Senior Associate, Climate and Environmental Programs

Opportunity Finance Network • Washington, DC, United States • $200k - $250k / year • 1m ago

Please review the How to Apply section for application instructions.

22 Jan 2024

Full-Time Senior Associate, Climate and Environmental Programs

OFN has an exciting new opening for a talented individual to support the development, implementation, and oversight of OFN’s climate and environmental programs. This is a hands-on role to support day-to-day project coordination for our green financing strategy and provide subject matter expertise on greenhouse gas reduction. The climate and environmental programs include but are not limited to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) and other initiatives that benefit low-wealth communities and community development finance institutions (CDFIs).

OFN is a leading national network of CDFIs headquartered in Washington, D.C. In pursuit of our mission to align capital with social, economic, climate, and political justice, OFN supports its 400+ member CDFIs to drive transformational change in underinvested rural, urban, and Native communities nationwide. We help money flow to people and places where traditional finance doesn’t reach. As a financial intermediary, OFN secures private capital for CDFIs through strategic partnerships with leading corporations such as Google and Twitter (now X), mainstream financial institutions such as Bank of America and Wells Fargo, and philanthropic organizations such as the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

OFN builds the strength of its membership and other CDFIs through financial products and services, events, training, research, policy advocacy, and visibility. Currently, OFN has an on-balance sheet loan portfolio of almost $190 million, manages capital on and off-balance sheets of over a $1 billion, and has plans to bring an additional $1 billion in new private capital to the industry.

This position is based in Washington, D.C. All staff currently work a hybrid schedule.

Core Responsibilities:

Support the planning, development, and implementation of initiatives that further OFN’s agenda on green financing, including Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and other Inflation Reduction Act-related initiatives.
Manage climate-related special initiatives and support Climate team functions, such as the climate help desk, climate transaction pipeline development activities, climate workforce development initiatives, climate webinars and outreach activities, climate research projects, and climate communities on CDFI Connect.
Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to advance climate-related work in OFN’s three strategic areas of focus: technical assistance and capacity building (including convenings), lending and grant products for members (including climate lending portfolio management and reporting/tracking), and policy and advocacy work.
Coordinate internal integration of climate considerations into OFN’s operational areas, including member enrollment, marketing and communications, and fundraising development.
Coordinate online and in-person meetings of OFN’s climate governance bodies, including the Climate Industry Advisory Council and the Sustainability Committee.
Support creation of the environmental and climate-related content on OFN’s website, social media accounts, action alerts, supporter communications, and other communications aimed toward the general public.
Maintain key relationships with partner organizations and environmental and climate related coalitions.
Liaise with contractors as needed.
Maintain a keen awareness of issues related to climate, the environment, and energy in our strategic priority areas and provide subject matter expertise on greenhouse gas emissions reduction and community-oriented climate finance.
Represent the organization externally in partner meetings and industry events, as requested.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in finance, public policy, public administration, natural resource management, environmental or urban planning, or related fields or 5-7 years of work experience in lieu of a degree required.
Minimum 3+ years of relevant experience is required.
Willing to receive directional guidance and then use organizational/time management skills to independently manage multiple tasks and prioritize work on diverse assignments with strong attention to detail in a fast-paced setting in an effective and efficient manner.
Demonstrated passion for and commitment to environmental justice and social change.
An understanding of environmental science concepts related to air quality or carbon accounting is desired.
An understanding of the environmental regulatory powers and authority of the state and federal agencies desired is desired.
An understanding of ESG reporting frameworks and standards is desired.
Experience with financing green lending projects or community greenhouse gas reduction projects is preferred.
Proven track record in project management; project management training is preferred.
Experience working within a community-based nonprofit organization or CDFI and knowledge of and strong commitment to community development is preferred.
Ability to interface with employees at all levels of the organization, both internally and externally and work well with diverse constituents is required.
Possess a leadership style that emphasizes the value of collaboration, communication, service, transparency, teamwork, and accountability.
Possess high initiative and self-starting capabilities; the demonstrated ability to identify and seize opportunities for impact in sometimes messy, uncertain contexts.
Outstanding written, oral, and interpersonal communications skills.
Superior customer service and relationship building skills.
Occasional travel required (5-10% of time).
Comfortable working in a small office environment.
The job involves normal physical requirements for an office position.