Associate Investment Officer

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. 

IFC has embarked on an ambitious new growth strategy, the outcome of which will be to double our volume of business by 2030 and triple the work we do in low-income countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict-affected States (FCS). To do so, IFC must deploy its full range of financing, mobilization, advisory, convening, and thought leadership skills. This also calls for generating our opportunities by proactively working “Upstream” to create, deepen, and expand markets and opportunities for the private sector and to imagine, design, and implement investment projects. This strategy also relies on a closer WBG collaboration through the “Cascade” approach: working with clients, we will first seek private sector solutions to address development challenges—where such solutions are advisable and can be effective—and reserve public financing for projects only when other options are suboptimal.

The Infrastructure and Natural Resources (INR) Industry is one of IFC’s key strategic priorities. The team delivers financial and technical support to clients in the power, transport, municipal and environmental infrastructure, oil and gas, and mining sectors from IFC’s own Balance Sheet and through mobilization of other capital. The department also seeks to maintain IFC, as part of the World Bank Group, at the cutting edge of helping member countries find solutions to new and emerging infrastructure and natural resource issues. 

IFC’s priorities in Asia for INR are to (i) grow business in the region and achieve strong profitability and impact; (ii) build new and nurture existing client relationships to make IFC the preferred partner for key clients; (iii) manage the portfolio of assets for strong profitability and impact; (iv) support local companies, while improving transparency and corporate governance; (v) catalyze foreign investment, including mobilizing B loans and parallel loans; (vi) introduce and develop new financial products; (vii) build long-term partnerships with strong regional players and (viii) develop client, sector and country-level solutions that can be scaled and replicated.

Responsibilities:

• The candidate is expected to perform the functions of an Investment Officer at all material stages of the IFC deal cycle, from deal origination to portfolio management, with a focus on building IFC’s infrastructure portfolio in New Delhi, India, including:
• •  Develop a strong pipeline of good-quality investment opportunities in South Asia by anticipating market trends and employing sector/country knowledge
• •  Supervise a proportional number of projects in South Asia
• •  Supervise, leverage, and mentor junior staff
• •  Work closely with the country managers and officers – joint work to develop client, country, and sector strategies
• •  Evaluate, structure, negotiate, and close new transactions, portfolio restructurings, capital increases, equity sales, etc
• •  Review and analyze business opportunities and synthesize information into internal reports for decision-making purposes
• •  Develop innovative and appropriate financial structures for complex transactions
• •  Lead negotiation/documentation; deploy strong negotiation skills to develop solutions and overcome impasses in straightforward and complex transactions
• •  Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, global and regional private businesses, banking and multilateral partners, and government officials to further develop investment opportunities
• •  Coordinate closely with social, environmental, and technical assistance colleagues to add value to our client’s businesses, find pragmatic solutions to specific sector challenges, and achieve sustainable development impact

In addition, the successful candidate will:

• •  Experience connecting the dots across business strategies and learning portfolio management lessons to generate innovative ideas, products, or solutions that can be replicated in other locations
• •  Be astute in anticipating where future opportunities and innovation will emerge in markets and sectors, and leverage expertise and reputation to connect IFC with those opportunities to grow infrastructure business and open new markets
• •  Be able to have difficult conversations with clients to set reasonable expectations and with team members on their accountabilities or to address performance issues

Selection Criteria:

• •  MBA or equivalent degree with at least 5-8 years of relevant professional experience in investment/corporate banking, project finance, infrastructure project development, and equity investing
• •  Thorough understanding of economic and commercial trends, investment environment, industry drivers, business/ market development cycles, how business performance and long-term competitiveness/ viability are measured within the industry, and how industry dynamics may evolve in India
• •  Demonstrated execution capacity in leading infrastructure projects from business development to financial closing in India
• •  Familiarity with the infrastructure sector, including capital market structures such as securitizations, InvITs, and convertible instruments
• •  Proven analytical, financial analysis, equity valuation, and financial modeling skills to analyze and form conclusions on company financial information, projects, and industry indicators. Able to oversee and provide quality control feedback on financial models prepared by investment analysts
• •  Ability to structure equity or quasi-equity transactions with a good understanding of key equity terms, appropriate equity structures, and knowledge of the various equity and mezzanine instruments applicable in the South Asian market
• •  Capacity to build client relationships/ networks. Ability to identify business opportunities, discuss structuring alternatives and resolve issues
• •  Appreciation and understanding of legal, technical, environmental, social, and other considerations in Infrastructure projects and corporate finance
• •  Fluent in English
• •  Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills to effectively influence the perception/ support of clients/ stakeholders
• •  Ability to draft documents and reports that are concise, well-organized, and appropriately focused on the most critical points relevant to the target audience
• •  Ability to share valid opinions and new observations relevant to project outcomes with project leaders in a concise, cohesive, and focused manner
• •  Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English are required
• •  Ability to work in culturally diverse and geographically dispersed teams and mentor junior staff
• •  Proactive, self-motivated, and well-organized

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=28524&site=1