ET Consultant at International Finance Corporation (IFC)

IFC is a global investor and advisor committed to promoting projects in its developing member countries that are economically beneficial, financially, and commercially sound, and environmentally and socially sustainable. IFC finances private sector investments, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses in the developing world.

The Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services (MAS) Department is recruiting a Consultant to be based in Johannesburg (South Africa) or Nairobi (Kenya). The Consultant will focus on the Agribusiness & Forestry sector and will report to the Agribusiness Manager for Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The Consultant will be integrated into the team that develops new business, structures transactions, and supervises a portfolio of investments in the Agribusiness & Forestry sector in Africa. The Consultant will assist Investment Officers who are responsible for the design, negotiation, structuring, and subsequent supervision of the investment projects.

The candidate is required to know and effectively use fundamental business concepts and practices and to provide analytical, research and other professional support to Investment Officers. The work program is varied and may be somewhat complex requiring evaluation, original thinking, and various written outputs.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Participate in all aspects of IFC’s investment processing cycle from project development to disbursement;
• Utilize research tools effectively to conduct in-depth benchmarking analysis by sectors, companies, and geographies;
• Conduct industry and market research and analysis to assist in IFC’s business development efforts.
• Analyze historical and projected financial statements;
• Develop financial models, or work with existing ones, as needed, to generate projected financial statements for forward-looking analysis;
• Perform financial and operational analyses of companies in various sectors across agribusiness;
• Review company information and prepare reports on periodic financial statements, project progress reports, and other information submitted by clients;
• Prepare documentation for IFC internal processes, including investment proposals, modifications to existing IFC investments, and periodic portfolio reports and credit ratings;
• Undertake portfolio supervision work including periodic reviews of projects.

Selection Criteria

• A Master’s degree or equivalent professional qualification/ experience.
• Prior professional experience (at least 2 years) in corporate or project financing, including investment banking, commercial banking, private equity, equity research or business consulting;
• Excellent Excel, PowerPoint, and Word skills to build succinct and convincing analyses and presentations;
• Strong research and quantitative skills, with preference for a background in financial analysis and modeling;
• Strong client service orientation with openness to feedback and new ideas;
• Exceptional attention to detail;
• Excellent communication skills (verbal and written) in English. Fluency in other languages (e.g., French, Arabic) is a plus;
• Team player with strong communication and interpersonal skills and ability to develop effective relationships within and outside IFC;
• Ability to multi-task and work flexibly on a range of assignments, cope with shifting priorities at short notice, and still deliver top quality work while meeting tight deadlines;
• 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;
• Experience in emerging markets is preferred (experience in Africa will be a plus);
• Passion in economic development; 
• Ability to work sensitively and effectively in a multicultural setting.