MNA Fellow

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. The WBG Knowledge Bank brings together the World Bank (IBRD/IDA) and IFC into a single WBG knowledge system that delivers integrated solutions to our clients at scale. The Planet Vertical within the WBG’s Knowledge Bank consists of Agriculture, Climate, Environment, and Water practices, and aims to promote sustainable management of natural resources, including water and forests, to secure climate resilience on a livable planet for future, more productive, generations. The Environment practice (ENV) includes the Nature Finance team, who are working to scale up IFC and IBRD/IDA investments that generate positive outcomes for nature in emerging markets and channel resources towards meeting the Global Biodiversity Framework’s goal of halting and reversing nature loss. The Nature Finance team collaborates closely with other institutions across the World Bank Group and other Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) to scale investments for nature. The WBG signed the Joint Statement on Nature, People and Planet, committing MDBs to mainstream nature into their operations and contributed to developing the MDB Common Principles for Tracking Nature Finance and MDB Common Nature Finance Taxonomy. The team also helped to develop the WBG Nature Finance Tracking Methodology and successfully piloted the methodology in FY24 and FY25 and operationalized in FY26. Beyond standard development, the Nature Finance team also works directly with IFC regional and industry investment teams across sectors to identify and develop nature finance opportunities, advise on project design, help structure transactions, and coordinate with regional World Bank teams to foster business enabling environments that generate measurable positive outcomes for nature. This hands-on engagement with the investment pipeline is central to the team's mandate and positions nature finance as an active and growing area of the WBG’s business. In this context, the Nature Finance Team is seeking to hire a highly motivated MNA Fellow, based in Washington, DC, to support this work. Duties and Responsibilities The MNA Fellow will be a core member of the Nature Finance Team, reporting to the team’s lead. The Fellow will play a key role in advancing nature finance business as a growing area of investment opportunity, ensuring the operational effectiveness and institutional visibility of the Nature Finance Team, and support the operationalization of the WBG's Nature Finance Tracking Methodology. Specific responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• Execute the strategy to advance WBG’s nature finance business as a fast-growing area of investment opportunity by conducting research to support IFC’s nature finance investment transactions and/or IBRD/IDA projects, such as drafting case studies and identifying best practices across sectors.
• Prepare high-quality technical briefs, talking points, and background materials for senior management participation in global events, conferences, and high-level meetings on nature finance and related topics.
• Develop and refine presentations and knowledge products for team events, internal trainings, and external engagements, ensuring materials are analytically rigorous and tailored to the intended audience.
• Contribute to the operationalization of the Nature Finance Tracking Methodology in IFC via the following key work streams: o Conduct portfolio screening and assessments of IFC projects for nature finance, as well as support colleagues responsible for assessments. o Support the ongoing development and implementation of systems for nature finance tracking, including drafting process notes and standard operating procedures. o Maintain and regularly update an Excel database or equivalent to track the status of nature finance assessments. o Prepare talking points, memos, project assessment reports, and other documents related to nature finance tracking. o Design training sessions to build capacity among relevant teams for tracking and evaluating nature finance projects within IFC operations. o Undertake other related activities as agreed upon with the team lead.
• Carry out additional ad hoc tasks as assigned. The team is based in Washington, DC (HQ), and the candidate must be available to work in-person.