Description

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

The IFC Southern Cone Region is seeking a senior and experienced professional as a Country Officer to join the team that leads, oversees, and monitors the performance of the IFC program and help build IFC’s activities across all industries as a member of the regional team with particular focus on Argentina and Paraguay. The Country Officer will work in close collaboration and as an integral part of the team based in Argentina.  The position will be based in Asuncion and report to the Southern Cone region’s IFC Senior Country Manager.   The country officer is expected to build deep relationships with counterparts, clients and the market in Paraguay to help deepen IFC’s impact, pipeline and portfolio in the country.

ROLES AND RESPONSABILITIES:

Strategy:

 
•  Work with the Senior Country Manager and the country team to oversee the formulation, development, and implementation of IFC’s strategy in Argentina and Paraguay, including preparing business plan updates and progress review meetings. Coordinate the development of IFC’s strategy.  Help create a long-term vision for IFC’s engagement in Argentina and Paraguay.
•  Support the preparation of WBG strategy documents, including IFC strategies, Country Private Sector Diagnostics (CPSD 2.0), Country Partnership Frameworks (CPF), and other key documents and joint WBG activities.
•  Work closely with IFC investment, advisory, upstream, and relevant WBG teams to roll out IFC’s strategy and help develop relationships in the market for business development and to help grow the project pipeline. Establish and maintain senior working level relationships across IFC, with senior WBG counterparts, private sector clients, governments, and other relevant stakeholders to develop business opportunities, in particular in Paraguay.

Investment and Advisory/Upstream Operations:

 
•  Oversee integration and delivery of IFC’s investment and advisory and Upstream activities in Argentina and Paraguay to ensure client’s needs and objectives of IFC strategies are met.
•  Identify, evaluate, and support complex investments and sector projects by providing critical insights into the country context and the political economy.
•  Participate in client selection and help ensure IFC works with appropriate sponsors. Share accountability for the quality and performance of IFC’s portfolio.
•  Help with business development and origination of leads in close collaboration with the industry teams based on sector priorities.
•  Provide business intelligence to investment teams to enable them to identify integrity issues, to devise adequate investment structuring, and to inform them adequately in the management of portfolio projects and problem cases.
•  Provide project development and management input to the Country Senior Manager, program managers, and technical team as needed.
•  Assist the different project teams in coordinating missions, including managing relationships with key clients and stakeholders and following up after meetings.
•  Identify opportunities to strengthen solutions offered to clients by involving other parts of the WBG based on a good understanding of the products and project requirements of WBG. Lead and participate in specific activities that may be necessary to develop and implement IFC strategy in Paraguay and Argentina.
•  Oversee or supervise and provide leadership to assigned staff and consultants through mentoring, coaching, and providing on-the-job learning opportunities.
•  Establish and maintain working-level relationships across IFC, with senior WBG counterparts, and with private sector clients, academia, governments, and other relevant stakeholders to develop business opportunities and strengthen portfolio management.
•  Ensure quality control of work products.
•  Ensure efficient and effective use of resources.
•  Provide input and guidance to the development of IFC’s country strategy and provide substantive input to country diagnostics and WBG strategy documents.

Corporate Support:

 
•  Participate in designing approaches and interventions to create upstream markets and identifying needed market and regulatory reforms.
•  Prepare/coordinate preparation of high-quality briefs for IFC senior management.
•  Develop a variety of communication and briefing materials for internal and external audiences.
•  Provide support for high profile events and high-level visiting missions.

Representation:

 
•  Support IFC’s brand and overall communication strategy, in particular in Paraguay.
•  Represent IFC externally and provide visibility for IFC through organizing and participating in high profile events (high-level visits, seminars, and conferences). Ensure internal and external requests are addressed.
•  Lead senior stakeholder discussions in acting capacity, as needed.
•  In consultation with the program managers, conduct engagements with clients, stakeholders, and donors.

Selection Criteria

•  Master’s degree, preferably in economics, finance, business administration, public policy, or a similar field and at least 8-10 years of relevant experience. Relevant experience could include a proven track record in the financial sector, business consulting or investment banking, or experience with a multilateral organization.
•  In-depth understanding of how IFC works, and its strategies and priorities.  Understanding of WBG and IFC’s mission, objectives and work at country level will be critical to the role.
•  Ability to initiate collaborative efforts with WBG organizations to leverage its products and instruments.
•  Demonstrated extensive knowledge of Argentina and Paraguay, including politics, history, social dynamics, culture, economics, local markets, and regulatory framework.
•  Ability to identify opportunities for collaboration on high value projects and recognize potential conflicts of interest based on a good understanding of WBG, IFC (investment and advisory), and WBG products and project requirements.
•  Sound business judgment and ability to structure a broad range of financial instruments (debt and equity), including ESG-related instruments.
•  Proven client relationship skills. Track record and ability to focus on client needs effectively. Good at interacting directly and independently with the key counterparts (clients as well as financial, and technical partners).
•  Capacity to understand, enable, and participate in market creation opportunities and interventions to strengthen investment climate by demonstrating long-term perspective, open mindedness, persistence, and good understanding of IFC/WBG roles and value-add in new markets.
•  Ability to participate and constructively contribute and lead as needed in meetings with government officials on constraints to private sector investments in Argentina, Paraguay and the subregion.
•  Ability to understand the political context and mindset of government officials.
•  Good analytical, financial, credit, integrity assessment, and business skills as well as strategic perspective to intuitively recognize project viability, bankability, and expected sustainable development impact early on, identify portfolio management vulnerabilities, and determine best approaches for managing complex transaction and portfolio risks.
•  Knowledge of key sectors and industries, including their viability for market growth, and market challenges as well as implications of environmental and social sustainability issues, and how sector dynamics may evolve.
•  Ability to tap into and leverage resources with expertise in sectors and industries, including risks, market dynamics, and regulatory structures. Able to read and anticipate shifts in market trends and the implications for IFC’s current and future business.
•  Ability to develop a coherent and compelling storyline or rationale as to why specific deals are proposed and how they fit into IFC’s long-term strategies.
•  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.
•  Fluency in English and Spanish, both verbal and written skills.

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.