Senior Investment Officer
Istanbul, Turkey
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. Our mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.
The Financial Institutions Group (FIG) is one of IFC’s key departments responsible for a significant portion of IFC’s business volume, profitability, and development reach, approximately 40%. FIG engages in a wide range of sub-sectors, including Microfinance, SME, Gender, Climate, Insurance, Capital Markets, Housing, Distressed Assets, and other areas, with both investment and advisory services delivered globally to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network. FIG has the following main objectives: 1) financing climate risk mitigation and adaptation; 2) advancing financial inclusion; 3) promoting gender equality; 4) servicing the real economy; and 5) mobilizing third-party resources.
FIG is recruiting a Senior Investment Officer (SIO) to join its Central Asia and Türkiye Team which originates, manages, and monitors IFC’s financial sector investments. The SIO will help grow and develop the investment business and manage the investment portfolio in Türkiye. The pipeline of new investment opportunities in the region includes bilateral and syndicated debt, publicly and privately issued bonds, equity/quasi-equity/Tier-2 investments, and structured finance products.
Roles and Responsibilities
• Develop long-term relationships with key clients and other stakeholders (e.g., government officials, regulators) at the working level to identify and act on business opportunities and engage effectively with other syndicate lenders at the working level.
• Work with clients to identify how IFC can add more value to their company and improve the quality of IFC’s investment.
• Supervise the gathering of lessons learned on essential topics across the portfolio, connect trends from different portfolio areas, and recommend how these could improve business development and transaction structuring.
• Contribute to shaping upstream market creation approaches or interventions for the financial sector in Türkiye.
• Contribute to the formulation and the implementation of a business development strategy.
• Collaborate across IFC, World Bank and MIGA to support business development for the IDA PSW and other blended finance facilities and maximize the value of strategic partnerships.
• Contribute to the quarterly assessments of ratings, loan loss reserves, or valuations for FIG in Türkiye;
• Analyze strategically important portfolio trends to identify where they are most concentrated and the contributing factors. Take a leadership role in discussing findings and their implications at quarterly review meetings.
• Lead teams in structuring deals that balance clients’ expectations and protect IFCs and other lenders’ rights.
• Conduct quality control to ensure the accuracy and adequacy of analytical work performed by junior staff to assess transactions.
• Assess and articulate the development impact of various investment projects.
• Maintain high-level relationships (CEO and other C-suite levels) with clients to understand industry trends and create new short-term and future business opportunities.
• Oversee or supervise assigned staff and consultants.
• Develop assigned staff and broader team members through mentoring, coaching, and providing on-the-job learning opportunities.
• Perform complex credit risk rating assessments, covenant compliance reviews, and development impact assessments. Review the quality of portfolio review work performed by more junior staff.
• Oversee the portfolio management work of analysts and investment officers for the assigned portfolio, identifying gaps and creating a macro view of the financial, compliance, and risk status of the portfolio, anticipating emerging risks.
• Prepare investment committee materials focusing on financial and nonfinancial risk assessment and deal structuring.
• Use networks to keep the project moving. Collaborate with key internal stakeholders to obtain buy-in on deals and negotiate risk and mitigation strategies. Ensure seamless communication and cooperation among all IFC team members and external stakeholders.
• Shape business leads into actionable concepts ready for mandate by identifying and screening potential investment opportunities, preparing the investment thesis, and leading the pre-concept review structuring of those opportunities.
Selection Criteria
• Master’s degree in a related field and at least 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 and operational experience in the sector or technical or professional field. Accreditation as a CFA or CPA is considered a plus.
• Capacity to understand, enable, and participate in market creation opportunities by demonstrating long-term perspective, open-mindedness, persistence, innovation, and ability to leverage all available tools (including de-risking and local currency solutions); good understanding of the role and value-add of IFC and WBG.
• Capacity to lead successful negotiations with clients and different stakeholders based on an in-depth understanding of IFC requirements, policies, and practices, as well as client and stakeholder interests. Ability to offer alternative solutions to capitalize on opportunities and overcome impasses.
• Ability to build long-term engagement with clients and credibility by demonstrating knowledge of their business, sector, and culture; maintain an ongoing dialogue on their business needs, operations, strategies, and opportunities for strategically aligned business deals.
• Ability to maintain client engagement during the portfolio stage to identify growth opportunities, address emerging problems, and focus on actions that promote sustainability and ensure that overall development impact objectives are met.
• Ability to build and maintain extensive networks in the financial sector in Türkiye, country, and region to bring new engagements, and business opportunities.
• Ability to interact effectively with working-level WBG staff and participate in collaborative interventions or /projects that enable private sector investment by exercising sensitivity to differences in corporate cultures, priorities, and operating practices and /or requirements.
• Ability to describe complex issues, approaches, and lessons in a relevant and understandable manner to clients/stakeholders.
• Ability to comment effectively on documents, develop junior staff as writers, and lead the writing process of business-specific documents.
• Ability to ensure final products are aligned with the needs and expectations of intended audiences.
• Ability to clearly articulate IFC’s requirements, value-add, financial and nonfinancial risks, development impact, and sustainability measurement in a way relevant to and understandable by clients and stakeholders.
• Ability to communicate technical information understandably and concisely to a nontechnical audience.
• Ability to clearly illustrate the long-term financial and economic benefit of IFC/WBG offerings and how those benefits align with client and government needs and priorities, including in more complex contexts.
• Ability to supervise staff in business development, processing, portfolio management, or specialty areas by providing technical guidance and delegating work to build and effectively use the talents of staff and balance workloads.
• Ability to guide, advise, mentor, and coach junior staff and peers to develop and broaden their scope of skills, including providing on-the-job learning opportunities.
• Ability to serve as a point of reference on portfolio guidance from a commercial and process standpoint based on an in-depth understanding of portfolio operational policies, practices, and procedures.
• Ability to balance details of individual assets with a big-picture portfolio view to lead the supervision of individual assets and play an important role in formulating and implementing portfolio strategies.
• Restructuring experience that includes a thorough understanding of financial instruments and main investment agreements for optimal structuring.
• Capacity of problem-solving to effectively articulate options and recommend actions for distressed assets and emerging issues for strategic and top-tier clients to achieve outcomes that benefit both IFC and its clients.
• Ability to identify systemic risks and integrity issues in the financial sector.
• Ability to synthesize and present information effectively and tailored to different audiences.
Communication/Languages
• Demonstrated strong written, presentation, and business level communications skills in English.
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.
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