Project: Greening Financial Systems Technical Assistance Programme (GFS TA)

The European Investment Bank is the European Union climate bank. The EIB has set ambitious targets to exceed 50% of its lending activity by 2025 supporting climate action and environmental sustainability, with a €1 trillion investment leverage. This investment is aligned with the Paris Agreement and the sustainable finance principles, addressing climate-related financial risks but also harnessing opportunities related to a greener future. EIB also recognises the need to strengthen climate resilience in vulnerable regions across the world, working with financial institutions and regulators. The introduction of climate action in the financial sector is critical in accelerating and building resilience in the deployment of climate investment.

The Greening Financial Systems Technical Assistance Programme (GFS TA) is an EIB flagship initiative focused in supporting regulators and financial intermediaries in creating an enabling environment to catalyse funding and integrating climate risk in the investment process. The GFS TA Programme is structured into two vertical components, offering advisory and tailored support to amplify climate action to central banks, regulators, and financial intermediaries.  Component 1 focuses in supporting central banks and financial supervisors in addressing climate risk and green financing. Component 2. Supporting financial institutions in scaling up green financing. A transversal component is aimed at improving green finance capacities, fostering knowledge sharing among FIs, central banks and regulators, as well as raising awareness. The GFS TA Programme is embedded in the EIB investment cycle, providing advisory and lending in ten focus countries in Africa and Eastern Europe. 

The GFS TA Programme is funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) Fund whose first contributor is the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (“BMWK”). The Programme is implemented by the EIB, in close coordination with the NDC Partnership. 

DAI is looking to recruit Senior Expert in climate action, climate risk management and/or green finance for Country Technical Assistance Operations Lead (Country Lead) Vietnam

Specific objective

The Country Lead will provide strategic and technical insight to the GFS TA (GFS TA) Implementation Team, on a continuous part-time basis throughout the GFS TA. This will be used in informing the GFS Implementation Team and the Programme Management Team at EIB on current practices and emerging trends within the financial sector, with respect to climate action, climate risk management and green finance, such as the introduction of national or bank-specific green financing programmes and products, new commercial bank climate or green finance initiatives and general climate and environment activities and initiatives of a non-financial nature that could be relevant to the GFS TA. 

The Country Lead is the relationship manager for the GFS TA, and as such, s/he is the visible face before public and private sector stakeholders, assuring they have a clear, single focal point of contact and that TA sub-assignment team leads have ongoing local support and advice of their work programmes. The Country Lead will contribute with a specialised perspective on the developments and implementation of existing approaches and instruments to scale up green and climate financing through financial intermediaries, whether at the national level or specific to certain leading-edge financial intermediaries. The Country Lead is expected to bring an understanding of the challenges and barriers to climate risk management and green finance at the national level, as well as of potential opportunities for removing institutional, regulatory and market barriers through the GFS TA sub-assignments. It is of particular importance to pay attention to the knowledge and capacity building events and activities that help to bridge the gaps between policy and practice, hindering green investment and proper climate risk management at the national level.

The Country Lead will have: 

• An understanding of both the national and international green and climate finance landscape, including an understanding of the state of implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), how national commitments before the Paris Agreement are tracked, and how financial institutions currently approach, and/or which financial institutions are active with respect to, climate action, climate risk management and green finance.
• Awareness of national green and climate finance initiatives that fit within the GFS Programme and the ability to reach country representatives of those initiatives when and as needed to carry out the functions of the Country Lead role. Understanding and knowledge of climate finance reporting platforms, tools and methodologies to track progress on climate action.
• A general understanding of climate risk management, stress tests and scenario building, as well as experience in supporting reporting under the TCFD framework, ISSB and other standards for climate risk disclosures and reporting.
• Proven capacities in efficient coordination and oversight of complex and simultaneous project activities. Ability to provide guidance and oversight to small teams including when such teams are working remotely.
• Experience in designing and delivering training programmes, workshops and presentations for diverse stakeholder groups, preferably with an emphasis on financial system stakeholders.
• Understanding of financial markets, commercial bank operations and key elements of credit analysis, particularly with regard to ESG due diligence, and climate finance. Knowledge of the activities and programs of national development banks and specialized public sector lending institutions, and the activities, products and services of domestic financial institutions, especially with respect to the use of green credit lines.
• Capacity to provide strategic and executive insight, including the assessment of promising coordination and synergies with other programmes operating in parallel to the GFS TA Programme.

Qualifications and skills required: 

• A master’s degree in financial management, business administration, sciences, environmental economics, climate change, economics, econometrics, international relations or other relevant advanced degree.
• Preferably 15 years, at least 10 years of experience in serving the financial sector, with proven experience in climate, credit and market risk management, development and use of green, climate and blended finance approaches and tools, reporting and standards, as well as environmental, social and governance (ESG) best practices. 

Specific professional experience: 

• Proven experience with institutional and capacity development in the climate change and climate finance sector, including green and climate transactions, standards and reporting.
• Experience in working with regulated financial institutions with respect to green and climate finance, SME finance, strategies, policies, product development and/or general approaches to targeted lending and risk management.
• Experience working in/with bilateral/multilateral programmes; ideally including practical knowledge of the EU climate taxonomy, international climate and impact reporting standards and knowledge of relevant investment stakeholders in the field of climate change, environment and/or climate finance.
• Strong team and consensus-building, leadership and conflict-resolution capacities.
• Strong presentation, facilitation and report-writing skills.
• Proficiency with basic office applications, including MS Office.
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines, including the ability to integrate feedback from team members and stakeholders.
• Language skills: Demonstrated excellent command of spoken and written English.

Input and location: The Country Lead (Senior NKE) is required to work in-country (Vietnam) for up to 100 working days per year.

Deadline for submission of applications & CVs from interested candidates: 30 April 2025

If you are interested kindly submit a CV in English, indicating field (s) of expertise and experience.

CV’s considered relevant will be included in the existing pool of experts and only pre-selected candidates will be contacted!