partners to ensure high-quality execution aligned with WWF priorities.

Job Description

Situated within WWF’s Nature Finance and Investment (NFI) team, the Senior Specialist, Sustainable Debt supports the design, development, and implementation of WWF’s sustainable debt work to mobilize financing from debt markets for nature and conservation priorities. Reporting to the Senior Director, the Senior Specialist provides technical, analytical, coordination, and relationship management support across sovereign and corporate sustainable debt opportunities, including debt conversions, sustainability-linked loans, sustainability-linked bonds, and related instruments. The role helps advance transaction pipelines, supports due diligence and stakeholder engagement, contributes to the development of science-based conservation and financing frameworks, and coordinates across WWF teams, Country Offices, financial institutions, donors, and external partners to ensure high-quality execution aligned with WWF priorities.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Support and Implementation: Supports the development and implementation of WWF’s sustainable debt portfolio to mobilize capital for conservation outcomes. Contributes to transaction origination, structuring, due diligence, preparation, and implementation of WWF-supported sustainable debt initiatives, including debt conversions, sustainability-linked bonds, sustainability-linked loans, and related instruments, in close collaboration with NFI colleagues, WWF US teams, external partners, and Country Offices across the global network.
• Corporate Debt and KPI Support: Supports WWF’s ability to provide credible, science-based key performance indicators (KPIs) and conservation guidance for corporate debt instruments that advance high-priority sustainability outcomes. Conducts research, prepares analyses, supports engagement with private sector firms in relevant sectors, and helps coordinate inputs from WWF technical teams and external advisors.
• Transaction Execution Support: Supports the parallel execution of multiple sustainable debt opportunities by coordinating workplans, tracking milestones, preparing materials, and synthesizing technical and financial information.
• Project Coordination: Maintains project management tools, pipeline trackers, budgets, meeting notes, and internal reporting products for the Sustainable Debt pillar. Coordinates across internal teams and external partners to support timely delivery of agreed activities, deliverables, and follow-up actions.
• External Engagement: Supports WWF’s engagement with governments, corporates, financial institutions, multilateral and bilateral partners, donors, legal advisors, technical experts, and civil society organizations. Prepares briefing materials, talking points, presentations, and follow-up documents for meetings and external engagements led by senior team members.
• Resource Mobilization Support: Supports donor and investor engagement by preparing concept notes, proposals, pitch materials, background research, and reporting inputs related to sustainable debt transaction development and implementation.
• Other Duties: Performs other duties as assigned, consistent with the roles and responsibilities of the position.

Qualifications

• Financial and Analytical Acumen: Understands the basic features of debt instruments and applies strong analytical skills to support transaction development, financial analysis, due diligence, and partner engagement.
• Professional Presence and Communication: Communicates clearly and professionally with internal and external stakeholders and prepares high-quality written materials, presentations, and briefings for senior audiences.
• Partnership Engagement and Support: Supports coordination with governments, financial institutions, MDBs, DFIs, private sector actors, technical experts, donors, and civil society organizations.
• Resource Mobilization Support: Contributes to fundraising and investor-engagement materials, donor reporting, and business development products that support sustainable debt initiatives.
• Global Collaboration: Works effectively across cultures, geographies, and a highly matrixed global organization, including coordination with WWF teams, Country Offices, and international partners.

Skills And Abilities

• A bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience in management consulting, finance, conservation finance, international development, debt capital markets, development finance, sustainable finance, project finance, or related field is required; or an advance degree with 3 years of experience is preferred.
• Experience in fields, such as finance, economics, international relations, public policy, environmental economics, conservation, or related field is preferred.
• Demonstrated interest in sustainability, with at least a basic understanding of global environmental commitments/agreements, as well as, of corporate sustainability challenges.
• Working knowledge of debt instruments and markets; basic understanding of sustainable debt instruments, such as debt-for-nature swaps, sustainability-linked bonds, sustainability-linked loans, blended finance structures, or related mechanisms is required.
• Demonstrated ability to support complex projects involving multiple institutions and partners, including public sector, private sector, financial institution, multilateral, bilateral, donor, and civil society stakeholders is preferred.
• Strong research, writing, financial analysis, project coordination, and presentation skills, with the ability to synthesize complex technical, financial, and conservation information for different audiences is required.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, exercise sound judgment, and follow through on tasks in a complex, fast-paced, and highly collaborative environment.
• Experience working in international or cross-cultural settings, including experience with or interest in working with teams and partners in the Global South.
• Experience supporting fundraising, donor engagement, or resource mobilization is a plus.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and ability to develop clear workplans, trackers, presentations, briefing notes, and other project management products.
• Fluency in English is required, as well as strong written, verbal, and presentation skills; Spanish and/or additional languages are highly desirable but not required.
• Ability to travel domestically; mostly internationally no more the 25%
• Committed to building and strengthening a culture of inclusion within and across teams.
• Identifies and aligns with WWF’s core values:
• COURAGE – We demonstrate courage through our actions, we work for change where it’s needed, and we inspire people and institutions to tackle the greatest threats to nature and the future of the planet, which is our home.
• INTEGRITY – We live the principles we call on others to meet. We act with integrity, accountability and transparency, and we rely on facts and science to guide us and to ensure that we learn and evolve.
• RESPECT – We honor the voices and knowledge of people and communities that we serve, and we work to secure their rights to a sustainable future.
• COLLABORATION – We deliver impact at the scale of the challenges we face through the power of collective action and innovation.

Additional Information

This is a 2-year Limited Term position.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship. In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Relocation is not provided for this position.

Please note:

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) promotes equal employment opportunities for all qualified individuals regardless of age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law.