Vice President, Catalytic Finance
Position Overview
The Vice President, Catalytic Finance, will report into the Executive Vice President of Programs and serve as a strategic leader driving The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to design and scale cutting-edge financial instruments and blended finance solutions that mobilize public and private capital for social and climate impact. With a focus on the Foundation’s primary areas of impact: energy abundance, food systems transformation, and health, this role will lead a high-performing team to develop and implement capital markets vehicles and innovative instruments—such as guarantees, insurance products, and outcomes-based financing models—that advance the Foundation’s programmatic goals. The position will also support the development and ongoing stewardship of a targeted portfolio of Program Related Investments to accelerate market adoption of regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions, and energy decarbonization, leveraging philanthropic capital to unlock scalable development impact.
The ideal candidate will be a financially creative thinker and skilled investor with a demonstrated ability to deliver on the dual goals of financial performance and social impact, with deep expertise in capital markets, development finance, and impact investing. This role is critical to unlock billions in private and philanthropic capital to address systemic challenges in underserved and emerging markets.
Pay Range: $382,500 - $439,213. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.
Work Schedule: This role is on a hybrid work schedule and required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at http://rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn.
The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.
As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.
The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Vice President, Catalytic Finance, will report into the Executive Vice President of Programs and serve as a strategic leader driving The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts to design and scale cutting-edge financial instruments and blended finance solutions that mobilize public and private capital for social and climate impact. With a focus on the Foundation’s primary areas of impact: energy abundance, food systems transformation, and health, this role will lead a high-performing team to develop and implement capital markets vehicles and innovative instruments—such as guarantees, insurance products, and outcomes-based financing models—that advance the Foundation’s programmatic goals. The position will also support the development and ongoing stewardship of a targeted portfolio of Program Related Investments to accelerate market adoption of regenerative agriculture, nature-based solutions, and energy decarbonization, leveraging philanthropic capital to unlock scalable development impact.
The ideal candidate will be a financially creative thinker and skilled investor with a demonstrated ability to deliver on the dual goals of financial performance and social impact, with deep expertise in capital markets, development finance, and impact investing. This role is critical to unlock billions in private and philanthropic capital to address systemic challenges in underserved and emerging markets.
Pay Range: $382,500 - $439,213. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s pay range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.
Work Schedule: This role is on a hybrid work schedule and required to be in the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Principal Duties And Responsibilities
- Lead the Foundation’s Catalytic Finance team, identifying and advancing financial tools and executing Program-Related Investments (PRIs) in support of the Foundation’s strategic priorities across programmatic areas.
- Partner with program teams in Health, Food, Power, and other climate-positive areas to design and lead catalytic finance strategies that advance portfolio impact, scale, and financial sustainability.
- Represent the Foundation in high-level forums, including global development summits, investor consortia, and public-private partnerships.
- Lead the structuring and deployment of blended finance vehicles, catalytic capital strategies, and risk mitigation tools.
- Drive the development of new financial instruments that mobilize private sector capital for development objectives such as resilient school meals and energy access in emerging markets.
- Identify, evaluate, and manage a portfolio of PRIs, ensuring alignment with the Foundation’s impact and financial objectives.
- Oversee the full lifecycle of the Foundation’s PRIs, including due diligence, structuring, executing, and ongoing portfolio monitoring, in close collaboration with the Foundation’s endowment, legal, finance, and Strategic Learning & Impact teams.
- Oversee due diligence, approval, and reporting for all PRIs in alignment with the Foundation’s governance framework and Program Related Investment Committee (PRIC) charter, ensuring compliance with internal and regulatory standards. Lead the team to provide transaction support for emerging Mission Related Investments as needed.
- Cultivate and manage relationships with multilateral banks, development finance institutions, philanthropic peers, investors, and governments.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to external stakeholders, including emerging fund managers and social entrepreneurs, to design inclusive financing mechanisms.
- Partner with the Communications team to elevate key insights and share evidence of what’s working, as well as develop and support convenings to advance new ideas and investment.
- Work with the Strategic Learning and Impact team to define and track performance metrics, ensuring that financial, social, and planetary outcomes are rigorously tracked, evaluated, and used to inform ongoing strategy and decision-making.
- Deliver semi-annual reporting of the financial and impact performance of the Foundation’s PRI portfolio to the PRI Committee and other internal stakeholders.
- Oversee the ongoing portfolio management responsibilities for the Foundation’s Zero Gap Fund, including delivering an annual performance and impact report.
- Ensure that all initiatives are aligned with the Foundation’s commitment to equity and measurable impact.
- At least 12 years of experience in investment banking, private equity, development finance, or a related field, with a strong and demonstrated track record in sourcing, executing, managing, and exiting transactions and structuring complex financial deals.
- Demonstrated experience working in emerging market finance, including familiarity with the challenges and opportunities of deploying capital in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sectors such as climate, agriculture, and infrastructure.
- Deep expertise in innovative finance mechanisms (e.g., blended finance, guarantees, outcome-based finance, impact investing).
- Proven experience mobilizing private capital for development impact, particularly in underserved or emerging markets.
- Understanding the complexity of achieving double-bottom line goals of financial performance and social impact, leveraging those insights to advance effective, executable, and sustainable impact-first financial instruments and investments.
- Exceptional leadership and team management capabilities.
- Strong network of financial, philanthropic, and development sector relationships.
- Advanced degree in Finance, Economics, or related field. An MBA is preferred.
- Balances Stakeholders: Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders.
- Cultivates Innovation: Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
- Develops Talent: Develops people to meet both their career goals and the organization’s goals.
- Drives Vision & Purpose: Paints a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.
- Values Differences: Recognizes the value of different perspectives, commits to being self-aware and respectful, and seeks to learn from new and different voices.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity. Today, we are focused on advancing human opportunity and reversing the climate crisis by transforming systems in food, health, energy, and finance. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at http://rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn.
The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.
As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.
The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.