This position will be based in WRI’s Global Office in Washington, DC in the United States. It will require regular in-person work.
About the Program:
WRI’s Global Restoration Initiative informs, enables, and invests in people that restore degraded land. The team’s flagship investment program for locally led African community-based non-profits and businesses, TerraFund for AFR100, currently provides finance and training for 100 growing organizations that create sustainable jobs across 27 member countries of the AFR100 Initiative.
In 2023 and beyond, this program will finance hundreds of additional restoration champions in target landscapes in Africa: the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; the Greater Rift Valley of Kenya; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt. Through Harit Poonji, a new landscape restoration fund focused on India, the initiative will fund champions in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
Job Highlight:
As a Research Analyst on the growing TerraFund team, you will structure and analyze data submitted by land restoration champions that are applying for and have received funding from the program.
In this new position, you will analyze a structured database of information about the investment pipeline across Africa, India, and other geographies, working closely with the product team behind TerraMatch, the initiative’s application and monitoring, reporting, and verification system. You will categorize proposed and funded projects according to their investment readiness, location, value chains, technical assistance needs, carbon credit feasibility, etc.
You will equip project management, investment, monitoring, and government engagement experts from WRI and partner organizations with the data that they need to inspire further investment and communicate the impact of local restoration champions. As the pipeline of projects expands and shifts over time, you will analyze and communicate the core trends within that pipeline to internal and external partners in the form of research and communications products.
Your recommendations and insights will directly inform the structure and composition of investment portfolios that are presented to philanthropists, corporations, private investors, and multilateral development banks.
This is a unique opportunity to work directly with a dynamic team of experts that is dedicated to resourcing locally led organizations at the core of the world’s movement to restore degraded land.
What you will do:
Portfolio Analysis (70%)
- Manipulate and clean data provided by restoration champions through the TerraMatch system to categorize them into tiers of investment readiness, value chains, restoration intervention type, etc.
- Analyze trends within the database and produce regular updates on the state of the portfolio for the project management, investment, monitoring, and government engagement teams at WRI and partner organizations
- Build investment portfolios for potential funders and donors to match their expressed needs with opportunities in the pipeline
- Work with the TerraMatch product team to ensure that data entering the platform is easily accessible, analyzable, and consistent and that it can presented in easy-to-use dashboards
- Provide data for the fundraising teams to include in grant applications, reports, and pitches
Research (20%)
- Track the latest trends in portfolio analysis methods and data presentation methods adopted by other investment pipeline managers and integrate into WRI’s approach
- Manage the process for writing, editing, and gathering feedback for WRI knowledge products related to the investment pipeline. Contribute data and analysis to those publications
- Provide data to independent researchers and third-party verifiers that are analyzing the portfolio, as requested
Communications (10%)
- Provide the Restoration communications team with data to enhance written communications, videos, and graphics
- Create and produce communication products and creative written articles about the investment pipeline, designed for investors, donors, and government stakeholders
What you will need:
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in data science, environmental sciences, social sciences, or other related field
- Experience: 3+ years of experience, including in data and research
- Demonstrated capacity to use online project management tools and platforms, such as Airtable and Monday.com, and data analysis and database tools, e.g., Stata and Tableau. Familiarity with ArcGIS and other geospatial analysis software is preferred
- Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly about data and insights derived from that data
- Languages: You will be proficient in written and spoken English, with additional fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, and/or Hindi preferred
- Requirements: Existing work authorization in the US is required at the time of application
Potential Salary: Salary range for the position is between 69,000 USD to 78,000 USD. Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply: Please submit a resume with cover letter by the date of August 11, 2023. You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.
What we offer:
- A competitive salary
- Access to the WRI global network with the opportunity to exchange with and learn from passionate colleagues working at the cutting edge of their fields across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the US.
- The chance to have an impact and to develop your career within a mission driven organization with access to varied learning and training opportunities.
- A workplace that strives to put diversity and inclusion at the heart of our work.
- The opportunity to join and get involved in different working groups and affinity groups to shape the future of WRI.
- Commitment to hybrid working model with flexible working hours.
- Generous leave days that increase with tenure.
About Us:
Founded in 1982, World Resources Institute (WRI) is an independent, nonprofit global research organization that turns big ideas into action at the nexus of environment, economic opportunity, and human well-being. We are working to address seven critical challenges that the world must overcome this decade to secure a sustainable future for people and the planet: climate change, energy, food, forests, water, sustainable cities, and the ocean. WRI has a global staff of over 1,800 people with work spanning 60 countries. We have offices in Africa, Brazil, China, Europe, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia and the United States, as well as a growing presence in other countries and regions.
The foundation of our work is delivering high-quality research, data, maps, and analysis to solve the world’s greatest environment and international development challenges and improve people’s lives. We work with leaders in government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious action and create change on the ground. Equally important, we bring together partners to develop breakthrough ideas and scale-up solutions for far-reaching, enduring impact.
Our mission and values:
WRI’s mission is to move human society to live in ways that protect Earth’s environment and its capacity to provide for the needs and aspirations of current and future generations.
Our values are shared ideals that bind us together: Integrity, Innovation, Urgency, Independence, Respect.
Our culture:
WRI is committed to advancing gender and social equity for human well-being in our mission and applies this principle to our organizational and programmatic practices. We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, we embrace all diversity and encourage women, the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply. Recognizing our strong commitment to gender equality, WRI has also been awarded EDGE certification.
Our team in Human Resources carefully reviews all applications.
