Job Details

Investment Officer - FIG Climate Business

 Description

Note: This recruitment is a part of Japanese Recruitment Mission

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. Our mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.

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 East Asia team is based across the region with main hubs and offices in 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.

Climate Business is a strategic priority of the WBG, with a target to increase its climate business to 45% of total financing commitments by 2025. FIG’s East Asia team is seeking a GG-level Investment Officer with significant market and industry experience to help grow, develop, execute and monitor business across the region, with a particular focus on climate finance transactions in close coordination with the lead Asia climate finance specialist. The position is based in Singapore.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The candidate is required to know and effectively use fundamental business concepts and practices and to provide analytical, research and other professional support to the program, with a particular focus on climate and sustainable finance.

•  Develop long-term relationships with key clients and other stakeholders (e.g., government officials, regulators) at the working level to identify and act on opportunities for repeat business and engage effectively with other syndicate lenders at the working level, with a focus on climate finance.
•  Develop themed climate finance capital market investment opportunities in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
•  Work independently and with senior staff and management to develop a strong pipeline of good quality climate finance investment opportunities by identifying market gaps and opportunities in various markets.
•  Build and maintain strong relationships with bank clients, asset managers and multilateral partners to develop specific investment opportunities in climate finance. 
•  Supervise the gathering of lessons learned on important topics across the portfolio, connect trends from different areas of the portfolio, and make recommendations on how these could improve business development and transaction structuring.
•  Coordinate closely with credit, legal, treasury, climate business department (CBD) and other internal support units to find solutions to the specific investment or client challenges to enable climate finance transactions and identify ways to strengthen development impact and financial sustainability of projects.
•  Analyze strategically important portfolio trends to identify where they are most concentrated and the contributing factors. Take a leadership role in discussing findings and their implications at quarterly review meetings.
•  Look at projects across region to draw comparisons and determine fit with the current portfolio. Conduct quality control to ensure accuracy and adequacy of analytical work performed by junior staff to assess transaction.
•  Assess and articulate the development impact of more complex transactions at the sector or subsector level.
•  Oversee or supervise assigned staff and consultants.
•  Perform complex, credit risk rating assessments, covenant compliance reviews, and development impact assessment. Review the quality of portfolio review work performed by more junior staff.
•  Oversee the portfolio management work of analysts and investment officers for assigned portfolio to identify gaps and create a macro view of the financial, compliance, sustainability undertakings and risk status of the portfolio, anticipating emerging risks.
•  Prepare investment committee materials focusing on financial and nonfinancial risk assessment and deal structuring.
•  Shape business leads into actionable concepts ready for mandate by identifying and screening potential investment opportunities, preparing the investment thesis, and leading the concept structuring of those opportunities.

Selection Criteria

•  MBA or other equivalent masters degree in finance. 
•  10+ years of experience in emerging markets finance, preferably with exposure to the local banking and capital markets sectors.
•  Proven track-record of sourcing, structuring, negotiating and closing investments, preferably in climate credit funds and other financial institutions focused transactions.
•  Demonstrated knowledge of climate finance, financial markets, impact investments and understanding of local/regional markets of IFC’s operations. Experience in EM investments a strong plus.
•  Business development and client relationship skills, track record and ability to focus on client’s needs effectively while achieving optimal outcome for IFC.
•  Ability to interact directly and independently with C-level management of potential clients, of financial and technical partners, as well as other stakeholders.
•  Excellent writing and presentation skills and ability to present ideas clearly and confidently. Fluency in English is required, other languages a plus.
•  Strong inter-personal skills, ability to interact effectively with clients, colleagues and other stakeholders from various cultural backgrounds.
•  Ability to oversee/mentor and provide quality control feedback on work of more junior staff.
•  Capacity to understand, enable, and participate in market creation opportunities for multiple countries by demonstrating long-term perspective, open-mindedness, persistence, innovation, and ability to leverage all available tools (including de-risking tools); good understanding of the roles and value-add of IFC and WBG in new markets.
•  Ability to maintain client engagement during portfolio stage to identify growth opportunities, address emerging problems, and focus on actions that promote sustainability and ensure that overall development impact objectives are met.
•  Read and anticipate shifts in market trends and the implications for IFC's current and future business.
•  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 serve as a point of reference on portfolio guidance both from a commercial and process standpoint based on in-depth understanding of portfolio operational policies, practices, and procedures.

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.