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 in developing countries. In fiscal year 2020, we invested $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
The development of a vibrant private sector is central to promoting economic growth and expanding opportunities for the poor. Sound and efficient markets can ensure that resources are allocated where they are most productive, assisting job creation and spurring economic growth.
IFC’s Creating Markets Advisory (CMA) Unit delivers on IFC’s capital increase commitments by providing a foundation for Regional, Industry and Upstream teams to increase private sector investment opportunities. CMA addresses “if-then” reform asks in IFC strategies, complementing World Bank efforts, while strengthening IFC's relationships with client countries in support of IFC 3.0. Specifically, the CMA team works proactively with governments and regulatory agencies to create effective and efficient market conditions, both at economy wide as well as industry/sector level, for increased private investments. Our global experience shows that challenges in the business environment and lack of the right enabling regulatory framework results in countries losing significant amounts of investment annually. The unit collaborates extensively with the public sector, private sector and other teams across the World Bank Group in the design and delivery of advisory services.
CMA currently operates across the MENA region, with an active portfolio and pipeline in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen.
Role & Responsibilities:
In this role, the selected candidate will play a key role in leading CMA’s various offerings and tools, primarily in the countries of the Levant/Mashreq region. He/she will work closely with IFC Upstream, Advisory and Investments staff in the region, as well as World Bank staff, to design and ensure implementation of reforms that address bottlenecks faced by investors in IFC’s priority sectors, using a variety of WBG tools and offerings. He/she will play a leading role executing strategic initiatives to enhance the CMA practice across the Levant/Mashreq, and potentially elsewhere in MENA, create new projects and build new business in line with the WBG/IFC country strategy, and deliver high quality Advisory engagements to the Government and private sector in client countries. He/she will work closely with key stakeholders, especially the Country Manager, in shaping and executing the WBG/IFC country strategy and delivering high quality Advisory engagements. In addition to being directly responsible for leading the country dialogue in Jordan, he/she may also be required to lead dialogue and develop programs in other Mashreq countries including, but not limited to Iraq and Lebanon.
The selected candidate will report directly to the Manager, Advisory Services MENA.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The selected candidate will be responsible for delivering market-creating client solutions by leveraging local and regional resources. In this respect, the focus will be to ensure the existing CMA portfolio is responsive to IFC’s investment priorities, as well as to build new business given the potential market and client needs, aligned with the IFC business plan for the Levant/Mashreq region and beyond, as needed.
Client and Stakeholder Management:
- Participate in senior level client meetings to provide technical advice and monitor progress in implementing investment climate reforms; develop new business development in line with client and market needs.
- Leverage relationships with Government officials, private sector and World Bank Group staff to design and implement reforms using existing or new projects and tools to support reform implementation.
- Communicate with senior level clients of the Government and private sector and articulate the case for investment climate reform that can unlock investment potential.
- Work collaboratively with Investment/Advisory Anchors to align advisory to help build a pipeline of investment projects and provide solutions to key portfolio clients.
- Engage with the relevant teams at the World Bank and IFC for reforms needed to unlock new markets and work collaboratively with Upstream teams.
Design and Operationalize Solutions:
- Collaborate with regional CMA, industry specialists, as well as with relevant global teams in the identification and design of business environment and investment climate reforms to unlock investment potential and create markets in countries of the Levant/Mashreq, and beyond.
- Review and contribute to the development and approval of relevant project documents and client deliverables to ensure standards and objectives are met.
- Interact and proactively engage the private sector in client countries to identify opportunities for investment and identifying key barriers to be addressed or enabled by the government.
- Improve the design and delivery of client solutions by incorporating global good practices and lessons from past. Partner with results team in developing appropriate theories of change and results frameworks and indicators to strengthen the development impact and sustainability of client solutions and continuously learn from client projects/ engagements.
- Ensure high quality of project supervision and completion documents and provide quality control over client deliverables. Moreover, support client in implementing recommendations and help trouble shoot as needed.
- Provide cross support to select programs/solutions in other countries in the MENA Region as needed.
Create and Share Knowledge and Build Capacity:
- Support peer to peer knowledge exchange sessions across the region, lead diagnostics with the client and solicit AS engagements in line with IS and country policies.
- Identify and participate in conferences to showcase IFC offerings and value proposition, which includes serving as panelist/ moderator for internal and external events related to thematic area.
- Conduct research to shape ongoing and future offerings in investment climate reform and develop new tools and guidance to incorporate internal and external best practices.
- Design and deliver training and communication strategy for Investment and Advisory staff to better enable them to be champions for investment climate reform, and for external stakeholders to generate interest in investment climate reforms and understanding of why it is important/ advantageous to businesses, community and/or economy.
- Drive strengthening the value proposition of Advisory products through embracing new trends and partnerships.
- Help build a bench strength of experts and consultants in the thematic areas of leadership across the region.
Staff Supervision:
- Oversee/ supervise assigned staff and consultants; and ensure quality control of work products and outputs
- Develop technical capabilities of the assigned staff and members of the broader practice group team through mentoring, coaching, structured training program and by providing on-the-job learning opportunities.
- Determine resources needed to support projects and ensure efficient/ effective use of resources and manage project budget to ensure efficient use of resources.
Selection Criteria:
- Master’s degree in Business, Economics, Law and Finance or a closely related field, or professional certification (CPA, CFA).
- At least 12 years experience in private sector development, with a focus on delivering investment climate reforms in at least 2 regions and across a variety of IDA and non-IDA markets.
- Strong skills and demonstrated track record in delivering advisory engagements in the area of investment climate reform.
- Understanding of IFC and WBG products/ instruments and where there are opportunities for cross-organizational collaboration. Demonstrable experience working on IFC and WBG and good understanding of how to initiate collaborative efforts to leverage its products/ instruments will be an advantage.
- Understand the implications of different policy and regulatory frameworks governing the thematic areas.
- Able to design, negotiate and lead efforts to develop client offerings that reflect in-depth knowledge of thematic area and understanding of business case for how thematic focus will help client to improve their business.
- Able to identify how changes in markets, business climate, regulations or emergence of new/ successful innovators/ disruptors may create new opportunities for IFC to accelerate its mandate in a thematic area.
- Able to design research and analytical projects or major portion of complex projects to credibly produce new understanding of a thematic issue and/or potential opportunities to unlock new markets or new streams of business.
- Ability to conceptualize and lead research and analytical projects that could ultimately lead to the opening of new markets and/or reframe thinking on thematic approaches to better meet IFC and WBG mandates.
- Excellent knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and aptitude to learn new systems is a must. Ability to use project management systems is a plus.
- Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills plus fluency in English is must. Fluency in Arabic and/or French would be an added advantage.
Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.
مؤسسة التمويل الدولية - عضو في مجموعة البنك الدولي - هي أكبر مؤسسة إنمائية عالمية تركز على القطاع الخاص في الأسواق الناشئة. نحن نعمل في أكثر من 100 دولة ، باستخدام رأس مالنا وخبرتنا وتأثيرنا لخلق الأسواق والفرص في البلدان النامية. في السنة المالية 2020 ، استثمرنا 22 مليار دولار في الشركات الخاصة والمؤسسات المالية في البلدان النامية ، معززين من قوة القطاع الخاص لإنهاء الفقر المدقع وتعزيز الرخاء المشترك. لمزيد من المعلومات ، قم بزيارة www.ifc.org