Senior Financial Assistant

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.  

Are you inspired by a global mission to end poverty? Do you want to build a career in finance with a global impact? The World Bank Treasury is one of the few places where you can be on the leading edge of finance as it sits at the only nexus of finance, innovation, and international development. We manage the institution’s finances to enable all World Bank operations and lending. Each year, we issue over $50 billion in bonds, prudently manage over $180 billion in assets, and process over $7 trillion in transactions. Treasury has three departments and a compliance and controls team. Learn more about our organization:

Treasury Operations Department (TREOP) provides a full range of middle and back-office support for Treasury’s asset management, capital markets and banking functions. TREOP is organized in three operational units: Asset and Liability Operations (TREAL), Banking Operations (TREBK), and Quantitative Solutions and Analytics (TREQA), supported by a TRE Technology Coordination function (TREFT)).

Banking Operations (TREBK) ensures all World Bank payments, receipts, and FX related to corporate cash activity are processed and performs key reconciliation controls and reporting over cash transactions and investment portfolios.  The unit consists of four teams responsible for coordinating to execute the work program: (1) cash planning and ensuring all FX conversions are executed to meet the Bank’s liquidity needs and processing payments and receipts for proper accounting; (2) managing bank accounts and relationships with all corporate banking counterparts; (3) performing controls to ensure the completeness, accuracy and validity of all cash and security positions, investigating and resolving differences with external records, and financial reporting of cash balances and external client reporting of investment holdings; and (4) managing the WBG’s Swift infrastructure and maintaining SSIs and key static data related to payment and receipt processing.

TREBK staff members are in the Bank’s Washington DC headquarters, in the Shared Service Centers in Chennai, India and in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The Senior Financial Assistant will have responsibilities for specific individual tasks/projects within TREBK’s Static Data and Swift maintenance (SSM) team in executing TREOP’s work program, while maintaining close relationships with the other Treasury departments.  The SSM team is responsible for core data set up and maintenance across the key treasury systems (Quantum, Murex, Summit and Swift Alliance) and is the business owner of the World Bank Group Swift infrastructure.  It involves working closely with asset management and capital markets settlement teams to support the Static data (SSI, Counterparty, Calendars, System rules etc.) set-up to ensure correct settlement and accounting of transactions.  The team is also the anchor for all system projects that cut across more than one TREBK team, leading and coordinating efforts with the other TREBK teams and IT colleagues.  His/her primary responsibilities will include, but are not limited to, some combination of the following activities:
• Provide static data maintenance support for the WBG, process standard requests from internal business units, address and provide solutions to non-standard queries and issues, and perform static data updates within WBG and TRE systems, such as setting up new counterparties, updating counterparty Standard Settlement Instructions (SSIs), updating currency holidays and currency code in Treasury systems, and mapping Swift BIC and domestic payments clearing codes to internal systems.
• Support and maintain Straight-Through Processing (STP) and business processing rules in the WBG’s treasury management and cash transaction processing system. Apply expertise in maintaining these rules to enable WBG business units to support new types of transactions, new clients, and/or new counterparties.
• Effectively manage the process for securely maintaining and sharing WBG’s banking information and Standard Settlement Instructions (SSIs) to internal colleagues and external counterparts. Ensure that: (1) WBG banking information is accurately updated in a timely manner whenever there is a change in WBG’s banking correspondents, (2) relevant currency-specific payment information is maintained and shared, and (3) non-standard requests and issues are addressed and resolved.
• Contribute to the team’s role as the business application owners for the WBG’s Swift infrastructure, including: (1) researching and understanding upcoming Swift standards changes and its impact to WBG business processes, (2) performing User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for any Swift application system changes and upgrades, (3) maintaining and updating Swift Relationship Management Application (RMA) with the WBG’s counterparties, and (4) assisting in the periodic Swift users certification review process.
• Support and maintain effective controls over bank account access through the monitoring and administration of online banking portal access and privileges, and the periodic review and management of the list of WBG staff that have these access.
• Support and maintain effective controls over the list of authorized officers, their authorities, and delegations across various functions of the WBG’s finance complex, bank accounts, and transactions processing.
• Support the design and implementation of new Treasury systems with respect to the static data maintenance function, including reviewing Business Requirements Document (BRD), scoping documents, and performing testing (User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and post-implementation testing).
• Translate business requirements into functional and technical specifications for system enhancements or new implementations.
• Collaborate with IT and Treasury Banking team to support the deployment of treasury systems and related technologies.
• Liaise with project stakeholders on an ongoing basis and communicate project expectations.
• Actively contribute ideas and lead the implementation of process improvements to increase the efficiency, improve the accuracy and enhance the controls over how WBG static data, Swift messaging infrastructure, and authorized officers’ lists are maintained.
• Prepare and review management reports, including bank briefings, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) reports and other ad-hoc requests for static data related information.
• Perform ad-hoc functions or back up and assist with other team deliverables, with flexibility to adapt to changing business demands.

Selection Criteria

• Fluent in the English language, with strong spoken and written English language skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Economics, Accounting, or related field (Computer Science / Information Systems, Mathematics, Engineering) with 2-3 years of relevant experience in the financial services industry.
• Candidates with a Master’s degree in finance, Economics, Accounting, or related field or progression towards business-related certifications (CTP, CFA, FRM, etc) will have an advantage.
• Knowledge of and familiarity with treasury business lines and back office operational functions, including banking, payment operations and cash management.
• Familiarity with treasury systems (e.g., Murex, Quantum, Summit) and with the Swift messaging system and standards is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of the role of static and reference data in Straight-Through Processing (STP), and the risk and controls around automated transaction and payments processing.
• Experience with the settlement processes of treasury products such as fixed income, FX, and swaps will be considered as an added advantage.
• Experience as a Business Analyst, preferably within the financial services industry or treasury functions is a plus.
• Strong proficiency in Excel, Word and PowerPoint (proficiency test in Excel to be given). Familiarity with Microsoft Power Platform tools (Power BI, Power Automate, and Power Query) is a strong plus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage simultaneous competing demands to deliver on-time.
• Demonstrated analytical and critical-thinking abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to learn quickly and develop innovative solutions to address new challenges or improve existing processes.
• Detail-oriented and strong organization skills.
• Strong communication skills – both verbal and written.
• Demonstrate a high degree of self-motivation, initiative, and accountability.
• Reliable team player, a positive attitude, open and collegial work style with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate in a team-based, multi-cultural work environment.
• Flexibility to work early morning or late evening IST hours to have overlap with other offices will be required to meet reporting deadlines along with willingness to travel, if required, for training and team projects.
• Strong client focuses and services skills, including the ability to listen, assess and respond to client needs.
• Complies with highest ethical standards.

Source:   https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=29124&site=1