Community-led Finance Global Advisor

The Nature Conservancy•Copenhagen, VA

6d•$83,760 - $124,200•Remote

About The Position

Within TNC’s Office of Equitable Conservation, the Community-led Economies & Finance (CLEF) team works to ensure that Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and smallholders are at the center of the economic and financial systems that affect their lands, waters, and livelihoods. This role serves as the team’s senior technical strategist for community-led finance, shaping how financial systems can serve Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The position designs and advances a portfolio of work spanning direct access to finance for IP&LC organizations, financial inclusion for communities and community enterprises, and the reform of conservation finance instruments to embed equity, participation, and community governance. This is not a desk-based strategy role; it requires close collaboration with regional, local, and global teams. The relationship is deeply bidirectional and anchored in trust-building and right relations. While finance is the primary domain, this position also contributes to the team’s markets and economies work where financial expertise is needed. The position is globally remote within countries where TNC has an established office and requires a flexible schedule to collaborate across time zones (Pacific through East Africa) and a willingness to travel internationally (approximately 20–25%).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in development economics, public finance, conservation finance, international development, or a related field, and a minimum of 6 years of related experience — gained through formal training, professional practice, and/or lived experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Experience in community finance, conservation finance, development economics, or related practice areas, with demonstrated depth in one or more of: IP&LC-led fund design, PES or results-based mechanisms, conservation trust funds, blended or impact finance, microfinance/community banking, or social protection instruments.
Experience working directly with or in service to Indigenous Peoples, local communities, or community-based organizations — not solely in advisory roles external to those communities.
Demonstrated commitment to equity, Indigenous rights, self-determination, and community governance in both process and outcomes of financial and development work.
Experience managing complex projects across multiple geographies and coordinating with partners and teams over whom there is no direct supervisory authority.
Strong analytical, quantitative, and communication skills, including the ability to translate technical finance concepts into language accessible to non-specialist audiences.
Cross-cultural work experience, including in low- and middle-income countries.
Written and oral fluency in English.
Willingness to travel internationally approximately 20–25%, including occasional evenings or weekends to accommodate field visits and cross-time-zone collaboration.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) in a relevant field.
Experience working for or with grassroots IP&LC organizations, Indigenous-led funds, or community-led financial institutions.
Familiarity with global conservation finance architecture, including mechanisms such as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, Tropical Forest Forever Facility, debt-for-nature conversions, and climate finance facilities.
Experience with Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and rights-based approaches to financial design.
Experience with blended finance platforms, green inclusive finance mobilization strategies, or similar innovative financing approaches.
Multisectoral experience spanning private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese; additional languages spoken in TNC focal geographies (French, Bahasa Indonesia, Swahili) are valued.
Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in an evolving, unstructured environment where approaches are being co-created with partners.

Responsibilities

Advance and co-develop the team’s strategic approach to community-led finance in collaboration with regional, local, and global teams — grounded in Indigenous rights, self-determination, and equitable governance principles.
Provide thought partnership on how financial mechanisms — including PES, conservation trust funds, IP&LC-led funds, green and blended finance, and social protection instruments — can be reformed or redesigned to center community voice and decision-making.
Identify emerging opportunities in global conservation finance (e.g., biodiversity funds, debt-for-nature mechanisms, climate finance facilities), evaluate the enabling conditions required for these mechanisms to work for IP&LCs, and advise on how to ensure access, governance roles, and benefit-sharing.
Advance financial inclusion strategies that connect community enterprises to savings, credit, and banking instruments, including village savings and loan models and sustainable lending partnerships.
Shape and prioritize a portfolio of finance initiatives across multiple regions and conservation activity stages, in collaboration with regional, local, and global teams.
Develop terms of reference, manage contracts, review deliverables, and advise on consultancy design for priority initiatives.
Coordinate with responsible teams to define how the portfolio measures results and success, linking initiatives to TNC’s 2030 Goals and the institution-wide project portfolio.
Coordinate across Equitable Conservation to ensure coherence and embed community-led finance perspectives into broader divisional strategy.
Co-develop with local, regional, and global teams replicable frameworks, guidance documents, and evidence products that capture place-based innovation, and facilitate cross-regional learning — ensuring that models developed in one geography inform and strengthen approaches elsewhere.
Collaborate with adjacent TNC teams — including Impact Finance & Markets, Tackle Climate Change, and regional finance leads — to embed community-led finance approaches into broader organizational strategies so that natural climate solutions and conservation outcomes are supported by financial systems that center community participation and governance.
Contribute financial and economic analysis to the team’s markets and economies work, including investment pathway design, financial viability assessments for value chains, and cost-benefit analyses for scaling decisions.
Build and manage partnerships with external organizations — including multilateral development banks, research institutions, peer conservation organizations, and IP&LC-led networks — in support of shared financing objectives.
Represent the team’s work at multilateral events and policy platforms (e.g., COP, Climate Week, regional forums) where community-led finance perspectives can influence conservation and climate finance agendas.
Support fundraising and donor cultivation by co-designing fundable platforms, shaping narratives grounded in evidence and community voice, and contributing technical content to proposals.