City Finance Specialist (m/f/d)

About Us

Frankfurt School of Finance & Management (FS) is one of the leading business schools in Germany. An impressive portfolio of services – ranging from degree programmes to Executive Education, from research projects to consultancy – means that Frankfurt School acts as adviser, catalyst and educational partner to companies and organisations, to individuals embarking on new careers, and to experienced executives. The FS-UNEP Centre is Frankfurt School’s in-house Centre for climate and sustainable energy finance. Our services include financial consulting, policy advice, research, and education. The Centre helps financial institutions, businesses, governments, and economies to scale-up sustainable finance.

For our on-going urban climate finance project, we are looking for a:

City Finance Specialist (m/f/d)

About the Role 

NetZeroCities supports the EU’s Mission of “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” launched as part of the Horizon Europe programme and the European Green Deal and directly linked to the European Commission’s Mission for 100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030. The project works as a service-oriented platform supported by world-class practitioners. It helps European cities by providing them with the support and solutions they need to achieve climate neutrality in a socially inclusive way. Therefore, cities will need unprecedented amounts of capital. Mobilising these resources with a clear priority to achieve maximum climate impact and societal co-benefits requires cities to understand the potential pathways towards climate neutrality and their funding and financing needs. Investment planning is thus a core element of the journey and of a Climate City Contract. FS is one of the partners in a consortium of European institutions who have been mandated to work with European cities to implement, action and finance their Net Zero Investment Plans to reach carbon neutrality by 2030.

Given the extensive geographical remit, FS, as well as other select consortium partners are hiring European regional professionals with backgrounds in finance and sustainability. The City Finance Specialist will be responsible for guiding cities in the implementation of their Net Zero Investment Plans and connecting city stakeholders to public and private capital. We are currently looking for candidates to work with mission cities in the following countries: Romania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania

Overview of tasks:

• Provide Tailored Financial Expertise: Offer direct, tailor-made financial expertise, training, and advice to cities as they develop and implement investment projects aimed at achieving climate neutrality. This includes assessing financial needs, identifying funding sources, and developing financial strategies aligned with city objectives.

• Deepen Local Knowledge and Networks: Build and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders within cities, including public and private sector entities. Develop a deep understanding of local contexts, priorities, and challenges to effectively tailor financial solutions and facilitate investment opportunities.

• Mobilise Public and Private Sector Financing: Engage extensively with investors to mobilise public and private sector financing for city investment projects. This involves leveraging their existing private sector financing relationships to conduct investor outreach, facilitate investment discussions, and structure financial transactions to meet investor requirements.

• Overcome Investment Barriers: Identify and address barriers to investment by tailoring financial solutions and assisting cities in developing portfolios of commercial projects. Work closely with cities to optimise project structures and enhance investor interest across multiple urban contexts.

• Advise on Financial Strategies: Collaborate with city stakeholders to develop and implement financial strategies that support the achievement of climate neutrality goals. Provide guidance on financing mechanisms, investment frameworks, and risk management strategies to maximise the impact of city investment projects.

• Aptitude and flexibility to Travel: The role will require both extensive inter and intra-regional travel, with this at times being at short notice.

Experience and Qualifications Required

Ideally, the successful candidate should have all if not the majority, of the following Experience and Qualifications:   

• Master’s degree (or equivalent diploma) in Economics, Public Finance Management, Banking, or a related area.
• Minimum of 5 years in a financial role - Preferably financial analysis, project finance, financial transactions and execution, or similar, with a primary focus on sustainable finance highly preferable.
• Comprehensive understanding of financial markets, financial structuring, and investment instruments as they apply to sustainability projects.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, solve complex problems, and drive results in a fast-paced, transactional environment.
• Significant experience and high-level expertise in capital and investment planning; public and private finance, including product development and structuring; city, regional, national, and European policies and policy development related to investment and finance.
• Proven experience of engagement with private sector financing institutions.
• Specific sectoral project experience in urban sustainable infrastructure e.g. renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, district heating and cooling, etc.  

Skills Required   

The successful candidate should be in possession of all the following skills:  

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively with diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Financial transactional and execution skills.    
• Knowledge of local and national financial ecosystems, frameworks, and sustainability funding initiatives.
• Ability to advocate for their employer, representing and reflecting the firm’s culture, principles and values.  
• Fluency in English and the specific regional languages according to the countries mentioned above 

Additional Information 

Importantly, whilst exhibiting these necessary attributes, candidates are also being considered based on key sectoral and geographical expertise with particular attention to the local context, languages, and ecosystems, including citizen engagement and inclusion - specific sectoral project experience in urban sustainable infrastructure e.g. renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable transportation, district heating and cooling. 

The CFS team will be a city-wide resource and will provide additional capacity within cities for the iteration and implementation of their Investment Plans. To this end, the CFSs will work in continuous close collaboration with several city teams, including the City Support Group, City Advisors and various public bodies, to ensure alignment and coherent action at the city, regional (and national) level. 

Ultimately, the CFSs will assist in realising the ambition of the cities’ Investment Plans through the engagement with sources of public funding and private financing. Consequently, there is a requirement for working remotely combined with extensive travel within the prescribed region. 

The position is foreseen on a contractual basis to be filled in beginning of Q2 of 2024.

Application Process:

Please send your application with your CV and motivation letter, via email: opportunities@fs.de

At Frankfurt School, we embrace difference, and we thrive on it for the benefit of our employees, our services, and our community. Frankfurt School is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer.

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