Principal Investment Officer – GH

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

The Financial Institution Group (FIG) is one of IFC’s key Departments responsible for a significant portion of IFC’s business volume, profitability, and development reach, approximately 40%. FIG engages in a wide range of sub-sectors including Microfinance, SME, Gender, Climate, Insurance, Capital Markets, Housing, Distressed Assets, and other areas, with both investment and advisory services delivered globally to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network.  FIG has three main objectives: 1) financial inclusion 2) servicing the real economy and 3) mobilizing third-party resources.    
    
FIG’s Pan APAC team is based across the region with main hubs and offices in Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila, Beijing and Hanoi. The team members work on both new business development and portfolio management across the region. With a diverse network of markets, the pipeline of new transactions ranges from investing fresh equity in banks to structured finance products which help develop local capital markets.    

FIG Pan APAC Regional Industry Team seeks a Principal Investment Officer based in the Mumbai, India or Beijing, China office with significant market and industry experience to help grow and develop its business across the region. 

 

Duties and Accountabilities:
•  Support the Regional Industry Director with innovative business development and complex portfolio situations. 
•  Coordinate the various FIG APAC operational task forces (e.g., pipeline, strategy)
•  Support Regional Industry Director with engagement with FIG Global product and sector management as well as other IFC industry management.
•  Support the Regional Industry Director with engagement with APAC regional and country management. 
•  Support the Regional Industry Director in collaboration with IBRD/IDA and MIGA.
•  Support the Regional Industry Director in collaboration with other MDBs and local/regional/global financial institutions and other partners.
•  Support the Regional Industry Director with handling the growing volume of investment and upstream/advisory projects.
•  Undertake any ad hoc assignments that the Regional Industry Director may assign.

 

Selection Criteria

•  Master’s degree in a related field and at least 12 years of 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.
•  Excellent negotiation and structuring skills demonstrated by proven track record. Can recognize when negotiations no longer serve IFC’s interests and has the conviction to take appropriate actions to protect IFC, which could include walking away from a deal or taking different positions on corporate actions.
•  Able to influence others based on the understanding of the implications of investment decisions for IFC’s business.
•  Build, maintain, and leverage strategically extensive network in the sector, country, or region to seek new opportunities and markets. Maintain rapport and reputation within these networks to test new ideas, products, and approaches to generate opportunities in new markets. Practices active listening skills, often paraphrasing the message, to ensure understanding of what is going on with clients and stakeholders to anticipate their needs and acknowledge when IFC or WBG is unable to meet them.
•  Development Partners: Maintain excellent relationships by presenting latest research, trends, and new programs, and by reporting on progress and results of projects they are sponsoring.
•  Public Sector: Credibility to engage with or support IFC management engagement with governments at senior levels (e.g., ministers) and apply a political mindset to influence thinking and action on market and regulatory reforms in targeted countries to open doors to private sector investment.
•  Networks: Ability to develop and draw on relationships across multiple teams regional, headquarters, advisory, other departments, and WBG to facilitate transfer of knowledge, innovative approaches, and replication of best practices.
•  Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Ability to describe highly complex issues, approaches, and lessons in a manner that is relevant and understandable to clients/stakeholders.
•  Provide guidance to junior staff on how to achieve intended objectives of written work.
•  Provide quality control for complex or sensitive written work.
•  Able to clearly and extemporaneously articulate the essence of a complex or novel deal – its profitability, additionality, and development impact in a way that is relatable and compelling to clients and key stakeholders, including by ensuring well-written IRM books, board papers, and complex portfolio documentation.
•  Ability to provide direction to larger size staff with more diverse composition, to adjust supervision style to meet needs and level of individual staff members, and to motivate the team.
•  Ability to guide and share experiences with junior staff and peers through formal and informal mentoring arrangements and through the design and delivery of internal formal learning. Critical for FCS and other challenging markets.
•  Ability to see the big picture of where sectors, industries, regions, and countries are, where they are heading, and where IFC/WBG can play a role in their development.
•  Ability to review the financial analytical work performed by team members for moderately complex transactions based on in-depth analytical and financial modeling skills and experience to know what to look for in efficiently ensuring quality control and directing the appropriate analysis to understand risk factors in a project.
•  Ability to direct and review complex financial information and financial analytical work performed by team members and quickly assess what it means as well as identify where there are gaps, inaccuracies, or inappropriate applications.
•  Broad, in-depth experience and demonstrated success with a diverse range of clients (sophisticated and new market entrants), regions, and projects covering the full range of IFC and WBG products and instruments and involving highly complex factors, such as multiple investors, sophisticated products, difficult countries (e.g., IDA, FCS), high levels of risk, and innovative approaches that have not been tried before.
•  Able to proactively distinguish business development activities and untapped market opportunities where it is important to exercise perseverance, particularly where risks are high (e.g., FCS countries) versus those that will ultimately fall short of meeting IFC requirements.
•  Has extensive understanding of how WBG/ IFC approaches to business development differ based on market stability and volatility, regulatory structures, and investment climate.
•  Able to envision what success would look like with particular clients based on their priorities and appetite for risk and has the ability to help shape their longer-term business development strategies and identify areas of commonality with IFC’s long-term strategic priorities at the sector and region or country level.
•  Able to leverage internal networks and mobilize IFC resources to deliver solutions to clients in a timely manner as well as leverage external networks to find solutions that IFC/WBG cannot provide.
•  Thorough and in-depth understanding of IFC’s portfolio performance and how it contributes to IFC’s mission, corporate targets, and AAA financial rating. Has thorough knowledge of portfolio operational policies, practices, and procedures.
•  Recognized internally and externally as a sector or region expert and a go-to resource for complex portfolio management decisions based on track record within specific geography or sector, with a thorough understanding of strategic directions of key clients.
•  Ability to assess portfolio for a region and industry sectors to determine asset management priorities and lay out a plan for ensuring adequate attention to assets needing more nurturing and optimal focus on how to maximize value for IFC and its clients.
•  Ability to gauge opportunities for value creation, identify risk, and decide timing for exit, taking into consideration IFC’s role and perspective for future upside.
•  Expertise in the identification and financial restructuring of distressed companies, and capacity to oversee and manage the relationship with CSO in the restructuring of multiple projects.
•  Ability to pull together the right team resources from across the organization and disciplines and demonstrate leadership in achieving cohesive and focused performance to address critical portfolio problems.
•  Ability to appreciate broad macroeconomic and market risks that impact the relevant sector and can anticipate beyond sector knowledge.
•  Understands strengths of and gaps in sector global markets, advantages IFC can bring to emerging frontier markets, and IFC’s limitations. Able to proactively discern business development activities and untapped market opportunities.
•  Able to nurture senior-level relationships internally (WGB, advisory services, credit, and regional and country office staff) and externally (IMF, IFIs, industry groups) by establishing trust through transparency and open information sharing, credibility through expertise, and mutual benefit by understanding what would add value to counterparts in relationships. Able to leverage network to determine next big thing relevant to sector and gain support.
•  Able to develop a message that clearly conveys IFC’s competitive advantage as a development partner and generates interest in working with IFC. Able to anticipate what could go wrong with branding strategy.
•  Able to leverage a network to learn from other transactions in process with a client to determine implications on deal structuring and to constructively keep projects moving.

 

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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