Finance Specialist (Investment Management) – P3

Organizational Setting

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is an international financial institution and a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to eradicating rural poverty and hunger. It does so by investing in rural people. IFAD finances programmes and projects that increase agricultural productivity and raise rural incomes, and advocates at the local, national and international level for policies that contribute to rural transformation.

The Financial Operations Department (FOD) is a dynamic, strategic and responsive business partner responsible for setting and implementing IFAD’s financial strategy and managing its financial and material resources. FOD ensures that IFAD’s resources are efficiently, economically and effectively used to achieve the Fund’s objectives in the long-term, safeguarding IFAD’s financial sustainability, and delivering on its development commitments. FOD is led by the Associate Vice President & Chief Financial Officer and is comprised of three divisions: the Treasury Division (TRE), the Financial Controller’s Division (FCD) and the Procurement and Financial Management Division (PFM), and a Development Finance (DF) team.

The Treasury Division (TRE) protects IFAD’s financial sustainability and credit rating, through raising of borrowed resources, efficient and effective management of IFAD’s liquidity, timely and accurate settlement of all incoming and outgoing payments, financial planning and ALM risk management, while providing innovative and financially responsible solutions to IFAD’s borrowers. TRE serves IFAD’s Senior Management as an advisor on strategic decisions on financial matters.

TRE is led by a Director & Treasurer and is comprised of four (4) teams: Cash Management and Back Office (CM), Investment Management (IM), Financial Planning, ALM and Middle Office (FPM), and Funding and Treasury Solutions (FUN).

Position specific:

Within the Division, the Investment Management (IM) team is responsible for managing IFAD’s investment portfolio and the assets of other funds under IFAD management. The incumbent will be committed to the delivery of assigned objectives and activities and keep abreast of related industry developments and skills required to respond to the divisional work plan and results.

The incumbent will work under the overall strategic, policy and management guidance of the Director & Treasurer, and direct supervision/guidance of the Senior Treasury Officer.

Job Role

The incumbent is a seasoned professional reflecting an in-depth, broad understanding of applicable regulations, standards and methods as well as IFAD’s financial regulations, rules and transactional procedures in one or more financial occupations including accounting, budget, loans and grants, public financial management and/or treasury.

Position specific:

The main responsibilities of the incumbent is ensuring the prudent management of the IFAD investment portfolio; providing sound technical advice and support to Treasury staff across all functional teams; ensuring that timely responses are provided to internal and external parties; representing the Treasury Division on Investment Management matters at internal and external meetings requested by the Senior Finance Officer (Treasury) or Management.

Key Functions and Results

1. FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER: The incumbent is a credible, trusted partner to the Department/Division/Unit where assigned. S/He supports the Fund’s finance strategy and plans as well as models a commitment to financial integrity by acting as a responsive and constructive service provider with a focus on results. The incumbent provides seasoned verbal and written advice and guidance to supervisors and staff on finance regulations, rules and procedures, facilitating a mutual understanding of roles and fiduciary accountabilities in direct support of integrity in the management of the Fund’s financial resources.

2. TREASURY MANAGEMENT: The incumbent is a seasoned professional with the capacity to interpret and apply a broad range of international and IFAD financial policies, rules and regulations as well as standards and techniques, and with knowledge of pillars of financial market drivers and financial risks.

3. AGENT OF CHANGE: The incumbent understands and applies the principles of change management and proactively serves as a role model for transformation and capacity for acceptance of change. S/He uses a seasoned knowledge of results based management and budgeting, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other information technology to develop, analyze and promote acceptance of new methods of work and automated work flows. The incumbent manages change through consultations with finance colleagues and outreach to internal and external stakeholders to build understanding of and to ensure open and regular communications pertaining to current and planned changes in the Fund’s financial standards, regulations and rules.

4. MANAGERIAL FUNCTIONS: The incumbent is accountable for integrity, transparency, and equity in the personal use of assigned IFAD resources, including equipment, supplies and, as applicable, staff or consultants supervised.

Positions Specifics:

5. INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT: The incumbent is a seasoned professional with the capacity to interpret and apply a broad range of international and IFAD financial policies, rules and regulations as well as standards and techniques. Activities performed by the incumbent may include (a) maintaining the financial procedures relating to the assigned operation; (b) preparing information for internal financial reporting and for IFAD’s Annual Financial Statements, as applicable; and (c) preparing timely, substantive replies to internal and external audit observations concerning the assigned financial operation.

The incumbent is accountable for:

• Developing trade ideas and investment strategies for the investment portfolio
• Executing fixed income, currency, money market and derivative transaction for the internally managed funds
• Analysing fixed income and derivative instruments
• Conducting market and issuer specific research
• Monitoring and analysing external fund managers
• Monitoring performance and performance attribution of investment portfolios and trust funds as well as the corresponding benchmarks
• Recommending and evaluating benchmarks and other risk and return metrics
• Contributing to investment management related policy papers and periodic reporting on investment performance
• Representing the IM team leader at internal and external meetings as required

Key Performance Indicators

The incumbent is accountable for in¿depth analysis of a variety of financial reports that reflect transactions where many different consecutive stages of operations are involved; problems involve interrelationships and interactions within the financial structure and their role is to ensure that the Organization’s financial business conforms to regulations. Based on a thorough knowledge of finance principles, concepts and systems, the incumbent independently performs the full range of work for a complete, homogenous financial operation or components of financial operations in support of a geographic or other organizational area. The supervisor may be consulted in the analysis of complex and/or precedent setting cases to ensure consistency in the interpretation and application of regulations and rules and to document such decisions. The work typically requires the identification of the need for changes to finance policies, as well as the authoritative interpretation and application of finance policies, rules and regulations to a broad range of complex casework. The key performance indicators for the incumbent include accurate performance of assigned finance operations, technical quality in terms of both substantive depth and adaptive relevance to client needs and customer service approach to problem resolution.

Working Relationships

The incumbent may represent the unit to which assigned on related matters at internal and external meetings and conferences as requested by the supervisor. Internally, the incumbent is required to explain, clarify and implement financial plans and decisions taken or procedural changes planned to ensure accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial data and reporting. They collaborate with Senior Finance Specialists to provide their feedback on the policies and procedures improvement process. Contacts are with finance, budget, loans and grants, treasury, audit, risk management, legal and programme management staff in country offices and Headquarters. External work relationships for the incumbent normally require an exchange of information with a range of outside sources including banking counternparts, peers from other Multilateral Development Institutions, external advisors and financial service providers, lenders and investors.

Job Profile Requirements

Organizational Competencies:

Level 1:

• Strategic thinking and organizational development: Personal influence
• Demonstrating Leadership: Personal leadership and attitude to change
• Learning, sharing knowledge and innovating: Continuously seeks to learn, shares knowledge and innovates
• Focusing on clients: Focuses on clients
• Problem solving and decision making: Demonstrates sound problem solving and decision-making ability
• Managing time, resources and information: Manages own time, information and resources effectively
• Team Work: Contributes effectively to the team
• Communicating and negotiating: Communicates effectively: creates understanding between self and others
• Building relationships and partnerships: Builds and maintains effective working relationships
• Managing performance and developing staff: Manages staff and teams effectively

Education:

• Level – Advanced university degree in Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Data Science, Business Administrations, Accounting, Engineering, Physics or any other technically relevant area from an accredited institution.
• The advanced university degree may be substituted by a first university degree and at least four (4) additional years of relevant professional experience over and above the minimum number of years of experience.
• Areas – Finance, Economics, Mathematics, Data Science, Business Administrations, Accounting, Engineering, Physics or any other technically relevant area
• Degree must be an accredited institution listed on https://www.whed.net/home.php.

Certifications:

Professional qualifications, such as the following, are an advantage:

• Associate Member (AMCT) Association of Corporate Treasurers (ACT)
• Certified Treasury Professional (CTP)
• Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• International Capital Markets Association (ICMA)

Experience:

• At least 5 years of progressively relevant professional experience in investment management and trading operations and/ or a finance and debt background in multi-cultural organization, supranational, international financial institution, multilateral development bank, bilateral development bank, central bank, official institution or national organization providing support on a global scale;
• Two (2) years preferably in the United Nations or an international financial institution, or another multi-cultural organization or a national organization providing support on a global scope;
• Position-specific experience: Hands-on experience with financial trading platforms (e.g. Bloomberg Terminal, TradeWeb) for trading financial instruments, particularly bonds (sovereigns, supranational, government agencies, corporates, financial institutions, covered bonds, ABS, MBS, inflation-linked bonds), money market products (including repos and reverse repos), currency (FX spot, FX forwards), and derivatives (such as interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps, and credit default swaps);
• In-depth knowledge of treasury management systems, particularly in portfolio analytics, performance attribution, cash flow projections analysis, and other asset/investment management solutions;
• Proven credit analysis, risk management and financial modelling skills;
• Practical experience in environmental, social and governance (ESG) negative/positive screening and best-in-class ESG approaches will be an added advantage.

Languages:

• Required English (4 – Excellent)
• Desirable: French, Spanish and/or Arabic

Skills:

Job role specific

• Capital market instruments, Knowledge of capital markets instruments (fixed income, currency, derivatives, money market), risk and performance metrics and quantitative tools of fixed income valuation (cash flow, present value, interest rate risk, duration, CVaR, tracking error, etc.)
• Liquidity management, Know-how in liquidity planning, liquidity investment, investment portfolio management and reporting
• Problem solving, Strong systemic and structured thinking, ability to identify and dissect problems into components and formulate a comprehensive set of creative viable and sustainable solutions and strategies
• Analytical skills, Outstanding ability to analyse and synthesize qualitative and/or quantitative information from a variety of sources and filter out key insights and recommendations
• Interpersonal skills, Ability to deal patiently and tactfully with others (e.g. dealer counterparties, external asset managers, financial service providers, visitors, callers, colleagues), including senior individuals (e.g. high-level meeting participants)
• Procedure adherence & interpretation, Ability to strictly adhere to established, formal guidelines, including in new situations and to interpret established, formal guidelines to address and recommend solutions or further actions required
• Risk & compliance, Know-how in asset liability management, risk reporting, capital adequacy, quality assurance and compliance (e.g. Anti-money laundering (AML), Know your customer (KYC) processes), etc.
• ICT & digital fluency, High level of digital literacy and ability to quickly get familiar with new digital tools (e.g. electronic trading platforms, risk management dashboards, financial modeling)
• Risk management (e.g. reputational), Know-how in identifying and assessing of potential legal, reputational, ethical risks and liabilities in relation to the Fund’s activities; contributing strongly to the division in a second line of defense function; demonstrating ability to manage these risks by advising senior management on contingency and mitigation strategies

Position specific

• Financial process management, Know-how in the management of financial processes such as reporting, treasury, investment processes and securities trading, cash management processes, etc

Other Information

Applicants should note that IFAD staff members are international civil servants subject to the authority of the President of IFAD. In accordance with IFAD’s Human Resources Policy, the President can decide to assign them to any of the activities of the Fund. All International Professional staff members are required to be geographically mobile and positions in the professional category are subject to changes in location at any time in line with strategic priorities and reform initiatives in IFAD.

IFAD is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on ethnic, social, or political background, colour, nationality, religion, age, gender, disability, marital status, family size, or sexual orientation. This is in line with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Strategyand our Policy to prevent and respond to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse.

Please be aware of fraudulent job offers. IFAD does not charge any fees at any stage of the recruitment process. Official communication from IFAD will always come from e-mails ending in @ifad.org.

In accordance with IFAD’s provisions, all new staff members will normally be placed at the first step in the grade level for which they have been selected. For information on IFAD’s remuneration package, please visit IFAD’s compensation and benefits page on our website. Applicants are invited to use the ICSC compensation calculator to estimate the salary and benefit entitlements.

Candidates may be required to take a written test and to deliver a presentation as well as participate in interviews.

In the interest of making most cost-effective use of funds and resources, we are only able to respond to applicants who are short-listed for interview. Candidates who do not receive any feedback within three months should consider their application unsuccessful.

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