| Description |
Background: The International Finance Corporation (IFC), member the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing risk and advisory services to businesses and governments. The International Finance Corporation has established the Office for Advisory Services in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC Advisory Services Office) as an advisory services program in selected Latin American and the Caribbean countries. The core objective of this Office is to promote private sector development and hence contribute to poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean. To achieve this objective most effectively, the LAC Advisory Services Office has identified five program areas, or pillars, on which to center its technical assistance: (i) Improving the Business Enabling Environment (BEE), (ii) Enhancing Local Benefits (ELB), (iii) Sustainable Value Chains (SVC), (iv) Broadening Access to Finance (A2F), and Infrastructure (INF). The Office is now seeking to recruit an experienced Senior Operations Officer to support the Access to Finance team in managing its growing portfolio of advisory projects for financial institutions (FIs) in the Caribbean. The OO will report to the A2F Regional Business Line Leader and will work closely with other team members in the region. This is local hire, coterminous term appointment with an initial duration of one year and subject to be renewed. Travel may be required as needed to meet the objectives of the assignment | Duties and Accountabilities: | Main Duties and Responsibilities: The scope of the Access to Finance (A2F) program in LAC is based on five main pillars of work: 1) SME and microfinance, working with banks and non-bank financial institutions; 2) Institutional strengthening for financial institutions serving the SME and micro segments, including risk management, portfolio management and corporate governance; 3) Housing finance for low income households; 4) Sustainable Energy Finance (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy_ 5) Expanding financial sector infrastructure, such as credit bureau and payment systems. Reporting to the Regional Business Line Leader, the Operations Officer will lead a small regional A2F team to develop and grow a portfolio of advisory projects that lead to improved access to finance for the regions MSMEs. The majority of the work is funded under a grant from CIDA. Responsibilities will include but not be limited to: Actively participate in and support the process of scoping, and designing new regional level activities; Provide quality control as projects are designed, developed and implemented; Contribute to the Access to Finance strategy, yearly program planning and monitoring tasks, in view of overall growth targets and impact intent; Write and review project proposals, donor reports and project supervision reports; Identify appropriate consultants for advisory assignments, from drafting terms of reference to taking part in the evaluation and selection of proposals; Work closely with the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team to develop indicators and tools that collect the necessary data for evaluating the impact of the projects; Liaise with donors and the private sector to identify and mobilize additional sources of funding for A2F activities; Ensure close and effective collaboration with other IFC Facilities, the IFC SME Department, and IFC Global Financial Markets (CGF); Ensure knowledge sharing; Prepare presentations and communication materials to disseminate results and accomplishments. | Selection Criteria: | Selection Criteria: The ideal candidate will have: Advanced University degree in Business, Economics, International Development or related fields; Minimum 8 years experience working for or with financial institutions in a business development capacity. Background working in both project design and implementation; Experience in microfinance and SME banking; Strong client orientation, including the ability to adjust to changing demands and ensure timely and appropriate follow-up. Outstanding relationship management skills and the ability to develop and maintain mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships; Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including ability to interact with people at all levels; Team player with organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision; Solid people management and organizational skills, as well as the ability to manage a range of different projects across the region. Demonstrated ability to manage staff and consultants for timely, quality outputs; Ability to respond to situations of high demand and pressure in a timely manner; Familiarity with the design, preparation, implementation and monitoring (project cycle) of consultancy projects; Knowledge of relevant World Bank (and similar) approaches; Experience living and working in a developing country preferred. Willingness to travel throughout the Caribbean. |
|
