World Resource Institute is hiring a
This will be a hybrid position based in Nairobi, Kenya. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission. WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position.
About the Program:
In Africa, WRI’s Cities Program covers several initiatives in various African cities. Mobility, Urban Water Resilience, Cities4Forests and Air Quality are among these initiatives. The Urban Mobility Program works in key solution areas including sustainable integrated public transport, road safety, walking and bicycling, new mobility, transport demand management, mobility planning and accessibility. The Urban Water Resilience Initiative works with city stakeholders to help address their water risks and vulnerabilities through research, spatial analysis, technical assistance, capacity building to undertake strategic planning and identify place-based interventions and securing funding and financing resources to implement solutions. The Cities4Forests Initiative is a global alliance of more than 90 cities acting to conserve, restore, and sustainably manage nature, especially the world’s forests, for human well-being. Our member cities catalyze major nature-friendly policy changes, facilitate the flow of finance for nature-based projects, and advocate for gender and social equity, tropical forest conservation, and restoration on the global stage.
Together these initiatives partner with cities and experts to enhance capacity and demonstrate solutions (policy, program and infrastructure solutions), and support collective action to improve enabling environments. As a key component of this work the initiative aims to help cities better utilize and coordinate public sector funds and climate development aid to leverage private finance to increase access to safe water services and reduce exposure to water and climate hazards. The African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund) and the NBS Accelerator are two sub-programs jointly initiated by the Urban Water Resilience program and the Cities4Forest program dedicated to help cities improve and scale financing for building climate resilience. The Air Quality initiative of WRI focuses on the identification of the sources of pollution as well as suggesting solutions. Clean Air Catalyst is one of the initiatives of the WRI’s Air Quality work. Clean Air Catalyst is a global consortium of organizations that complements traditional efforts to strengthen air quality management capacity. The project achieves this by tackling two critical bottlenecks that hinder clean air action: the gap between recognizing a problem and awareness of the solution; and the often-high cost of reducing emissions, with is unevenly distributed alongside the benefits of action.
Job Highlight:
As Grants and Finance Associate, you will provide administrative, finance and operational support for the Cities team, coordinating with program and support staff in WRI’s Africa & Global offices. In this role, you will be responsible for executing financial and administrative tasks with a major focus (60% of your time) on the implementation of two projects: i) Scaling Urban NBS for Climate Adaptation in Sub-Saharan Africa (SUNCASA) and ii) Accelerating Just, Inclusive, Resilient and Nature-Positive Cities Transition (funded by DANIDA). You will handle the financial activities of Cities program in WRI Africa, focusing on Kenya and South Africa. You will be responsible for supporting the Cities Program team with capacity in all necessary aspects of financial administration, procurement, accounting, event coordination and logistics, grants and contracts execution to ensure strict adherence to internal controls, donor guidelines, mandated laws, proper record keeping, and efficient administration. You will work closely with the Cities Program team, the WRI Africa Finance Manager and the Global Operations and Finance teams, including the Cost and Pricing team, Grants and Contracts team, and Accounting team.
What will you do:
Financial Management (50%):
Grants and Contracts Management (30%):
Administration and Event Logistics (20%):
What will you need:
Potential Salary:
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.
How to Apply:
Please submit a resume with cover letter by November 20 2023.
You must apply through the WRI Careers portal to be considered.
What we offer:
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 and 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.