IFC has embarked on an ambitious new growth strategy to stimulate more investment activity, especially in Low Income Countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict affected Situations (FCS). This strategy calls for generating our own opportunities by proactively working “Upstream” to create, deepen, and expand markets and to imagine, design and implement investment projects. It requires taking a systematic approach to understanding the regulatory and sector bottlenecks that prevent the flow of private capital into productive investment in our member countries, and addressing these bottlenecks through World Bank Group engagement on policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level. It also requires capacity to leverage WBG programs and projects to develop our own proactive sector interventions and to imagine and design projects even in the absence of reforms.
The Financial Institutions Group (FIG) is one of the major industry groups at IFC, responsible for managing roughly 40% of IFC’s overall business in terms of volume and capital at risk. FIG engages in a wide range of sub-sectors including Microfinance, SME, Gender, Climate, Insurance, Capital Markets, Housing, Distressed Assets, and other areas, with both investment and advisory services delivered to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network.
The FIG Upstream/Advisory Unit seeks to create opportunities for new private sector led investments in the region by developing a pipeline of investment-ready opportunities made possible using distinct tools and interventions, including investment structuring, advisory and policy reform. The objective of the unit will be to enhance the next generation of FIG investments across priority sectors in the region.
IFC is seeking an Upstream and Advisory Operations Officer for its Financial Institutions Group in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) based in either Bogota, Colombia, Sao Paulo, Brazil or Mexico City, Mexico.
Roles and Responsibilities:
Work with AS/US regional staff to develop advisory services opportunities with key partners in the region; including developing project proposals/client pitches; and meeting with potential clients and other market stakeholders to discuss business opportunities
Apply human-centered methodologies to establish the desirability of new business concepts
Conduct appraisals and/or workshops as part of business development or advisory project design
Design projects that address key clients’ needs, in a sustainable way, aiming for capacity building and leveraging existing client resources;
Lead and / or support the implementation of (proposed) recommendations and oversee implementation of services/ solutions/ recommendations to clients, ensuring overall the quality control in line with corporate monitoring and evaluation requirements. Tasks could include: Market and customer research; Business model development; Partnerships; Financial modeling; Digital Strategy;
Work/ interact closely with IFC’s AS/US staff to build their technical capacity for the delivery of DFS advisory projects
Contribute to IFC’s DFS knowledge management and learning agenda.
Selection Criteria:
Master's degree in a related field (in Business, Finance, Technology preferred) and at least 7 years’ experience in fintech, management consulting to financial institutions or banking in emerging markets; with proven track record in the field of Digital Strategy, Innovation, and/or Embedded Finance.
Experience in payments, data management, and open innovation is desired;
Experience in helping companies to develop new products/concepts/business models; piloting, measuring success and learning lessons from them for future roll-out plans;
Experience working with fintech in the LAC region is desired;
Solid understanding of the trends in digital financial services considering different players: incumbents (banks, MFIs) and innovators (Fintech, tech firms, or any other company offering financial services);
Strong project management, sales and client relationship management skills, including the ability to develop and maintain mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships and ensure timely and appropriate follow-up;
Highly motivated, energetic, team player with excellent interpersonal skills and client service skills with the ability to multi-task, deal with conflicting priorities and deliver high quality work on schedule;
Ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently, and credibly represent IFC with clients and
stakeholders, including at the senior executive level;
Sound business judgment and problem solving, negotiation and commercial skills;
Ability to interact directly and independently with the management of potential clients and of financial and technical partners;
Solid people management and organizational skills;
Ability to respond to situations of high demand and pressure in a timely manner;
Willingness to travel as needed
Genuine commitment to sustainable development.
Ability to work effectively in English is essential; Spanish and/or Portuguese is essential.
