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 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 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 the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
IFC has embarked on an ambitious strategy and approach – Upstream – to stimulate more investment activity, especially in Low Income Countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict affected States (FCS). This strategy aims at creating our own opportunities for private investments in riskier markets by proactively working in these countries to create, deepen, and expand the markets themselves. Delivering on this strategy requires a different approach to delivering integrated and scalable solutions that create new markets through early-stage engagements, in very close collaboration with World Bank colleagues at the country and sector level. Ultimately, it is about creating a new pipeline of bankable operations and projects.
The Infrastructure industry department (INR) is one of IFC's key strategic priorities. The team delivers financial and technical support to clients in the power, transport, telecoms, municipal & environmental, oil and gas, and mining sectors, from IFC's own balance sheet and through mobilization of other capital. INR also seeks to maintain IFC, as part of the World Bank Group, at the cutting-edge of helping member countries find solutions to new and emerging infrastructure and natural resource issues.
IFC is seeking a Senior Investment Officer, Upstream, to drive the Upstream mandate for infrastructure in Africa. The position is being advertised across four locations as noted above, with a strong preference for one of the three FCS locations (Addis Ababa, Kinshasa, Douala), reporting to the Regional Upstream Manager, Infrastructure, Africa.
Duties and Accountabilities:
Officers working in Upstream activities are responsible for:
• Coordinating with key stakeholders to create the enabling environment to mobilize private sector investment through regulatory and policy reforms.
• Developing business models and platforms that can be scaled across regions, countries and sectors, and facilitating transformational projects.
The timeline for these activities to progress from concept launch to final investment is 2-3 years or longer and, as such, staff in these roles have multi-year objectives with concrete deliverables (i.e., milestones) for each fiscal year. The overall objective is to create enabling environments and advance sector markets across Africa, especially in LIC / FCS countries.
The specific roles and responsibilities of the position will include but not be limited to the following:
Program Management
• Work with IFC and other World Bank Group (WBG) stakeholders to prioritize Upstream projects and initiatives and ensure they are incorporated in relevant sector, country, and regional strategies.
• Scope and prioritize work program based on these agreed upon strategies and stakeholder engagements.
• Create development metrics and monitoring approaches to ensure continuous progress in all aspects of the team's work.
Programmatic Approaches
• Identify and harness technologies, business models, and opportunities for new approaches that can accelerate development impact within a region or across countries and sectors.
• Work across IFC and WBG to facilitate standardization and wholesale approaches to increase scale and efficiencies as well as innovate, including through warehousing and blending to de-risk projects and diversify the investor base.
• Disseminate knowledge and experience across the industry group to support adoption of new approaches and best practices.
Transformational Project Facilitation
• Source projects and initiatives by engaging with senior officials in WBG, governments, other development organizations, and the private sector and by uncovering needs through strategic analysis, including WBG Country Private Sector Diagnostics, Country Strategies and similar initiatives.
• Connect expertise from investment and advisory staff, and external partners to projects and initiatives.
Sector Engagement
• Participate in the identification of needed market and regulatory reforms and design of sector interventions to create enabling environments in new markets.
• Partner with sister organizations in the WBG and others to provide input to the development of sector-specific development strategies, from diagnostics to implementation.
• Provide input and guidance to the development of IFC's country strategy and provide substantive input to country diagnostics and WBG strategy documents.
• Coordinate a network of staff working on upstream activities across their sectors to ensure efficiency and collaboration of efforts.
General
• Develop innovative, scalable approaches for creating enabling environments for private sector investment.
• Manage individual initiatives that support Upstream priorities.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders related to initiatives and disseminate knowledge across teams.
• Draw on investment and advisory staff, industry specialists, and external consultants as needed.
• Mentor and coach junior staff and share experiences.