The World Resources Institute is seeking an experienced and highly motivated Lead Consultant that will research, consult, conceptualize, structure, and draft a concept for an innovative, Urban Water Resilience Catalytic Fund for Africa, to be announced at COP26 in November 2021. WRI intends to award a Fixed Price contract up to $80,000 USD to the consultant.

You will be responsible for designing and leading a consultative process with a team. You will identify and engage a wide range of stakeholders and champions to seek input in the development and advancement of an innovative Catalytic Fund. The goal is for you to harness investments to unlock private and public investments, achieving sustainable, locally-led impact on the ground to achieve water security, reduce water-related risks and improve access to water and sanitation for all. You will create a 10-page, well-researched and public-facing concept note.

As the Lead Consultant, WRI wants you to lead the research, engagement, and co-creation process for a new Catalytic Fund that can help originate, scale-up, aggregate, and mitigate risks so they can mobilize more funding for urban water projects. You will work closely with the WRI Urban Water Resilience Initiative Team, a steering group consisting of 6-10 thought leaders with expertise working in Africa on topics related to finance, urban development, and urban water resilience, and in collaboration with a parallel group of key stakeholders developing an Urban Water Resilience Agenda.

Job Responsibilities:

Conduct background research and interviews to:

• Define challenges to financing UWR in Sub-Saharan African cities, with emphasis on Ethiopia, Rwanda, and South Africa.
  • Document the landscape, structure, and execution of funds or other financing mechanisms that have achieved [or failed to achieve] alignment with a practice shift and successfully harnessed and leveraged multi-lateral, private, and public capital to scale impact on the ground.
  • Make the business case for how a new Catalytic Fund will succeed in leveraging and mobilizing public and private capital to implement and scale UWR projects

• Design and implement a process for engaging a steering committee and broader set of stakeholders around the development of the Fund
• Participate in or lead conversations with targeted high-level champions to collect feedback and secure buy-in
• Define interlinkages between the catalytic fund and commitments from recipients around a set of principles drawn from the recently launched WRI publication “Water Resilience in a Changing Urban Context: Framing Africa’s Challenge and Pathways for Action”, and a parallel facilitated framework process that will define a new Urban Water Resilience Agenda for Africa
• Draft, seek input on, and finalize a well-researched, 10-page concept note that:
  • Defines the challenges of financing UWR in Africa
  • Summarizes a rapid assessment of other catalytic funds and financing projects to be presented at COP26
  • Substantiates the unique positioning and rationale for the proposed catalytic fund
  • Outlines the structure of the fund, and o Lays out a strategy for implementation
• Work with the WRI team and external partners to design a session at COP26 where the Lead Consultant will present the Catalytic Fund concept.