Job Details

Finance Officer - BPSVP

 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. 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. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

Unit Context:
The Budget, Performance Review, and Strategic Planning (BPS) VPU is mandated with overseeing the resource management and corporate procurement function of the World Bank.  The purpose of the VPU is to deliver high value for money with efficient, effective, and professional finance and resource management services to help drive sustained business success through delivery of the WBG strategy. At the same time, it is focusing on improving governance to enable better oversight of what and how services are provided and continuing to strengthen its professional workforce with up-to-date skills, knowledge, and experience.

BPS is organized into four  departments under a Vice President: (1) BPS Corporate Units (BPSCU) - supporting Institutional, Governance and Administrative Units, Capital Budget and providing BPS systems, knowledge, data governance and the service center; (2) BPS Operations Units (BPSOU) – supporting Practice Groups and Regions (3) BPS Strategic Planning (BPSSP) – supporting the corporate strategic business and budget planning process; and (4) BPS Corporate Procurement (BPSCP) with teams responsible for coordinating and overseeing the sourcing strategy, selection, contract execution, and vendor management across the globe. 

BPS has a service delivery model with three core roles:
• Business Partners (client facing): embedded partners focused on decision support and performance oversight with strong understanding of the business. 
• Centers of Expertise (COE): providing thought leadership and analytics, designing business finance policies, practices, and coordinating business finance knowledge management; and 
• Service Center: central unit to manage delivery of high volume and transactional and reporting services across the Bank, including help desk support to clients.

Unit Overview
BPS is now seeking to recruit four Finance Officers (FOs) to help drive, support, and implement the BPS Service Delivery model. Note, additional Finance Officer vacancies may be included should the business need arise in the short term.

Current open positions are in the following units:
1.BPSCO – COE Unit for Operations (two positions)
2.BPSSE – Business Partner Unit supporting SD Global VPU and ECA region
3. BPSIM - Business Partner Unit supporting DD and INF Global VPUs and MENA region

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

Duties and Accountabilities:

Finance Officers are front-line business partners to senior management and/or technical experts in business finance. They are expected to combine excellent analytical skills with an ability to interpret data and apply judgment, advising clients on how best to manage and deploy the Bank Budget and external financial resources available to them, whilst ensuring compliance with institutional and statutory obligations. They are expected to work directly with senior management as business partners, be accomplished users of the Bank’s key resource management systems, and provide leadership on technical resource management matters.

Selection Criteria

•Master’s Degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, or other relevant discipline (e.g. Economics, Finance, Public Administration, Information Systems/Digitalization/Data Science etc.) or bachelor’s degree plus an internationally recognized professional qualification (e.g. CPA, CA, ACCA, CGMA, CIMA, CFA)
•Five years relevant experience across two units or moving to an assignment in a different unit (relevant country office, non-Finance, or external experiences would fulfill second unit requirement).
•Strong understanding of the BPS business, including key budget and finance processes, products and services
•Demonstrated expertise in management and/or financial accounting disciplines, such as fund accounting.
•Strong understanding of business-critical accounting and reporting applications, including SAP, AO, BW and BPC.
•Experience in quantitative modelling skills that are appropriate for supporting decisions on resource allocation and utilization.
•Familiarity with the fundamentals of Business Process Management and Data Governance.
•Ability to write and present complex data/analyses in a concise and clear manner.
•Excellent communication, teamwork, interpersonal and collaboration skills
•Strong client relationship management experience and skills
•Project management, including task team leadership and/or project leadership
Proficiency in following core competencies (for Finance Officer):

•Integrity and Independence - Interprets information in an objective manner, exercising professional skepticism and critical thinking; disseminates information with due attention to potential issues of confidentiality and disclosure.

•Statutory and other Stakeholder Reporting - Has a good understanding of financial statements and stakeholder reports and can explain trends, drivers and variances to others (either for statutory purposes or other stakeholders, such as TF donors).

•Performance Evaluation and Reporting - Able to analyze and interpret reports and draw meaningful conclusions with respect to performance against strategic and operational priorities.

•Internal controls and corporate procedures - Able to evaluate and ensure the consistency of specific policies and procedures with the entity's stated mission, strategies and practices; Can identify deficiencies and analyze controls, policies, procedures and corporate guidelines, alerting and informing the appropriate channels to review and take corrective action.

•Planning and Budgeting - Able to coordinate work program and budget planning, formulation, allocation processes (including WPAs where applicable), and monitoring and management reporting at the department level.

•Lead and Innovate - Contributes new insights to understand situations and develops solutions to resolve complex problems; Adapts as circumstances require and manages impact of own behavior on others in context of WBG's values and mission; Identifies and pursues innovative approaches to resolve issues.

•Deliver Results for Clients - Adds value by constantly looking for a better way to get more impactful results; Sets challenging stretch goals for oneself; Immerses oneself in client experiences and perspective by asking probing questions to understand unmet needs; Demonstrates accountability for achieving results that have a development impact and financial, environmental and social sustainability; Identifies and proposes solutions to mitigate and manage risks.

•Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries - Appropriately involves others in decision making and communicates with key stakeholders; Approaches conflicts as common problems to be solved; Actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches displaying a sense of mutuality and respect; Integrates WBG perspective into work.

•Create, Apply and Share Knowledge - Leverages department's expertise and body of knowledge across WBG to strengthen internal and/or external client solutions; Seeks to learn from more experienced staff to deepen or strengthen their professional knowledge and helps others to learn; Builds personal and professional networks inside and outside the department unit.

•Make Smart Decisions - Seeks diversity of information and inputs, researches possible solutions, and generates recommended options; Identifies and understands risks and proposes recommendations; Based on risk analysis makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility, considering the interests and concerns of stakeholders.

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.