Partnerships Project Lead - Finance x Nature

Kom ook impact maken, samen met een geweldig team.

Partnerships Project Lead - Finance x Nature

WWF-NL is on a mission to create a world where nature and people thrive together. The financial sector holds enormous potential to accelerate this transition by shifting capital flows, redefining value, and reshaping the rules of the game. We are looking for a visionary, purpose-driven project leader to drive systemic change through a highly ambitious multi-year partnership project with a finance institution. The project is aimed at redirecting financial flows to protect nature from further deforestation and contribute to increase sustainable land use. By weaving nature conservation expertise into financial decision-making, and financial innovation into nature restoration, we can demonstrate how these sectors can co-create solutions that are both economically and ecologically viable. Through this collaboration, we believe we can drive major nature-positive impact by mobilizing resources, knowledge and innovation toward systemic change.

This is a unique opportunity to lead one of WWF-NL’s highly ambitious projects, working at the crossroads of finance, biodiversity and innovation. You will manage a project team comprising of experts in the Netherlands and globally while maintaining strong partnership relations with partners in the finance, corporate & academic sector.

Your Role

As Project Lead, you will lead a partnership project to transform the Finance sector and you will lead a passionate, high-performing team of professionals and represent WWF-NL across national and international arenas, helping to shape the financial system of the future.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Project Leadership

• Lead the implementation of a multi-year highly ambitious partnership project at WWF-NL to drive systemic change toward nature-positive, climate-resilient finance.
• Represent WWF-NL and the project at national and international fora as well as in the WWF network, promoting collaboration across the network.
• Drive internal and external stakeholder and relationship management across WWF-NL, the global network and key partners.
• Serve as a senior member of the Green Finance Unit supporting co-developing WWF-NL’s broader conservation vision on green finance.

Thought Leadership & Influence

• Maintain high-level and operational partnership relations with the partners in the project, but also develop additional relationships with finance, corporate & academic sectors.
• Support the implementation of key nature-related frameworks and regulations (e.g. EU regulations, TNFD, SBTN) through the project, positioning WWF-NL as a leading voice on nature-related risk and opportunity.

Partnership Building & Innovation

• Build and strengthen partnerships with financial institutions, supervisory authorities, public agencies, academia and civil society to scale up impact.
• Translate cutting-edge science and frameworks into actionable strategies for the financial sector, and initiate pilots that can shape market practice.
• Ownership of partnership governance, including escalation, risk management and adherence to WWF Red Lines.
• Preparing SteerCo decisions and safeguarding independence and integrity of WWF positions.
• Balancing impact, reputation and partner interests with clear decision frameworks.

Team & Budget Leadership

• Drive a multidisciplinary project team of experienced and early-career professionals.
• Leading cross-functional collaboration within WWF-NL (conservation, engagement, policy, comms).
• Ensuring expert representation in core teams, managing XFN stakeholders and ensuring integrated planning.
• Manage a multi-million-euro budget, ensure project sustainability, and collaborate with business development teams to secure additional resources.

What You Bring

You are a purpose-driven project leader with deep expertise in sustainable finance, a strong network in the financial ecosystem, and a track record of project impact. You know how to drive impact - not alone, but by building coalitions, shaping agendas, and working across sectors. Above all you can build strong relationships driving impact and hence you are able to operate at C-level Cultural sensitivity.

You have experience in managing high-risk, high-profile partnerships with reputational sensitivities. And you have demonstrated ability to navigate conflicting interests and maintain NGO independence.

You are a connector, strategist and influencer. You’re ready to collaborate with financial institutions, businesses, policy makers, regulators and NGO leaders. You bring credibility, clarity, and courage to the conversation.

Must-haves:

• 6+ years of experience in sustainable finance, corporate sustainability, development finance or a related field
• 5+ years of senior project leadership and team management experience
• Strategic understanding of frameworks such as TNFD, nature-related EU regulation, SBTN, etc.
• Proven ability to influence high-level stakeholders in the financial sector
• Strong public presence and communication skills (written and verbal)
• Understanding of biodiversity, conservation
• Fluent in English; Dutch and Portuguese is a plus
• Experience in both nonprofit and corporate/financial environments
• Experience working in or with international networks, think tanks, or multilateral institutions

What do we offer?

• An office surrounded by nature;
• Fun colleagues and the chance to build up an international network;
• Vegetarian lunches in our canteen and free after work drinks every other Thursday and fun Green Finance team activities;
• We stimulate flexible working arrangements, the use of public transport and bike for work related travel. Employees receive an NS Business Card for 2nd class travel to and from work;
• We also have a hybrid working model, so staff can alternate working from home and from the office.

If you are an intermediary, please do not contact us. We will contact recruitment agencies ourselves if necessary.