Reporting to: Resource Development Manager, accountable for results to Programme Head, Coasts and Deltas and with supervision by the Head of Office in the country where the position is based.
Full-time/Part-time: Full-time
Location: One of the Wetlands International offices in Asia (Delhi, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, or Bogor) or Europe (Ede); other locations can be considered for exceptional candidates.
Salary: Competitive, depending on expertise/experience.

Wetlands International and Boskalis are both active in a network of international public and private partners in the framework of the global Building with Nature innovation programme are currently developing Building with Nature Asia. This is a ground-breaking 10-year initiative that promotes largescale adoption of nature-based solutions in water engineering across Asia, focusing on both rural and urban environments. With political partners from 5 target countries we are developing dedicated national programmes as well as regional thematic work packages on science, policy, communications and capacity building. The initiative addresses barriers to adoption of nature-based solutions and stimulates multi-billion Euro investment in tangible landscape-scale propositions for Building with Nature.

This position is established in tandem with a Programme Coordinator that will be hired by our corporate partner Boskalis. This set up offers a unique opportunity to build out a public-private initiative, by connecting NGO and corporate environments and strengthening the institutional partnership that was established between Boskalis and Wetlands International in 2020 .

Purpose of the role

The Senior Programme Developer will drive programme development together with the multi-party teams that are operating in each country, adding energy, expertise and ideas to ensure that fundable propositions are generated and discussed with donors in the coming 2 years. The Programme Developer will also facilitate resource mobilization for the Building with Nature Asia programme, working with Resource Development staff and Heads of Office towards a fundraising target of 30-50 million euros for a five-year programme phase. The Programme Developer is expected to develop a fundraising strategy, set-up and maintain a network of bilateral and multilateral funding agencies, organize donor dialogues and ensure engagement and buy-in from Building with Nature Asia partners, coordinating closely with the Communications and Advocacy team across the network organisation.

Responsibilities and tasks

• Develops a business development plan and fundraising strategy for the mobilization of Building with Nature Asia, including for individual geographic and thematic programme components
• Oversees and drives proposal development processes and ensures coordination and buy-in among core partners
• Performs donor scoping and establishes strategies for donor engagement
• Materializes a network with bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, financial and investment institutions (Asia and global) with an interest in green infrastructure
• Organises dialogues with donors and investors from the public and private sector to pitch the Building with Nature Asia programme, nurturing invitations for proposals on specific components of the Building with Nature Asia programme (e.g. knowledge development, demonstration projects, training programmes)
• Tracks and identifies relevant open calls for proposals and invitations to tender and ensures follow up as appropriate
• Ensures donor and investor relationship management throughout the process
• Represents the BwN Asia programme as liaison towards relevant donor & finance institutions
• Manages available seed finance for the development of the Building with Nature Asia program

Working relations

INSIDE WETLANDS INTERNATIONAL – Reporting to Resource Development Manager; Accountable for results to the Programme Head Coasts and Deltas at the Global Office, with secondary accountability to the Heads of Office engaged in the Building with Nature Asia initiative (China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and South Asia). Daily supervision and support will be provided by the Head of Office of the country where the Programme Developer is based and employed.

WITHIN BwN Asia core partnership: Accountable to the BwN Asia Management Team, working in close collaboration with leaders of the partner organisations, and their staff responsible for strategy, technical issues, and communications.

OUTSIDE BwN Asia core partnership: Partner organisations from the Ecoshape network, regional implementation partners to the initiative and political partners in the target countries; global stakeholders involved in the promotion of nature-based solutions including corporates, NGOs and multilateral and government agencies; donor community.

Profile

The Programme Developer is an entrepreneurial matchmaker, with extensive working experience in Asia, excellent networking, donor, and partner stewardship and representational skills, and a demonstrated track record for securing multimillion Euro budgets for innovative projects in environment, development and engineering domains. They have an established, active network among donor agencies and investors and brings in expertise in the development of business cases, fundraising strategies, and subsequent acquisition amongst public and private donors and investors. The Developer is an excellent relationship manager and team player, with experience in the coordination of processes in complex partnerships that span across cultures and disciplines.

Education and experience

• MSc qualification in a relevant discipline (economics, environmental science, engineering)
• At least 10 years of experience and positive track record in business development, program development and fundraising
• An extensive, active network of bi- and multilateral donor agencies (national foreign aid departments, climate funds, private foundations) and investors (development banks, private finance) and a proven track record of successful acquisitions
• Up to date knowledge and insights on key developments in the fields of development and climate finance and investment in the infrastructure sector
• Experienced communicator and advocate who can confidently pitch the Building with Nature vision and programme to different target audiences
• Extensive working experience in Asia and knowledge of the socio-economic, political and cultural context of the region
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience with working in multidisciplinary and multicultural environments
• Basic working knowledge of Building with Nature/ Nature-based solutions, including on implementation models, barriers and enablers to mainstreaming and upscaling of the approach
• Language: excellent communications skills in English essential: written, oral and presentation;
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly;
• Commitment to the overall ambitions of the Building with Nature programme

Preferred:

• An active network among public and private institutions involved in the domain of nature-based solutions
• Written and oral command in one or more of the languages in the target countries (China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines)

Core competencies

• Analytical Thinking – Adopts a systems perspective, assessing and balancing vast amounts of diverse information on the varied systems and subsystems that comprise and affect the working environment.
• Entrepreneurship – Transforms innovative ideas into actions that achieve business or people results.
• Accuracy – Consistently delivers work of a high standard of quality, precision and according to standards, procedures, rules, regulations and expectations.
• Planning and Organizing – Adapts to large, complex and/or frequent changes. Ability to get things done under pressure (result-oriented) while maintaining oversight and planning.
• Organizational and Environmental Awareness – Demonstrates broad understanding of the social and economic context within which the organization operates.
• Teamwork – Facilitates collaboration across the organization and with other organizations to achieve a common goal.

How to apply

To apply for this vacancy, please send us a resume and an application letter indicating your motivation to – Jozefa van der Veen, HR Officer – [email protected]. Please mark in the subject: “Application – Programme Developer BwN Asia”. Questions about the vacancy and/or procedure can also be sent to this email address.

The deadline for the application is 29 February 2024.