About the job

Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa. ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.

High-level Overview

The client is seeking a senior, part-time individual consultant to lead the investment, financing and market-engagement logic of a neutral initiative designed to mobilize capital, finance and demand into African carbon markets.

The consultant will ensure that credible project-pipeline intelligence is translated into practical finance approaches, investor and buyer engagement, and a compelling membership proposition, while preserving the initiative’s role as shared infrastructure, convening and market intelligence rather than a transaction originator, broker or ratings body.

The ideal candidate will bring senior climate-finance and capital-markets judgment, direct familiarity with relevant financing structures, and the credibility to engage investors, financial institutions, buyers, development-finance actors, insurers and senior ecosystem stakeholders. They will work alongside a Technical Carbon Markets Adviser to ensure that financing and demand activity is grounded in credible project, carbon and market-readiness information.

Role & Responsibilities

Reports to: Lead, Carbon Markets

Direct reports: N/A

Candidates required: 1

Key deliverables:

• Lead the investment and finance workstream, translating project-pipeline intelligence into practical priorities for financing, capital mobilization, investor engagement and demand development.
• Establish and curate a practical portfolio of finance case studies and materials covering project-development finance, blended finance, forward offtakes, guarantees, insurance, carbon-linked instruments and bond or debt-capital-market structures.
• Engage investors, financial institutions, buyers, insurers, development-finance actors and other capital providers to identify investment requirements, constraints, decision criteria and engagement opportunities.
• Develop concise investor, buyer and member-facing materials; support targeted senior engagement, roundtables, follow-up and a prioritized prospective-membership pipeline.
• Identify where improved information, demand signals, risk mitigation or financing structures could improve project bankability or unlock investment and offtake, and feed insight into the technical pipeline and market-development work.
• Produce a short commencement workplan and concise handover covering progress, stakeholder activity, outstanding actions and recommendations.

Requirements

Experience Required

• Senior experience in climate finance, sustainable finance, project finance, carbon finance, capital markets or a closely related field.
• Direct experience structuring, assessing, financing or advising on transactions or investment approaches relevant to climate, infrastructure, natural capital or carbon markets.
• Experience engaging investors, banks, development-finance institutions, insurers, buyers, project developers and senior market stakeholders.
• Relevant experience in African markets.

Technical Requirements

• Strong understanding of blended finance, guarantees, insurance or other de-risking instruments, forward purchase or offtake structures, and relevant debt or bond instruments.
• Ability to assess what makes projects financeable, identify material financing bottlenecks and translate transaction insight into practical market-facing materials.
• Working understanding of carbon-market and project-readiness concepts sufficient to partner effectively with a technical carbon-markets specialist.
• Ability to apply commercial judgment while maintaining the neutral, enabling position of a market-development initiative.

Language Requirements

No additional language requirement confirmed.

Soft Skills

• Credible and effective in senior-level stakeholder engagement, with the judgment to convene diverse capital providers without overstating commitments or transaction readiness.
• Strong analytical, written and communication skills, able to turn complex financing experience into concise, decision-useful outputs and coordinate closely with technical and implementation counterparts.

Ideal Candidate Profile

A senior investment and climate-finance practitioner with applied financing, capital-provider engagement and market-development experience. Broad project and portfolio judgment should outweigh a narrow carbon subsector focus.

Working Arrangement

Location: Remote

Working model: Primarily remote, with participation in relevant meetings or travel as agreed

Travel requirements: As agreed; travel or other expenses require prior client approval

Terms of Agreement

Required start date: As soon as practical following recruitment and contracting

Contracting period: Initial three months, with the option to extend up to six months

Capacity allocation: Approximately 2–3 days per week, with flexibility according to priorities

• Lead the investment and finance workstream, translating project-pipeline intelligence into practical priorities for financing, capital mobilization, investor engagement and demand development.
• Establish and curate a practical portfolio of finance case studies and materials covering project-development finance, blended finance, forward offtakes, guarantees, insurance, carbon-linked instruments and bond or debt-capital-market structures.
• Engage investors, financial institutions, buyers, insurers, development-finance actors and other capital providers to identify investment requirements, constraints, decision criteria and engagement opportunities.
• Develop concise investor, buyer and member-facing materials; support targeted senior engagement, roundtables, follow-up and a prioritized prospective-membership pipeline.
• Identify where improved information, demand signals, risk mitigation or financing structures could improve project bankability or unlock investment and offtake, and feed insight into the technical pipeline and market-development work.
• Produce a short commencement workplan and concise handover covering progress, stakeholder activity, outstanding actions and recommendations.

• Strong understanding of blended finance, guarantees, insurance or other de-risking instruments, forward purchase or offtake structures, and relevant debt or bond instruments.
• Ability to assess what makes projects financeable, identify material financing bottlenecks and translate transaction insight into practical market-facing materials.
• Working understanding of carbon-market and project-readiness concepts sufficient to partner effectively with a technical carbon-markets specialist.
• Ability to apply commercial judgment while maintaining the neutral, enabling position of a market-development initiative.
• Credible and effective in senior-level stakeholder engagement.
• Strong analytical, written and communication skills.
• Ability to coordinate closely with technical and implementation counterparts.

• Senior experience in climate finance, sustainable finance, project finance, carbon finance, capital markets or a closely related field.
• Direct experience structuring, assessing, financing or advising on transactions or investment approaches relevant to climate, infrastructure, natural capital or carbon markets.
• Experience engaging investors, banks, development-finance institutions, insurers, buyers, project developers and senior market stakeholders.
• Relevant experience in African markets.