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 over 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record $32.8 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.

The Central America & The Caribbean, Colombia, & Mexico (CCMDR) department seeks a Senior Country Officer to support the country operations and regional work in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Senior Country Officer will report to the Regional Director in support of private sector-led actions in close collaboration with the Regional Leadership Team and be responsible for strong and close coordination with business and portfolio units with a strong oversight on development impact and long-term financial sustainability.

Duties and Accountabilities
•  Coordinate the development of IFC’s strategy.
•  Develop IFC’s brand and overall communication strategy.
•  Lead integrated investment and advisory services delivery to create new market opportunities.
•  Establish and maintain working-level relationships across IFC, WBG counterparts, and with WBG counterparts, clients, and governments to develop business opportunities.
•  Oversee integration and delivery of IFC’s investment and advisory activities in assigned  countries to ensure client’s needs and objectives of IFC strategies are met.
•  Identify and evaluate complex investments.
•  Manage or contribute to managing administrative and logistical operations of the assigned country office.
•  Evaluate and support the structuring of complex sector projects.
•  Work on pioneering approaches.
•  Share accountability for the quality and performance of the country portfolio.
•  Oversee or supervise assigned staff and consultants.
•  Develop assigned staff and members of the broader team through mentoring, coaching, and providing on-the-job learning opportunities.
•  Ensure quality control of work products.
•  Ensure efficient and effective use of resources within the country office by effectively overseeing the administrative support in coordination with the office manager.
•  Provide input and guidance to developing IFC’s country strategy and provide substantive input to country diagnostics and WBG strategy documents.
•  Participate in designing approaches and interventions to create upstream markets and identify needed market and regulatory reforms.

Selection Criteria

•  Master’s degree in a related field and at least 8–12 years of relevant experience. Related fields of education include business, finance, or economics or an area of expertise specific to a sector, subject matter, or industry specialty. Relevant experience could include a proven track record in business consulting or investment banking; operational experience in the sector or technical or professional field.
•  In-depth understanding of how IFC works, and its strategies and priorities.
•  Ability to collaborate with WBG organizations to leverage its products and instruments.
•  Ability to identify opportunities for collaboration on high-value projects and recognize potential COIs based on a good understanding of WBG, IFC (investment and advisory), and WBG products and project requirements.
•  Ability to initiate and guide collaborative efforts with WBG organizations to leverage its products and instruments.
•  Capacity to understand, enable, and participate in market creation opportunities and interventions to strengthen investment climate by demonstrating long-term perspective, open mindedness, persistence, and a good understanding of IFC/WBG roles and value-add in new markets.
•  Ability to participate and constructively contribute in meetings with mid-level government officials on constraints to private sector investment in their countries.
•  Capacity to identify and promote specific interventions to remove or mitigate market creation barriers in sectors and geographies using approaches beyond IFC, business line, or industry to enable private sector investment.
•  Ability to understand government officials’ political context and mindset to connect their interests with what it would take to create a business climate and incentives for private sector investment in their countries.
•  In-depth analytical, financial, credit, integrity assessment, and business skills to identify bankable projects with sustainable development impact and potential weaknesses in the country portfolio and determine how to approach complex risk-reward trade-offs.
•  Sufficient analytical, financial, credit, integrity assessment, and business skills as well as strategic perspective to intuitively recognize project viability and attractiveness early on, identify portfolio management vulnerabilities, and determine best approaches for managing complex transaction and portfolio risks.
•  Industry/Sector Knowledge: Broad knowledge of sectors and industries within a country or group of countries, including their viability for market growth, and market challenges and implications of environmental and social sustainability issues, and how sector dynamics may evolve within a country or group of countries.
•  Ability to tap into and leverage resources with expertise in sectors and industries, including risks, market dynamics, and regulatory structures. Able to read and anticipate shifts in market trends and the implications for IFC’s current and future business.
•  Country Knowledge: Demonstrated extensive knowledge of the country, including its politics, history, social dynamics, culture, economics, local markets, and regulatory framework.
•  Developing and Selling Solutions: Demonstrated success as a key influencer in bringing integrated solutions to the concept review stage with significant challenges and competing interests.
•  Ability to develop a coherent and compelling storyline or rationale for why specific deals are proposed and how they fit into IFC’s long-term strategies.
•  Negotiation Skills: Capacity to lead negotiations that find common interests to build and result in viable agreements among clients and stakeholders who initially had conflicting agendas. Ability to offer alternative solutions to capitalize on opportunities and overcome impasses.

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.