Investment Officer
Washington DC, United States
JOB DETAIL
Description
IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record US$43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
Blended Finance is a key tool in the execution of IFC’s 3.0 strategy Creating Markets. The Blended Finance Department now manages a pool of contributor funds of over $3.5 billion dollars focused on accelerating IFC’s engagement in the most developmentally impactful areas: IDA and FCS countries, climate, SME and agriculture. The blended concessional facilities managed by the Blended Finance Department are structured to co-finance, along with IFC funding, investment projects and to support advisory services programs to address market barriers in private sector projects. These funds are deployed alongside IFC’s own resources, thus enabling IFC to invest in projects that would not otherwise take place without a co-investment on concessional terms. The Blended Finance Department’s role is to optimize the co-investment of funds from contributors, on concessional terms and considering the contributors’ risk appetite, and in line with IFC’s blended finance approach, governance and principles. Such concessional funds are able to accept higher risk/ lower return than commercial funds while not providing pure grants. Contributors of concessional funds over time have become more interested in protecting their capital on a portfolio basis and receiving reflows (i.e., “returnable capital”).
The Blended Finance – New Business and Portfolio (CBFNP) division sits in the Blended Finance Department. Within this division, there are investment officers that primarily work on blended finance transactions supporting IFC’s Disruptive Technology and Funds department (CDF), including through venture capital, private equity funds, digital technology/other technology platforms and solutions being developed across industries and regions. These blended finance transactions may use different blended finance facilities, including the IDA PSW Blended Finance Facility (BFF) and Local Currency Facility (LCF), the Blended Finance for Climate facilities, the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), SME-, or agriculture-focused blended finance facilities. The goal of this work is to enable IFC to have a much deeper impact and footprint in the most difficult countries and sectors through investments in PE funds or VC solutions and other industry sectors, and other industry sectors, primarily but not exclusively in IDA and fragile countries. These investment officers in CBFNP will also help promote CDF’s engagement in more upstream work to generate more deal-flow and impact in the hardest to reach sectors and countries.
CBFNP seeks an Investment Officer to focus primarily on blended finance transactions through PE funds or VC investments. This Investment Officer position is an exciting opportunity to work globally on some of the most high impact projects alongside CDF. Being part of CBFNP, this position will also provide the successful candidate with an opportunity to work across different industry groups and regions within a creative and results-oriented environment. She/he will report to the Blended Finance Senior Manager.
Role & Responsibilities
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Work with teams to identify and assess potential Blended Finance projects (including projects to be processed under the IDA PSW BFF and LCF, the various Blended Finance for Climate, GAFSP Private Sector Window, the Gates Foundation partnership, the Global SME Finance and the Women Entrepreneur Financing Facility (We-Fi) and other blended finance facilities) and innovative programs/platforms and liaise with staff to monitor and support the expansion of CDF Blended Finance pipeline.
• Contribute to investment structuring related to the blended finance component of projects, platforms & programs including modeling of respective risks and subsidies, and to assess the products/structure that meets the project needs and has an adequate risk/return for the contributor.
• Work closely with IFC investment team to prepare and take responsibility for documentation and processing of blended finance co-investment to Blended Finance Committee/Director and for contributing to the IFC investment proposal, Board documentation and client legal agreements.
• Attend appraisal on an as-needed basis depending on transaction team need for additional skills and analysis to be provided by the blended finance investment officer or if proposed co-investment structure has significantly different interests than the IFC investment requiring independent judgement on behalf of the donors.
• Liaise with relevant staff and identify and monitor weaknesses, risks and early warning signals in the portfolio of contributor-funded projects to assess progress and performance.
• Analyze and process client requests, including disbursements, waivers, and amendments related to the contributor-funded co-investment.
• Assist in the preparation of analytical reports, strategy documents, briefs and project profiles.
• Contribute to team’s knowledge management initiative, including communication products to share information and lessons of Blended Finance co-investments in PE funds, VC and other similar equity /quasi-equity structures with internal and external stakeholders, in particular contributing partners.
• Prepare reports and presentations on the portfolio’s performance for internal and external audiences.
• Engage with donors and support fundraising and new initiative development as needed.
• Participate in Departmental initiatives to bolster the practice and business case for blended finance.
Selection Criteria
The candidate should be someone with:
• MBA or Graduate degree, specialization in finance strongly preferred;
• 6+ years relevant experience in working on cross-border emerging market investments with a track-record of structuring / executing investment transactions, in particular related to disruptive and digital technologies and through PE funds or VC;
• Experience with investment and portfolio management processes;
• Experience with loan and investment documentation, accounting and financial statement analysis;
• Experience with other equity/quasi-equity structures a plus;
• Knowledge of IFC products, operations and, preferably also, its approach to blending concessional finance alongside IFC’s investments for its own account a plus;
• Understanding of IFC’s investment practices with knowledge of current issues, challenges and opportunities in implementing blended finance investments a plus;
• Ability to grasp details, problem solve, identify key issues for action and manage/incorporate stakeholder interests, and explain issues clearly and confidently;
• Clarity in the presentation and delivery of information, including gathering lessons of experience and impact stories to be shared with contributors and other internal and external stakeholders, and resilience to work well under time and workload pressure with minimal supervision;
• Ability to manage and complete multiple projects simultaneously and to meet deadlines under pressure;
• Commercial interest in development issues and strengthening sustainable development;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and other languages, such as French, Portuguese, or Spanish a plus;
• Deliver Results for Clients – Proactively addresses clients’ stated and unstated needs.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries – Collaborates across boundaries, gives own perspective and willingly receives diverse perspectives.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge – Applies knowledge across WBG to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients.
• Make Smart Decisions – Interprets a wide range of information and pushes to move forward.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.
location
JOBS YOU WILL LOVE
