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 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 is seeking an Operations Officer for its Infrastructure and Natural Resources (INR) upstream team in the Asia Pacific region. The position is based in Sydney, Australia

While IFC continues to expand its traditional roles of advisory services and investment operations, IFC embarked on an ambitious growth strategy (IFC 3.0) to stimulate more investment activity. This strategy calls for generating opportunities by proactively working “Upstream” (i.e., prior to and/ or in anticipation of a project or investment), to create, deepen, and expand markets and to imagine, design, unblock and implement investment projects. It requires taking a systematic approach to identifying investment opportunities (at project and program level) and supporting development and investment of those opportunities with the private sector, as well as identifying and managing regulatory and policy bottlenecks that prevent the flow of private capital into markets and opportunities, through World Bank Group engagement on policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level.

The Infrastructure and Natural Resources (INR) business line provides financing solutions to clients focused on the power, transport, TMT (telecoms, media and technology) and municipal and environmental infrastructure sectors. A strategic focus for the INR team in Asia Pacific is to support clients (both public at the subnational level and private sector clients) to find decarbonization solutions in these sectors and to ramp up investments in urban infrastructure, transport and TMT as well as identifying projects in emerging sub-sectors in energy. IFC is seeking an Operations Officer for its INR upstream and advisory team, with expertise in one or more infrastructure sectors. The selected candidate will focus on developing a high-quality Upstream & Advisory pipeline of infrastructure projects, under the supervision of the Regional Upstream and Advisory Manager. S/he will also support policy work and other interventions across the World Bank Group to prioritize various initiatives and to maximize the impact of Upstream efforts in these sectors and would support the Regional Upstream and Advisory Manager on overseeing the Upstream and Advisory pipeline and quality control.  The selected candidate would focus on growing the business in East Asia and the Pacific but will also get the opportunity to work more broadly across Asia Pacific.

Duties and Accountabilities:
•  Support the identification and assessment of Upstream opportunities in Asia Pacific, including analysis of sectors, market creation potential, and regulatory reforms.
•  Help spot technologies and business model trends relevant to emerging markets.
•  Support and/or lead the design, development, and implementation of high-quality Upstream initiatives and interventions.
•  Provide quality control research and analysis for market and opportunity creation, including market mapping, comparator analysis, barrier analysis, and sector and company financial projections and models, including analysis of potential clients.
•  Contribute to sector-specific data analysis and stress testing of various operating models to help generate ideas for new projects, new products, and platform businesses.
•  Contribute to development of feasibility studies and implementation plans with private clients for Upstream projects.
•  Assist in designing and implementing scalable solutions and platforms.
•  Work with the WBG to analyze sector and regulatory reforms that are needed to unlock opportunities for private investment and coordinate and convene functions and teams needed to successfully unlock investment opportunities and market creation, including policy work and other interventions across the WBG.
•  Coordinate efforts and develop initiatives to disseminate and exchange knowledge with internal and external parties, and review lessons learned to help improve current projects or processes.
•  Coordinate with internal legal teams and produce first drafts of legal agreements using available templates.
•  Draft the TORs for consultants, create and facilitate the selection process in the relevant systems and coordinate with procurement teams on issuing and managing consultant contracts.
•  Build and maintain relationships with stakeholders, including government bodies and potential clients, to enable IFC activities.
•  Lead components of project management, planning, and monitoring of deliverables to ensure timely and quality delivery of the work program.
•  Liaise with multiple departments to drive processes and projects forward.
•  Produce regular reports on the assigned Upstream portfolio, including monitoring progress against project milestones and key performance indicators (KPIs).
•  Assist in the development of pitch books and introductory materials on IFC for prospective clients.

Selection Criteria

•  Master’s degree in a related field and at least 5-8 years min relevant experience with at least 2 in infrastructure. Related fields of education include law, 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.
•  Ability to apply an understanding of Upstream engagements, investment, and advisory transactions to assess business opportunities and possible solutions to create markets.
•  Capacity to identify barriers for market creation in a targeted country by tapping into relevant internal and external expertise and synthesizing information on local regulatory and economic contexts, industry and sector structure and landscape, and constraints clients are facing to grow their business.
•  Ability to identify and contribute to design novel and/or scalable approaches, such as leveraging of a WB instrument or de-risking tools.
•  Demonstrates active listening skills by paying full attention and asking questions to clarify client and stakeholder needs and gather required information.
•  Ability to interact effectively with clients and stakeholders by acting professionally, responding to their requests and inquiries, delivering what is promised, and meeting deadlines.
•  Capacity to build productive and mutually beneficial relationships and networks internally and externally to identify business opportunities, discuss structuring alternatives, and resolve issues.
•  Excellent written, verbal communication, and presentation skills to effectively influence the perception and support of clients/stakeholders.
•  Ability to draft documents and reports that are concise, well-organized, and appropriately focused on most critical points that are relevant to the target audience.
•  Ability to tailor explanations of IFC’s value proposition to specific clients and share relevant information on industry practices.
•  Proven analytical and financial analysis to analyze and form conclusions on company financial information or projects and industry indicators. Ability to oversee and provide quality control feedback on financial models prepared by analysts.
•  Ability to identify and independently monitor the milestones and deliverables of the work program.
•  Ability to identify business process improvement areas and recommend solutions.
•  Demonstrate strong integrative thinking and ability to support project teams in developing an integrated viewpoint that connects projects, programs, and initiatives around a development challenge.
•  Demonstrate active listening skills by paying full attention and asking questions to clarify client and stakeholder needs and gather required information.
•  Ability to interact effectively with clients and stakeholders by acting professionally, responding to their requests and inquiries, delivering what is promised, and meeting deadlines.
•  Utilize charts, graphs, and other presentation techniques to communicate complex data and concepts in simple and clear ways.
•  Ability to share valid opinions and new observations relevant to project outcomes with project leaders in a manner that is concise, cohesive, and focused.
•  Ability to tailor explanations of IFC’s value proposition to specific clients and share relevant information on industry practices.
•  Strong organizational skills and track record in project management and oversight and monitoring.

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.