Operations Officer – GF

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.

Fragility is on the rise globally. Africa is disproportionately affected with several countries categorized as Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situation (FCS) countries. Many of these countries have huge development needs and suffer from endemic poverty, a longstanding lack of investment, high business costs and huge operational challenges for businesses.

To this end, IFC launched the Africa Fragility Initiative (AFI), a 5-year advisory and upstream program across 32 countries dedicated to supporting the growth and development of responsible private sector-led growth and job creation in African FCS.

AFI supports business development and deal origination, provides supplementary market intelligence, and enables IFC teams to expand and implement their projects by providing that critical handholding support to local sponsors, and contribute to IFC’s thought leadership on private sector development in fragile countries. AFI is a new tool that allows IFC to work closely with our partners, share operational knowledge, mainstream conflict sensitivity, and enable and systematize responsible and context-specific investments in markets that need it the most especially where operational challenges today inhibit private sector activity.

FCS countries in Africa have proven to be challenging for IFC investments as most potential sponsors are small, operate relatively informally, do not meet IFC’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) or integrity standards, and are not ready to engage in productive negotiations with lenders. To address these challenges, AFI launched the Local Champions Initiative (“LCI”) with the aim of scaling up support to sponsors operating in African FCS to build a pipeline of investable projects for IFC.

The IFC FCS team is seeking a highly motivated GF2 Operations Officer with strong advisory experience to be based in Lome, Togo to support the implementation of the Local Champions Initiative (LCI) in the Sahel and West Africa. The role will report to the FCS Regional Lead for West Africa.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Lead the implementation of the Implementation Plan which was approved in May 2023 in coordination with the COs/Res Reps.

• Coordinate with the staff and consultants supporting LCI work in the pilot countries.

• Support the roll out of LCI in new countries in the Sahel & West Africa

• Lead client engagement and relationship management on the ground to ensure high client satisfaction and the program relevance with ongoing advisory engagements;

• Work with internal, external consultants, and World Bank Group colleagues to finalize training needs assessment and deliver technical support to selected local champions;

• Assist in designing and implementing scalable LCI pilots with a forced displacement angle that can be replicated across markets.

• Work collaboratively with IFC Investment/Upstream/Advisory and CMA colleagues to align advisory to help build a pipeline of investment projects, support the processing of investment leads and propose compelling “one IFC” solutions to champions;

• Liaise with industry and country office colleagues and other relevant units to ensure consistency of vision/efforts and align actions on business development and pipeline building efforts in target countries

• Lead on the preparation and delivery of the Project Supervision Reports (PSRs).

• Support developing program-specific client engagement and consultant procurement documents (Engagement letters, consultants’ Terms of Reference, etc.) working with IFC legal team and other staff.

• Perform periodic reporting and liaison as required with Development Partners and IFC Africa management team on progress and designated achievements.

• Support market outreach and program promotion activities by working with communications team.

• Ensure LCI is delivering in line with the Monitoring and Evaluation plan;

• Develop and implement a sustainable country-level exit strategy for the LCI model, working closely with local stakeholders and building strategic partnerships.

Selection Criteria

Requisite skills include but are not limited to the following

• Master’s degree in a related field and at least 4-8 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.

• Knowledge and experience of working in/on one of Sahel or West Africa countries

• Strong Experience and Proven knowledge of managing the delivery of IFC advisory projects

• Exhibit a deep understanding and respect for cultural, social, and political complexities in demanding environments.

• Understanding of the AFI program and the World Bank Group’s Fragility, Conflict, and Violence (FCV) Strategy

• Private sector development and operational experience including designing and implementing development programs in Africa;

• Proven knowledge of the investment, advisory and upstream process in IFC, through working with advisory, upstream and investment teams or completion of the credit course

• Self-starter, mature and flexible personality; able to work in a multicultural, fast-paced team environment;

• A team player with outstanding people management skills, ability to work with colleagues from different teams who are not reporting to him/her and achieve outstanding results while meeting tight deadline and maintaining strong client service orientation;

• Strong analytical and presentation skills working with data using standard office software Excel, Word, Powerpoint – Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French essential.

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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