Job Details

Finance Analyst

 Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. 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, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. 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.  Visit www.worldbank.org.

Vice-Presidency Context

The Budget, Performance Review, and Strategic Planning Vice Presidency (BPS) is organized into three Departments: BPS Strategic Planning (BPSSP) with teams supporting the corporate strategic business and budget planning process; BPS Operations Units (BPSOU) with teams supporting Practice Groups and Regions; and BPS Corporate Units (BPSCU) with teams supporting institutional, governance, and administrative units, providing capital budget support, and providing BPS systems, knowledge and the service center.

As a Finance function, BPS has the following key accountabilities: strategy and business planning; expense management; performance review and reporting; resource management infrastructure development and maintenance; internal controls and risk management; and resource management capacity building. BPS’ service delivery model has three core roles: (1) Business Partners (serving clients directly with focus on decision support and performance oversight); (2) Centers of Expertise (providing thought-leadership and analytics, designing business finance policies, practices, and coordinating business finance knowledge management); and (3) Service Center (managing delivery of high volume and transactional and reporting services across Bank, including help desk support to clients).

Hiring Units Context

BPS is now seeking to recruit three Finance Analysts (FAs) to help drive, support, and implement the BPS Service Delivery model. Note additional GE vacancies for these or other (non-listed units) may be included should the business need arise in the short term:

Current open positions are in the following units:

1. BPSSO – BPS Solutions Unit (Center of Expertise) leads the BPS digitalization and data governance agenda. BPSSO is one of BPS’s Centers of Expertise whose purpose is to provide excellent, sustainable, and valued data, knowledge, processing, reporting and systems solutions to enable BPS and its clients determine and manage budget-related resources efficiently and effectively, in full compliance with applicable policy and regulatory requirements. 

2. BPSEL – Unit serving the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Practice Group and the Latin America and Caribbean Region. Within the role of Business Partner, this Unit has as their main business objective to assist their clients to deliver their work programs with the funding sources available to them including, where applicable, bank budget and external funds. This includes providing quality business planning, budgeting, and monitoring services to several vice presidencies/directorate clients and contributes to achieving the overall budget effectiveness and efficiency objectives of the World Bank Group. 

The selected candidates are expected to be excellent team players, comfortable working with large datasets with extensive data modeling skills, preferably with finance/accounting/economics background/ experience with strong analytical skills, and knowledge in one or more of the key functional areas that BPS supports. As with all other BPS staff, Finance Analysts are expected to be fungible and able to work across different assignments over time depending on business needs and professional development objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities

Finance Analysts are expected to be specialists in business finance analytics, controls, processes and data management, and able to support decision-making through the provision of timely, fit for purpose information on the management of financial resources across all funding sources. In line with the competencies listed below, Finance Analysts are expected to be experts in the day-to-day maintenance of the core budget systems, processes, and disciplines, with advanced knowledge of budget policies, SAP and the Bank’s core reporting and data mining tools. 

Finance Analysts are also expected to be able to work directly with client management as business partners. The job holder will have specific accountabilities consistent with the grade and the generic finance responsibilities mentioned above. These will be determined in relation to a specific work assignment and articulated in annual objectives prior to the start of each fiscal year.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum Education consisting of a Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, or other relevant discipline required to fulfill position specific requirements (e.g. Economics, Public Administration, Information Systems, etc.) OR non-relevant Bachelor's Degree plus one of the following: (1) CIMA Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting; or (2) ACCA Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Business; or (3) equivalent country-level Accounting certificate.
• Minimum of two years of relevant experience in a comparable accounting or finance-oriented role.
• Advanced working knowledge of budget/finance systems and reports, particularly SAP, Power BI, BW/AO and BPC and/or demonstrated experience with major systems for financial/budget management.
• Track record of supporting business decision making through the provision of relevant analytics, using statistical and AI/ML methods, and visualization solutions
• Excellent communications skills (written and oral) and people oriented
• Knowledge of external funds policies and procedures is desirable.
• Experience with relevant business areas from both in and outside the bank will be helpful.
• Experience with requirements gathering and business analysis, applying critical thinking to independently analyze complex problems, and pursue efficiency improvements
• Experience with data management/modeling; process analysis, design and automation.
• Proficiency in Finance Analyst competencies (listed below):

Technical Competencies:

• Planning and budgeting: Able to produce standard activity and unit-level reports and budgets using inputs from senior staff or operational management, and to provide basic analysis of budget information. Working knowledge of the sources and nature of the entity’s funding structure and sources. Understands the work program (e.g. lending, non-lending operations) of the unit.
• Performance Evaluation and Reporting: Able to determine the information needs of users, and present information that supports management decision making.
• Integrity and Independence: Prepares accurate reports, ensuring that pertinent facts are fairly presented; shares information freely
• Internal controls and corporate procedures: Able to analyze data and business processes to determine the viability of controls and procedures, ensuring compliance and identifying and communicating to managers any issues or areas of risk.

Core Competencies:

• Client Orientation: Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests, or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success
• Drive for Results: Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization to do so.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion: Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication: Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making: Analyses facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.

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.