Deputy Project Director / Investment Lead

Position Title: Deputy Project Director / Investment Lead (Nationals only)

Position Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Reports To: Project Director (Vietnam)

Contract Term: 01 year, renewable

Languages Required:
Fluency in both English and Vietnamese is required.

Expected Start Date:
[May 2026]

BACKGROUND

WUSC is a Canadian global development organization working to catalyze positive education and economic outcomes for young people. We bring together and collaborate with a diverse network of partners (including students, volunteers, schools, governments, not-for-profits, and businesses) who share this mission. Together, we influence systems change, and foster inclusive, youth-centered solutions that enable young people to thrive and belong. We work with all young people, with a focus on women and displaced populations. WUSC currently operates in 28 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in Canada, with an annual budget of approximately CAD $65 million. Our global team includes over 350 staff, implementing a diverse portfolio of development projects in collaboration with numerous multilateral and bilateral donors, and philanthropic foundations.

The AGILE Project:

The Advancing Growth, Innovation & Leadership for Enterprises in Vietnam (AGILE) project is a four-year initiative (2025–2029) implemented by WUSC with support from Global Affairs Canada (GAC). The project aims to contribute to the increased resilience of Vietnam's climate-vulnerable populations by fostering a more effective and inclusive business ecosystem that supports the growth of Climate Enterprises (CEs), especially those that are women-led or serve women.

AGILE operates at the intersection of gender lens investment, climate adaptation finance, and enterprise growth. The project pursues three interlinked pathways to achieve systemic change:

1. Strengthened support from ecosystem actors to Climate enterprises (CEs), embedding gender and climate criteria into enterprise support models (Outcome 1100).
2. Increased investment in gender-responsive and inclusive CEs by developing pipelines of investment-ready enterprises and reducing perceived risks for investors (Outcome 1200).
3. Increased deployment of funds using a gender lens by strengthening investor capacity to apply Gender Lens Investing (GLI) principles (Outcome 1300).

WUSC is seeking to recruit a Deputy Project Director/Investment Lead (DPD) to be
based in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

NATURE AND SCOPE

As the focal point for Outcome 1200, the DPD will be primarily responsible for the overall technical design, implementation, monitoring, delivery, and reporting of all activities related to Outcome 1200: Increased investment in gender-responsive and inclusive CEs.

In terms of committed targets, the DPD is collectively accountable for contributing to achieving the
“Number of investors trained to develop and implement investment strategies, tools, and practices to support CEs (ID5)”;
“Number of Investors received technical support on climate investment to better understand the market (ID6):”; and “Total $CAD value of investments facilitated by the project (in collaboration with Sarona) (ID10)”; contributing to
increased resilience of Vietnam's climate-vulnerable populations.

The DPD will also serve as the project’s investment lead for WUSC. The DPD is responsible for the "Demand Side" of the project ecosystem—specifically facilitating, with support from Sarona Asset Management, the mobilization of private investment capital to scale up viable business models. The DPD will oversee the Matching Grant Facility (technically led by Sarona); and lead relationships with investors, ESOs and CEs;

The DPD will work closely with the consortium partner—Sarona, Headquarter (HQ) advisors, and the Ministry of Finance’s Agency for Private Enterprise and Cooperative Development (APED) to plan project interventions. The position will also collaborate with BK Holdings, WISE and other ESOs, investors and CE to implement the project’s activities.

The DPD will supervise the Business Growth & Ecosystem Advisor (BGEA) and Gender Lens & Inclusive Entrepreneurship Advisor (GLIEA) to ensure the supply of CEs meets investor demand.

This position reports directly to the Project Director. The incumbent will collaborate with other project technical and operational staff as well as cross-cutting team members (GESI, MEL, Communications, Volunteers, etc.).

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Investment Facilitation & Capital Mobilization

• Lead domestic and regional investor ecosystem engagement and co-develop capital mobilization strategy with Sarona, ensuring alignment between investment-readiness efforts and investor demand.
• Actively track and support investment transactions in the selected climate enterprises in coordination with Sarona to ensure alignment with leverage targets (ID10) and consolidating mobilization data for reporting purposes.
• Manage high-level relationships with domestic and regional investment partners and act as WUSC’s primary institutional interface with investors, in coordination with Sarona on deal-level matters
• Facilitate and implement the tripartite Technical Assistance (TA) model connecting CEs, ESOs, investors, and TA providers.
• Oversee the development of the Investor Toolkit and market analysis reports to ensure they meet investor needs.
• Lead consolidation of reporting inputs related to Outcome 1200 in coordination with Sarona and other implementation partners.

Matching Grant Facility (MGF) Management

The responsibilities below will be performed in close collaboration with Sarona, as the technical lead for the MGF.

• Provide governance oversight of the MGF to ensure fiduciary integrity, compliance with safeguards, and alignment with donor commitments.
• Ensure process integrity of the MGF application and screening process, ensuring adherence to the 1:5 leverage ratio target (private capital to grant).
• Ensure governance integrity of the MGF Advisory Board process (quorum, documentation, conflict-of-interest management, organizing review sessions and ensuring transparent selection of grantees.
• Ensure clear separation of duties between MGF grant approval and commercial investment decisions to protect fiduciary integrity.
• Coordinate institutional and regulatory engagement related to the MGF on behalf of WUSC, to ensure policy alignment and smooth implementation.

Strategic Leadership & Partnership

• Act as the Officer-in-Charge/Acting Project Director in the absence of the Project Director.
• Directly supervise the BGEA and the GLIEA.
• Coordinate closely with the Consortium Partner (Sarona) to leverage their technical expertise for investor capacity building.

Planning, Monitoring, and Reporting

• Lead the development of inputs and contributions from Outcome 1200 for the project's annual work planning process, semi-annual operations reports, annual reports, and other communications/knowledge products.
• Support the execution and accurate data collection for key Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) indicators, in close collaboration with the AGILE Project MERL Manager.
• Perform other duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred but not required.
• Experience: A minimum of 08 years of professional experience in finance, banking, investment, or private sector development. Prior experience in a management or team leader role is preferred.
• Specific Expertise: Experience in credit analysis, relationship management, or business development for SMEs. Experience facilitating investment or financing for businesses is highly desirable.
• Technical Skills: Strong financial literacy (ability to review financial statements and business models). Familiarity with grant management or donor-funded projects is an asset.
• Sector Knowledge: Interest in climate-smart business models (mitigation or adaptation). Prior experience in the clean energy or agriculture sectors is an advantage, but not required.
• Ecosystem Experience: Demonstrated ability to build partnerships with ecosystem actors (investors, banks, government agencies).
• GLI/GESI Knowledge: Openness to learning and applying Gender Lens Investing (GLI) and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) principles.
• Networking: Strong networking and communication skills with the ability to engage with private sector partners.
• IT Skills: Experience using Google Workspace and AI-powered tools is an advantage.

Languages: Fluency in both English and Vietnamese is required