Head of Accreditation Relations

Grade: IS-7
Deadline: 11 May 2025 (11:59 PM KST)
Job Category: International
Salary: USD 198,000 (plus attractive benefits, that include the following allowances (as applicable)): Relocation, dependency, housing, education assistance and home country travel.

Introduction
The Green Climate Fund is the world’s largest dedicated multilateral climate fund and invests in impactful, innovative, catalytic programs and projects in developing countries across the globe. The GCF has a portfolio of 297 projects across 133 countries, with a total commitment of USD 16.6 billion to date.

In 2023, an additional USD 12.8 billion was pledged, to support our new strategic and programming cycle from 2024-2027; our ambition is to grow to become at least a USD 50 billion fund by 2030. Rooted in the core objectives of impact and efficiency, access and a focus on the most vulnerable, and mobilizing a much higher scale of public and private sector financial flows for climate action we have an unparalleled scale of resources, which, together with our risk appetite and flexibility allows us to bring together different partners and stakeholders in innovative partnerships for profound impact. 

GCF is seeking a top-tier individual with a demonstrable track record of harnessing experience, energy and networks to tackle complex global climate change challenges. You will be committed to making a positive, measurable difference through a mission-driven role, and thrive in a fast-paced, diverse environment.  

You will be able to quickly scan and analyze complex, competing issues and lead significant sized teams to find solutions in evolving contexts, across multiple geographic locations. 

You will be a nurturer of people: recognizing and growing the talent around you, exemplifying values of transparency, respect and innovation.

You will be committed to learning, knowledge-sharing, convening and communicating with partners to work together to ideate, develop and implement climate action initiatives that make a profound difference to people and planet.

You will join a team of talented, committed individuals representing almost 80 nationalities contributing skills and experience from academic, scientific, private, government and nonprofit backgrounds.  Together, we work with governments, communities and civil society, technical agencies, and the private sector across the world.

Interested in more information? 
Learn about working for GCF: https://www.greenclimate.fund/about/careers 
View current vacancies: https://jobs.greenclimate.fund/

About the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
Set up in 2010 by the 194 countries who are Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), GCF takes its responsibility as the world’s largest dedicated multilateral climate fund to heart.  GCF funds transformative climate projects across the developing world, supporting countries in their responses and actions to tackle climate change while fostering sustainable development within their communities. 

Our country-driven approach ensures that our actions are tailored to the unique circumstances and national aspirations of each nation we support. Besides channeling public and private sector investment through a broad range of financing instruments, GCF builds the capacity of developing countries to take climate action through an extensive Readiness Programme ensuring countries are increasingly well-equipped and financed to manage their climate futures.

Headquartered in the Republic of Korea, GCF operates with a diverse and talented workforce of over 300 people. 

Position Objective
The Head of Accreditation is a high-level strategic position responsible for shaping and driving GCF's global accreditation framework and its successful implementation. Reporting to the Director of Department of Investment Services, this role leads the strategic direction, implementation, and evolution of GCF's Accreditation Program, a critical gateway for entities seeking to access GCF resources for climate action. The position holder leads a team of high-caliber experts and works across the organization to strengthen the institutional capacities of partner entities and enhance the effectiveness of GCF's partnership network. S/he is responsible for successful implementation of the current accreditation framework and leading the improvements to the framework and development of modalities and guidelines. The role requires extensive collaboration with regional teams to enhance entity engagement and climate action through strategic accreditation pathways and entity performance monitoring.

Purpose 

• Shapes the strategic direction of the Accreditation Program to enable diverse entities to access GCF funding for paradigm-shifting climate action
• Leads strategic implementation of the Accreditation Framework in close collaboration with Regional Departments, Department of Private Sector Facility, the Department of Strategic Partnerships and Co-Investments, Office of the General Counsel and others 
• Provides strategic guidance to regional and other teams in leveraging accreditation processes to strengthen the institutional capacity of entities and enhance climate ambition 
• Drives innovation in accreditation modalities and approaches to enhance program efficiency and effectiveness 
• Coordinates the execution of institutional-level legal arrangements and obligations to enable programming and ensures that the experiences of accredited entities are incorporated into policy development efforts 
• Liaises with National Designated Authorities (NDAs), private sector and civil society and other multilateral climate finance funds, to incorporate diverse priorities and perspectives into GCF accreditation policy and practices, ensuring synergies and complementarities
• Liaises with other multilateral climate finance funds to ensure synergies and complementarities in accreditation practice
• Identifies and drives opportunities for innovation and efficiency in the policies and systems that operationalize the accreditation function, ensuring alignment with international standards.

Engagement

• Leads the successful implementation of the current Accreditation Strategy, ensuring achievement of strategic objectives and targets 
• Manages the accreditation pipeline to maximize speed of execution, efficiency and strategic value for GCF, ensuring that potential and current accredited entities are managed efficiently and within established service standards
• Oversees a team of high-caliber experts in delivering specialized technical assessments and institutional capacity building support to entities 
• Develops strategic frameworks for enhancing accreditation effectiveness and measuring institutional transformation impact 
• Leads Monitoring, Accountability, Evaluation and Learning in relation to accreditation to ensure continuous improvement and strategic impact 
• Leads the design and implementation of comprehensive entity monitoring, evaluation, and learning frameworks to drive continuous improvement
• Ensures effective implementation of legal agreements with accredited entities and oversees the monitoring and compliance
• Ensures systematic capture and integration of lessons learned to enhance accreditation processes and strategic impact of entity partnerships 
• Ensures that accredited entities are regularly informed about changes in GCF policies and standards
• Facilitates the peer-to-peer exchange of experience between accredited entities and within the broader climate finance architecture, ensuring that knowledge and best practices are widely shared 
• Engages with the Board, Accreditation Committee of the Board, and the Accreditation Panel of the Board to facilitate consistency, flexibility, and transparency in the accreditation process

Delivery

• Provides strategic oversight of the global entity portfolio to ensure alignment with GCF's strategic objectives and country needs
• Ensures strategic management of the entity network to maximize impact and transformation
• Promotes the optimum modes of engagement with the Fund, including external coordination with applicants, and coordination internally for the alignment of the accreditation process with GCF programming processes. 
• Advocates within the organisation to advance innovative and impactful projects/programmes identified in the programming strategies of accredited entities. 
• Persuades accredited entities to align their programming strategies with GCF strategies and country programming plans
• Sets the overall direction and approach to executing the accreditation framework and processes, driving innovation and improvements to meet evolving needs
• Represents GCF in relevant fora, ensuring that the Fund’s interests are well- represented and that the accreditation process is aligned with global standards and best practices.
• Leadership: Leads, mentors and develops team members' capacities to deliver on their tasks in line with GCF's strategy and policies, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, transparency and accountability 
• Innovation: Champions new approaches and solutions in climate finance entity engagement and partnership models 
• Knowledge Leadership: Positions GCF as a thought leader in climate finance access and institutional capacity building 
• Board: Provides timely, accurate, and comprehensive reports to the Board and leads implementation of relevant Board decisions

Requirements (Education, experience, technical competencies required of the job)

• Master's or higher-level degree in a relevant field such as climate finance, international development, institutional governance, or public policy; Or a relevant Bachelor’s degree with an additional 2 years of relevant work experience;
• Minimum 15 years of experience, with at least 7 years at a senior management level in climate finance, institutional capacity development, or related fields
• Proven track record in strategic leadership and program innovation in international organizations
• Deep understanding of global climate finance architecture and institutional capacity needs
• Extensive experience in leading strategy development and implementation
• Strong diplomatic skills and experience in high-level stakeholder engagement
• Proven track record of accomplishment in integrated climate or development finance covering some or all of country engagement, capacity assessment and building, origination, project processing, and portfolio implementation and management
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability 
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to develop and manage relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and partners, including other units in GCF, government entities, private businesses, investors, NGOs, and international organizations;
• Demonstrated experience in recruiting, managing, and mentoring culturally diverse and highly skilled technical teams;
• Fluency in both written and spoken English; knowledge of one or more languages relevant to the region is an advantage.

Competencies

• Demonstrates competencies for vision, leadership, empowering others and managing performance, including through the following behaviors:
• Inspires and guides teams to achieve organizational goals through effective decision-making, vision- setting, and motivation;
• Strong communicator and collaborator. Conveys information clearly and effectively, fostering open and transparent communication within the team and across the organisation;
• Thinks strategically, analyzes complex situations, and makes informed decisions aligned with organizational objectives;
• Builds and nurtures high-performing teams by fostering collaboration, recognizing individual strengths, and promoting a positive work environment;
• Values all staff members’ input and expertise and shows appreciation for achievement and effort;
• Assesses and provides ongoing performance feedback and coaching to staff;
• Maintains high ethical standards, ensuring fairness, respect, and integrity.

The closing date for application is 11 May 2025. Applications submitted after the deadline may not be considered.

*The person assessed by the Selection Panel as most suitable for the position will be proposed for appointment. Selection among short-listed candidates will also take into account performance at interview, appropriate testing, and references. 

Applications from women and nationals of developing countries are strongly encouraged to apply.