Operations 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.

Climate action is at the core of IFC’s business. In financial year 2023, IFC delivered 46% in own-account climate finance and mobilized an additional $6.8 billion. The World Bank Group’s Climate Change Action Plan (2021 – 2025) outlines our collective response to align financial flows with the goals of the Paris Agreement (referred to as “Paris Alignment”). IFC has committed to align 85% of new operations with these goals starting July 1, 2023, and to align 100% of new operations starting July 1, 2025.

IFC’s Climate Business Department (CBD) is instrumental in implementing the Climate Change Action Plan. The Innovation and Business Development team within CBD focuses on working with the IFC’s and World Bank Group’s industries, sectors, and regions to uncover, nurture, develop and scale up cross-sector and multi-sector innovations that can help with climate adaptation and mitigation efforts. Current priorities being developed include methane reduction, sustainable cooling solutions, innovative and emerging renewable energy and storage solutions, circular economy, decarbonizing transport, agriculture and industries, and decarbonizing the built environment including buildings, cities, and industrial parks.   

IFC’s Green Buildings Market Transformation Program (GBMTP, Green Buildings Team) aims to catalyze a virtuous cycle of supply and demand for resource-efficient building construction and ownership. A main thrust of the GBMTP is to create a paradigm shift by setting a metrics-driven standard of what constitutes a green building, and to reward property developers for meeting these standards through IFC’s green building certification program called EDGE – (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies).  IFC works through third party certification providers to administer and confirm compliance with the EDGE standard.  

IFC recognizes the importance of mainstreaming disaster resilience and climate adaptation in emerging market. To address this, the Building Resilience Index (BRI) Program is created. The BRI Program aims to enhance urban resilience against climate change-induced and geoseismic natural hazards by promoting the design, construction, retrofit, finance, and insurance of resilient buildings. The program takes a holistic approach, focusing on the development of the Building Resilience Index app, improving access to finance for resilient projects, facilitating direct investment in resilient demonstration projects, and improving the public policy environment to support a resilient building market.

The BRI App is a web-based hazard mapping and resilience assessment framework for the building sector. It provides location-specific hazard information, resilience measures, and disclosure mechanism for stakeholders in the sector.

The Global APEX Green Cities Project

• IFC has created a climate-smart cities platform called APEX Green Cities. This new platform will help cities make decisions about the future of their energy, transport, water, and waste systems through an extensive array of policy and investment options. The APEX software is used to quickly assess the resource requirements, greenhouse gas emissions impacts, costs, and payback periods of policies, investments, and planning measures. The APEX Green Cities program aims to increase public and private climate-related investment pipeline influenced by city-level policies and investment plans.
• The IFC APEX Team works with client cities to conduct APEX analyses, and there are several upcoming city engagements. The output of an APEX analysis is a Green Cities Action Plan (6 months duration) or a Green Investment Diagnostic (4 months duration). The analyses will determine the future greenhouse gas (GHG) and resource impacts of the current investment pipeline, as well as identify other investment, policy, and planning opportunities in the city.

Duties and Accountabilities

• The Green Buildings Team seeks to hire an Operations Officer to be based in either Panama City or Bogota Colombia to help lead business development and implementation activities for greening the built environment, including for IFC’s EDGE, BRI and APEX Green Cities platforms. The OO will report to the Green Buildings Lead for Latin America.
• The new team member’s core responsibilities will be to: (i) define and implement a comprehensive go-to-market strategy for EDGE-BRI in Colombia, Peru, Central America and the Caribbean Islands, and APEX for the Latin America and Caribbean Region; (ii) outreach to financial intermediaries on the creation of financial and non-financial products and services that support the growth of the green and resilient building sector and low carbon cities.
• Lead IFC’s GBMTP Country Programs for Colombia, Perú, Central America and the Caribbean Islands.
• Market research and data analysis to identify challenges and opportunities for program expansion and growth through innovative approaches.
• Create an EDGE-BRI and APEX comprehensive business plan and go-to-market country strategy and finessing it over time.
• Achieving designated program targets for EDGE-BRI and APEX while monitoring the country-level work program and budget.
• Building new and maintaining existing relationships with allies, partners and identifying opportunities for program’s growth.
• Engaging directly and frequently with property developers, financial intermediaries, industry associations and public entities, to promote, sell and create capacities for EDGE-BRI and low carbon cities with APEX.
• Create quality content to strengthen the EDGE-BRI business case according to local market; support business partners, experts, certification providers and clients, to strengthen their own business development strategies, attract new sectors/clients creating strong pipeline of projects, ensuring post-sale customer success and client retention.
• Build and sell on the concept of resilient and decarbonized portfolios approach, support retrofit/EDGE advanced and Zero Carbon expansion.
• Provide continuous support for EDGE-BRI and APEX clients throughout the program implementation process to ensure customer success.
• For APEX City Engagement, the staff will be a point person for client cities in LAC to develop APEX Green Cities Action Plans and Green Investment Diagnostics. The staff will serve as a liaison and coordinator with city governments and project manager for city projects. Specifically, the staff will be responsible for: (1) Business development to identify partner cities; (2) Working with 3-4 cities across the region to develop Green Cities Action Plans and Green Investment Diagnostics, including coordinating data collection and analysis, facilitating meetings and workshops with city stakeholders, and preparing reports; and, (3) Project management for APEX program in LAC region.
• Collaborating with the EDGE Global Marketing Lead on content development and honing the program’s value proposition for the specified LAC markets, leveraging marketing, media and social media channels to profile client successes and position EDGE-BRI and APEX for adoption.
• Representing EDGE-BRI and APEX at major property sector conferences and events, encouraging awareness, and gaining acceptance and traction.
• Leveraging relationships with civil, industry and professional organizations such as the national green building council, property/industry associations, public sector entities and other major entities who can benefit directly from alliances EDGE-BRI and APEX.
• Working seamlessly with IFC’s investment teams across industries to create new business opportunities to implement green and resilient building/cities through innovative financial products and climate related investment. 
• Write reports for donors and requisite, bi-monthly reporting.
• Support the EDGE LAC Team on an as-needed basis in the areas of strategy and budget.

Selection Criteria

The candidate must have a significant network in the property and/or financial real estate sector and be able to work both independently and as a team player, be at ease in working with high-level clients, and have several years of experience in business development as related to the real estate sector.

• A master’s degree in business, economics, architecture, civil engineering or equivalent.
• Business development professional with significant network in the property and/or financial real estate sector with a profound knowledge of the intricate dynamics of Latin American and Caribbean real estate markets and how they are financed.
• At least 6 years of experience.
• Experience with engaging and developing relationships with financial institutions, REITS, funds, asset managers, etc.
• At least five years of experience in business development working with high-level clients in the property development and/or financial sectors.
• Proven experience in client conversions for a substantially large product or program.
• Start-up experience is valued but not required.
• High levels of energy, initiative, resourcefulness, leadership, and interpersonal skills, including demonstrated ability to establish and develop relationships, to lead, manage, motivate, and collaborate closely with multi-disciplinary country teams and staff and managers at all levels, and to coordinate efforts across borders and organizational boundaries.
• Ability to thrive under pressure and function effectively under tight deadlines, while managing multiple projects simultaneously with absolute attention to details.
• Sound business judgment, and project management skills with demonstrated ability to deliver results under stressful timetables and environment.
• Work experience/knowledge of cities, city-wide infrastructure, and urban planning.
• GHG quantification experience preferred.
• Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, for internal and external customers and stakeholders.
• Spoken and written fluency in English and Spanish.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=28651&site=1