Manager, Strategic Outreach and Content Marketing, Innovative Finance, Clean Cooking Alliance

Position Overview

The Clean Cooking Alliance (CCA) works with a global network of partners to build an inclusive industry that makes clean cooking accessible to the three billion people who live each day without it. Established in 2010, CCA is driving consumer demand, mobilizing investment to build a pipeline of scalable businesses, and fostering an enabling environment that allows the sector to thrive. Clean cooking transforms lives by improving health, protecting the climate and environment, empowering women, and helping consumers save time and money. In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, CCA is working to achieve universal access to clean cooking by 2030.

CCA seeks to make high-impact clean cooking solutions desirable, affordable, and accessible for consumers and viable for businesses to provide sustainability at scale. It supports companies that design, manufacture, distribute, and retail electric, biomass, ethanol, biogas, and LPG-based clean cooking solutions in addition to more efficient wood and charcoal cookstoves. It also supports technology innovation with the aim to commercialize new technologies such as highly energy-efficient electric cookers for off-grid/mini-grid communities.

CCA’s Clean Cooking Systems Strategy highlighted that at least US$10 billion per year is required to achieve universal access to clean cooking, yet the current level of funding lags far behind at about $130 million annually. In response, CCA has established the Catalytic Finance Accelerator. Its mission is to catalyze significant growth in funding and investment in the sector within three years. It will do so by addressing challenges that lie in the way of high-growth catalytic capital (most notably results-based finance and carbon finance); by leveraging these pools of funding to catalyze larger pools of traditional capital (e.g., guarantees, debt, equity, early-stage equity); and by laying the groundwork to unlock future pools of capital (e.g., social value finance at scale).  

The Catalytic Finance Accelerator is organized according to its role in the financing ecosystem:

• Instilling smarter policies, standards, and principles that govern the conduct of actors in clean cooking markets and their adjacent sectors, bridging information gaps and providing certainty and confidence to investors, outcome buyers, and funders.
• Building improved market information, tools, and infrastructure to improve decision-making, reduce transaction costs and increase productivity for investors, outcome buyers, and funders.
• Improving capacity of clean cooking solutions providers to meet the expectations of investors, outcome buyers, and funders for reliability, predictability, and scalability, and impact.
• Attracting and enabling new pools of capital from adjacent sector investors, traditional official development assistance providers and philanthropic funders.

The role of the Catalytic Finance Accelerator in CCA is to position the Clean Cooking Alliance as an influential voice and market facilitator for innovative finance in clean cooking markets. This includes facilitating the CCA’s representation in key innovative finance fora (policy, standards, and practice), particularly in the clean cooking ecosystem, as well as leading the (co) creation and facilitating the adoption of public goods related to innovative finance solutions across the clean cooking sector such as tools, platforms, databases, knowledge briefs and networks developing/hosting.

The Catalytic Finance Accelerator is seeking a dynamic and versatile strategic outreach and content marketing professional to craft stories, develop and implement strategic outreach and content marketing strategies, and shape the Catalytic Finance Accelerator’s content (e.g. reports, blogs, videos, webinars, etc) to maximize the impact of Catalytic Finance Accelerator’s research and to position CCA as a premier thought leader and advocate in bringing innovative finance solutions to markets for clean fuels and appliances used for cooking.

The Strategic Outreach and Content Marketing Manager, Innovative Finance will play a core role in planning, developing, and implementing effective content marketing and outreach strategies and developing compelling content. They will bring creativity and insight to packaging and promoting the Catalytic Finance Accelerator’s innovative finance research and programmatic lessons using a wide range of methods including blogs, publications, videos, social media, e-newsletters, webinars, and podcasts. The successful candidate will be a member of Innovative Finance team and will also work closely with several intervention work streams focused on maximising finance for clean cooking, serving as their advisor and supporting them by developing influential content marketing and strategic outreach strategies, knowledge products, and events. They may serve as a lead or project manager on in their area of expertise or be a key contributor to projects led by others.

The Manager will also work closely with the Evidence and Impact team, as well as with the Global Networks and Partnership team on strategic cross-cutting initiatives and content marketing.

This  position is based in the U.K. or remote Europe/Africa.

Essential Functions

• Develop and implement content marketing and strategic outreach strategies that increase the impact of the Catalytic Finance Accelerator’s research on maximising finance for clean cooking.
• Contribute to the overall positioning of CCA as a premier thought leader in innovative finance and as a leader in delivering actionable insights on innovative finance for funders, policy makers, private sector partners, and other development actors
• Support Innovative Finance workstreams to disseminate and leverage deliver high-quality knowledge products on climate change, financial innovation, and impact that provide insight, analysis and practical guidance for a wide range of target audiences who access materials by varied means and in differing formats (blogs, research papers, slide decks, podcasts, video).
• Provide developmental edits on major papers and work with designers on visuals and infographics
• Identify and craft compelling and interesting stories based on the Catalytic Finance Accelerator’s research – both for practitioners working in the clean cooking and finance/investment field and for a broader audience of senior leaders in business, government, foundations, and other not-for-profit organizations. Adapt these stories as needed for different channels (whether owned, earned, or shared)
• Write and edit content including social copy, op-eds, blogs, briefing notes, speeches, and other material as needed
• Contribute to CCA’s social media strategy including working with other communications team members and consultants to identify, create, and publish content; leverage internal and external influencers; increase engagement; raise awareness of CCA’s innovative finance research; further CCA’s reputation as a thought leader on innovative finance; and track and report on trends and performance
• Work effectively across teams at CCA, reflecting innovative finance in core CCA messaging and weaving a storyline that is compelling and persuasive. Collaborate with a variety of consultants and vendors for digital products. Maintain and help initiate effective professional relationships with key external and/or internal stakeholders (e.g., CCA partners, the media, academia, think tanks, government agencies, etc.)
• Coordinate promotion, logistics and briefings for public-facing events (online and face-to-face)
• Analyze, identify, and mitigate risk within the context of CCA’s external-facing communication.
• Help advise Catalytic Finance Accelerator intervention workstreams on trends, news developments, current events, social media trends, or changing/unexpected circumstances that may impact our work; help to determine strategic responses
• Manage the development of multimedia projects; undertake simple and complex procurement tasks as needed for the Senior Director, Innovative Finance
• May provide technical coaching to staff members or guidance and support to junior staff; may oversee project-specific consultants and contractors
• Other duties as assigned

Selection Criteria

• Bachelor’s degree required.
•  5-7 years of professional experience in a relevant discipline (e.g. marketing, communication or journalism) or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong writing and analytical skills
• Energetic and positive attitude with a ‘growth mindset’
• Solutions-oriented and able to manage and advance multiple tasks and responsibilities in a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Problem-solver with a proactive, no-task-is-too-small nature, who takes initiative
• Team-oriented, supportive work style, and able to work independently.
• Excellent communicator, able to synthesize and convey complex information clearly.
• Excellent judgment and creative problem-solving skills, including negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• High ethical standards and ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion with sensitive information.
• Ability to learn new systems and collaboration platforms efficiently
• Proficiency in Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), with particular emphasis on ability to create compelling and professional PowerPoint materials
• Ability to work under pressure and handle stress
• Ability to meet regular attendance/tardiness policy
• Strategic thinking, innovation, a talented writer and editor, digitally savvy and passionate about content marketing as a tool to influence and inform
• Strong outreach skills and knowledge of the innovative finance sphere (inclusive finance and investments, climate and carbon finance, impact finance, ESG etc.) preferred
• Collaborative attitude
• Excellent writing and editing skills for publications, blogs, online and multi-media
• Proven experience developing effective content marketing and strategic outreach strategies and contributing to major strategic outreach efforts that create sizable impact
• Demonstrated ability to support technical teams to develop influential knowledge products (research papers, blogs, slide decks, podcasts, videos, etc), including the provision of editorial guidance and working with designers on visuals and infographics
• Demonstrated ability to initiate and maintain effective professional relationships with key external and/or internal stakeholders (e.g., CCA partners, the media, academia, think tanks, government agencies, etc.)
• Demonstrated social media experience including (a) identifying, writing, and producing compelling social media content based on technical research, (b) creating visuals for social media, (c) building relationships with influencers and partners, (d) increasing online engagement with relevant audiences, and (e) and monitoring and reporting on performance, adjusting strategies as appropriate. Demonstrated experience with Hootsuite or similar social media tools.
• Demonstrated ability to function as a team player in a multicultural environment, and experience working with teams across different time zones and cultures. Ability to bring together internal stakeholders toward a collective outcome.
• Ability to work independently, seeking guidance on complex projects/issues from more senior staff. Capacity to work simultaneously on a variety of issues and tasks, adjusting to priorities and achieving results within agreed objectives and deadlines
• Knowledge of IT platforms, web and graphic design, email software such as Constant Contact, Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word and Publisher) or comparable graphics software
• Demonstrated experience in global development and knowledge of key trends and related strategic outreach and content marketing issues an advantage
• Presentation of a case is part of the interview process

Benefits& Compensation

For full-time, benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:

• a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
• dental insurance
• vision insurance
• flexible spending accounts
• 403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
• group term and supplemental life insurance
• short-term disability
• long-term disability
• health club discounts
• commuter subsidy
• back-up care
• employee assistance program

Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.

The United Nations Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative-action employer. The United Nations Foundation provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.