Senior Operations Officer at World Bank Group

• The Senior Operations Officer working closely with the Regional Director and Principal Country Officer, will promote and coordinate IFC advisory investment, upstream and advisory activities in Kenya. The role requires close interaction at a high level with the private sector, government, and international development organizations, as well as key counterparts in the World Bank Group (WBG) to develop new business and support the structuring and negotiation of deals.

The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya and reports to the Principal Country Officer.
Duties And Accountabilities

• In consultation with the Principal Country Officer, develop and implement IFC’s country strategy and business plan for integrated upstream, investment and advisory operations, including sector priorities and business targets.
• Participate in the preparation of WBG strategy documents such as Country Private Sector Diagnostics, Country Partnership Frameworks, and Country Climate and Development reports, etc.
• Develop and manage relationships with key clients (Government, Private Sector, Civil Society organizations etc.) and position IFC as the partner of choice to support high development impact projects in Kenya.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of Kenya including its politics, history, social dynamics, culture, economics, local markets and regulatory framework.
• Possess an extensive internal and external network in Kenya.
• Work with investment, advisory and upstream and relevant WBG teams to continue to roll out the IFC 3.0 strategy and develop the project pipeline.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Industry Departments to originate, process and manage a pipeline of investments, and support proactive and strategic portfolio management, to meet IFC’s objectives.
• Develop market knowledge to ensure that IFC is working with the right sponsors. Take accountability for client selection, ensure the integrity of potential clients, and develop and maintain relationships with these companies to identify business opportunities considering IFC’s strategy, priorities, and products.
• Support the development of client engagement strategies for existing and new clients.
• Assist in project structuring and implementation using local market intelligence.
• Track the project pipeline and assist in moving transactions forward.
• In coordination with the Regional Director and Principal Country Officer, develop IFC’s “brand” in Kenya, building on IFC’s regional brand and the overall communications strategy, engaging with local media.
• Represent and provide visibility for IFC in the country including through organizing/participating in high profile events (Senior level visits, interviews, seminars, and conferences).
• Help manage development partner relations to support the raising of funds for advisory projects.
• Track and oversee the preparation of visiting missions/trips to the country.
• Prepare/coordinate high-quality briefs for WBG senior management. Integrate a broad range of complex issues, challenges, perspectives, and recommendations into a cohesive narrative.
• Support the Principal Country Officer in the day to day running of IFC’s Nairobi office (Budget, Security and Logistics).

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree, preferably in finance, business administration, management, economics, or a similar field;
• 12+ years of relevant experience, preferably in areas such as investment or commercial banking, public-private partnerships, management consulting, or operational experience in an investment and/or advisory role;
• Experience and/or a strong interest in Africa is required, and experience in Ethiopia is an advantage;
• Ability to assess the viability of business opportunities and risks;
• Ability to think creatively about potential investment opportunities, and to use business development skills to translate such opportunities into bankable projects;
• Strong analytical, finance, financial modeling, credit, and transaction structuring skills is an advantage;
• Good understanding of IFC’s investment and advisory business lines, their products, how they complement each other, and how they may be leveraged to match the long-term needs of clients and open new markets;
• Track record in developing and maintaining strong high-level relationships in the private sector, government, and development institutions;
• Ability to represent IFC externally with the private sector, government, development partners, media, and other stakeholders;
• Team management experience including supervising, mentoring and training staff;
• Team player with strong leadership and influencing skills, and track record in working in a matrix structure;
• Strong client service orientation;
• Ability to resolve challenging issues;
• Excellent critical thinking, analytical and presentation skills, and ability to work with or supervise the use of data utilizing standard office software Excel, Word, PowerPoint; and,
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required.