Investment Officer – GG

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.

 

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 low-income countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict-affected States (FCS). To do so, IFC will need to deploy its full range of financing, mobilization, advisory, convening, and thought leadership skills. This also calls for the need to generate 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 challengeswhere such solutions are advisable and can be effectiveand 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 & environmental infrastructure, 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: (i) grow the 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.

 

Roles and Responsibilities:

The candidate will be based in New Delhi or Mumbai, India, and 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:

•  Contribute to drafting strategies for sectors, countries, or regions for business development; and develop and execute strategies for more complex client engagements to build a robust investment or advisory pipeline

•  Draw comparisons with other industry projects across the region to determine fit with the current portfolio and conduct quality control to ensure accuracy and adequacy of analytical work completed by junior staff

•  Assess and articulate the development impact and IFC additionality of moderately complex transactions at the sector or subsector level. Engage with the IFC economics team to build the Anticipated Impact Measurement and Monitoring (AIMM) story including any market creation impact

•  Lead structuring of moderately complex investment or advisory transactions incorporating lessons of project evaluations and portfolio management experience. Ensure timely processing, thorough due diligence, and client satisfaction

•  Thoroughly review work provided by clients and prepared by team members to ensure solid structure and consistency of legal documents with agreed-upon terms

•  Maintain relationships with clients and other stakeholders (government, development partners, WBG) who are at a level where they can influentially participate in developing immediate and future business opportunities

•  Participate as part of teams led by senior (GG2/GH) investment officers in putting together sector interventions and client engagement plans for IFC’s strategic and top-tier clients

•  Prepare investment or advisory committee materials focusing on financial and nonfinancial risk assessments and deal structuring in moderately complex transactions, applying knowledge of policy and procedures and assessing exceptions where relevant

•  Use networks to keep projects moving and collaborate with key internal stakeholders to obtain buy-in on deals and negotiate risk mitigation strategies

 

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, or operational experience in the sector or technical or professional field

•  Capacity to understand, enable, and participate in market creation opportunities for multiple countries by demonstrating long-term perspective, open-mindedness, persistence, innovation, and ability to leverage all available tools (including de-risking tools); good understanding of the roles and value-add of IFC and WBG in new markets

•  Understanding of relevant country strategies and obstacles to achieving them

•  Has a reputation for listening carefully to clients and stakeholders and asking targeted questions to understand their needs and determine the viability of a business opportunity

•  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, and strategies as well as 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

•  Build and maintain extensive networks in sectors, countries, and regions 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 participate and constructively contribute in meetings with mid-level government officials on constraints to private sector investment in their countries

•  Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to describe complex issues, approaches, and lessons in a manner that is relevant and understandable to clients/stakeholders

•  Ability to comment effectively on documents, develop junior staff as writers, and lead the writing process of business-specific documents

•  Ensure final products are aligned with the needs and expectations of intended audiences

•  Able to clearly articulate IFC’s requirements, value-add, financial and non-financial risks, development impact, and sustainability measurement in a way that is relevant to and understandable by clients and stakeholders

•  Ability to communicate technical information understandably and concisely to a non-technical audience

•  Able to orally present and confidently defend a sound rationale for proposed deals in a compelling way that is appropriate to the audience and engenders their support, including by contributing to (and supervising contributions of team members) the preparation of well-written Investment Review Memorandum (IRM), board papers, and complex portfolio documentation

•  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. Critical for FCS and other challenging markets

•  A broad understanding of the economy, sectors, regulatory and industry fundamentals and drivers, industry and market benchmarks, the latest trends and changes, and industry standards; or market, including policies and regulations affecting investment and business growth

•  Build advanced structuring expertise for moderately complex investment or advisory transactions based on experience with diverse IFC financial instruments, a range of clients in different countries, and projects with different complexity factors

•  Integrate divergent viewpoints of multiple external and internal stakeholders into a coherent project, program, or strategy

•  Proactively seeks input from peers and leaders to deliver objectives and identify where to eliminate delivery roadblocks

•  Demonstrated success as a key influencer in bringing integrated solutions to concept review states where there are significant challenges and competing interests

•  Genuine commitment to sustainable development

•  Willingness to travel extensively and geographic flexibility

 

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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