Regional Representative (West Africa Region)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of this position is for the individual to provide strategic leadership in program management, investment engagement, country supervision, technical group coordination, and stakeholder engagement.   

1. Program Management:

• Empower and support teams within the region to apply excellence in project management and delivery outstanding impact in project portfolios
• Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of programs and projects within the region.
• Monitor program performance against established goals and objectives, making adjustments as necessary to ensure successful outcomes.
• Lead cross-functional teams to achieve program milestones and deliverables on time and within budget.

2. Investment Engagement:

• Develop and implement investment strategies to drive sustainable development within the assigned region.
• Identify and assess potential investment opportunities, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and priorities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders, including governments, private sector entities, and development partners, to attract and secure investment for projects.
• Leading transformational initiatives that aim to mobilize green investment to a scale that contributes to enabling GGGI to reach or exceed the 2030 Strategy KPIs.
• Leads the preparation and documentation of project development together with the client; uses suitable skills to develop solutions to overcome impasses; and leads project development to bankability.
• Recommends changes to the project structure to make the project more "bankable", determines appropriate mix of investment instruments (e.g., use of loan equity, quasi-equity, grants, in what amounts, etc.)
• Support proposal writing and resource mobilization. Receive project updates from and provide regular advice and support to GIS staff placed in the African region.
• Proactively uses structuring skills in complex situations to design projects.
• Uses skills and relationship building to bring projects to bankability and mobilize finance for projects in the hundreds of millions (working with project owners, oversee or undertake early stage project origination or project preparation on transformational green projects and investments in different sectors including climate smart agriculture and value chains, green infrastructure, renewable energy)

3. Country Supervision:

• Provide inclusive leadership and guidance in the supervision of projects within individual countries in the west Africa region.
• Foster strong trust centred relationships with government officials, partner organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration and project success.
• Monitor and assess the political, economic, and social landscape in each country to inform strategic decision-making.

4. Technical Group Leadership:

• Lead and coordinate the activities of the technical group, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and project objectives. Empower and coach colleagues to deliver ambitious and impactful projects.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among technical experts within the group.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to inform decision-making and enhance project effectiveness.

5. Stakeholder Engagement:

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector partners, NGOs, and community representatives.
• Represent the organization at regional forums, conferences, and events to promote its mission and objectives.

Additionally, in coordination with the relevant GGGI Units, external experts, and organizations, S/he will co-lead the research, analysis, and packaging of relevant local and global lessons and learning materials into knowledge products that are applicable to the context of the project. S/he will design and deliver innovative capacity development activities and utilize available technologies to influence the participation of target stakeholders while ensuring the achievement of learning outcomes.

ENGAGEMENT  

The Regional Representative manages a portfolio of programs/projects in the west Africa countries, engaging with country teams, in-house and external experts/organizations. The Regional Representative provides technical advice and guidance to other staff members and leads capacity building of internal staff and government officials in the area of Investment project design, preparation and implementation. The Regional Representative plays a critical role in building, maintaining, and strengthening partnerships with government counterparts and international/local stakeholders in the public and private sectors. The Regional Representative will play a pivotal role by working and coordinating all others technical regional lead in the Africa region.

• Engages with members states and GGGI country teams to anticipate market trends and identify and develop new business opportunities.   
• Leverages a network of internal and external technical experts to efficiently research and evaluate opportunities to increase the sustainable development components of projects  
• Leverages a broad understanding of the elements of sustainable development to structure or restructure project, , program and transactions  
• Keep abreast on socio-economic and political changes in the environment and conduct timely strategic review of GGGI’s country program to ensure ongoing relevance
• Maintain close communication with the Regional Director and HQ on relevant factors
• Anticipates potential obstacles to achieving team goals and provides insight/guidance to team members to effectively address those obstacles 
• Sets high performance standards for project delivery to meet or exceed client expectations, manages overall process and takes responsibility for team output, coordinates tasks and delegates decision making among team members and ensures adherence to timelines to successfully lead project team 

DELIVERY

The expected delivery from the Regional Representative involves a combination of strategic planning, effective execution, collaboration, and leadership. The goal is to drive positive outcomes that align with the organization's mission and contribute to sustainable development in the Africa region. Regular reporting, continuous improvement, and adaptability to changing circumstances are also critical components of successful delivery in this role.

• Develop and implement comprehensive investment strategies aimed at fostering sustainable development in the assigned region.
• Identify and evaluate potential investment opportunities in alignment with organizational goals and priorities.
• Collaborate with diverse stakeholders, including governments, private sector entities, and development partners, to attract and secure investments for projects, ensure effective collaboration and project success.
• Lead transformative initiatives to mobilize green investment at a scale that contributes to achieving or surpassing the 2030 Strategy Key Performance Indicators .
• Take the lead in preparing and documenting project development in collaboration with clients, utilizing problem-solving skills to overcome challenges and ensuring projects are bankable.
• Recommend changes to project structures to enhance bankability, determining the optimal mix of investment instruments such as loans, equity, quasi-equity, and grants.
• Support proposal writing and resource mobilization efforts, providing regular advice and support to GIS staff located in the African region.
• Utilize strong structuring skills in complex situations to design projects proactively.

• Oversee the end-to-end planning, execution, and evaluation of programs and projects within the region.
• Monitor program performance against established goals and objectives, making necessary adjustments to ensure successful outcomes.
• Lead cross-functional teams to achieve program milestones and deliverables within specified timelines and budget constraints.

• Provide leadership and guidance in supervising projects within individual countries in the region.
• Cultivate strong relationships with government officials, partner organizations, and stakeholders to ensure effective collaboration and project success.
• Monitor and assess the political, economic, and social landscape in each country, informing strategic decision-making.

• Lead and coordinate the activities of the technical group, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and project objectives.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among technical experts within the group.
• Stay informed about industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies to enhance decision-making and project effectiveness.

• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, private sector partners, NGOs, and community representatives.
• Represent the organization at regional forums, conferences, and events to promote its mission and objectives.

REQUIREMENTS

QUALIFICATIONS

• Preferred minimum of 12 years of relevant professional experience that combines intellectual and managerial leadership in strategic planning, with a strong focus in the area(s) of sustainable development, climate change, management consulting for non-profits, preferably at the international level.
• Advanced University degree in areas such as international business or economics with further financial/economics training (Masters in Finance or MBA or equivalent).
• Hands-on project management experience, an ability to efficiently manage a large number of activities simultaneously and to navigate through complex environments.
• Willingness and ability to travel
• Good appreciation of capacity challenges across a broad set of relevant stakeholders (e.g., local, and national governments, civil society, private sector, particularly rural based micro businesses and/or start-ups targeted to provide development solutions) in Africa.
• Proven experience in writing proposals for climate finance /resources mobilization
• Excellent knowledge of English and French both spoken and written.
• Experience coordinating successful functions and events (workshops, meetings, etc.) that are smoothly run and well-facilitated, equipped with the latest technologies supporting effective interactions among participants.
• Experience in producing high-quality documentation and designing presentation material is a must.

FUNCTIONAL

• Dedicated team player, with result-oriented, pro-active, and creative mindset to solve problems.
• Able to perform duties on time under time and political constraints.
• Ability to work independently while proactively seeking concurrence and instructions.
• Excellent multi-cultural literacy and interest in being a part of an international team working in an evolving and entrepreneurial environment.
• High level of analytical thinking
• Excellent communication, presentation, writing, facilitation, and networking skills.
• Highly organized and able to effectively and efficiently multi-task and prioritize.

CORPORATE

• Understand and actively supports GGGI’s mission, vision and values. GGGI values are inclusive, bold, transformational, excellence and integrity.
• Promote an organizational culture of trust, transparency, respect and partnership.
• Excels at problem solving, ask questions and seeks support when needed, shares easily information and knowledge with others both internally as externally.
• Manage emotions and stress positively, builds rapport and resolves conflict easily.
• Be able to lead where needed and provide solutions to challenges.
• Strong understanding and ability to execute operational processes that lead to successful project delivery.

Introduction

Based in Seoul, The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as "green growth", which targets key aspects of economic performance such a poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. The organization partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government bodies, and private sector to help build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change.

GGGI has a diverse portfolio of programs in developing countries around the world. These in-country programs, together with global products and services, focus on delivering results through an integrated approach of evidence-based green growth planning and implementation aligned to countries’ development priorities. The organization also focuses on knowledge development and management activities which build a strong theoretical and empirical basis for green growth, while providing concrete options and guidance for policymakers; as well as building the conditions for public and private green infrastructure investments.  

In 2021, GGGI is established a Regional Office for Africa, located in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. This Regional Office manages and coordinates GGGI’s current activities in Africa region, serves to engage with Africa regional organizations, develop new regional activities, develop, and manage engagements with countries interested to joining GGGI, and supports the engagement of GGGI member and partner countries. The Africa Regional Office is led by the GGGI’s Director for Africa.