Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. Working with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. 

IFC’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG) works through financial institutions to provide much-needed access to finance for millions of individuals and micro, small, and medium enterprises that we would never be able to reach directly. This is an important part of the World Bank Group strategy to end extreme poverty and build shared prosperity.

FIG Asia Pacific provides the strategic investment and advice needed by financial institutions to build a strong, engaged private sector and tackle the region’s most pressing development challenges. We account for about 32 percent of FIG’s Global investment portfolio, and our projects support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), climate-smart projects, housing, insurance, supply chains, and digital finance. We demonstrate the business case for greater financial inclusion, particularly for women and other under-served segments of the community. Our tailored advice helps clients build capacity, strengthen risk management, and diversify and scale their product offerings. Stretching from the Pacific to South Asia, our projects are delivering on the IFC 3.0 agenda and enabling the region to fulfill its potential.

FIG Advisory in Asia Pacific leverages on IFC’s global presence, to drive thought leadership and deliver expert advice to our clients towards achieving greater access to finance in our priority markets in the region. Thematic areas of specialization include SME Banking, Microfinance, Agrifinance, Supply Chain Finance, Risk Management, Digital Financial Services, Climate Finance, Gender Finance and Housing.

The jobholder will be responsible for implementing Agrifinance advisory engagements in the Philippines, and in other countries where Agrifinance is a priority. The jobholder will report directly to the FIG Advisory Services Country Anchor in the Philippines. The jobholder will have a co-supervisory reporting line to the Lead of the Agrifinance Practice in Asia. He/she will work with the Practice Lead to drive the Agrifinance practice and support delivery of Agrifinance engagements in Asia as per FIG Asia’s expert-based model. He/she will be an integral member of the country team and will work closely with key stakeholders in supporting the delivery of the WBG/IFC country strategy.

Role & Responsibilities:

The main responsibility of the jobholder is to provide input to the design and support delivery of client advisory services solutions that operationalize country and thematic mandates and contribute to knowledge sharing and capacity building. IFC’s financial institutions advisory services aims to deliver innovative solutions that support clients in sustainably growing their presence in underserved markets and that are aligned with IFC’s country strategies and development objectives. Founded on comprehensive diagnostics, IFC designs and implements capacity building to strengthen clients’ strategy, business model, products and services, risk management framework, market outreach and impact in the thematic areas aligned to regional and countries’ development challenges.

The jobholder will also participate in the implementation and/or project management of client solutions, including: managing external consultants and other providers, the project budget and overseeing project execution. Moreover, the job-holder would also actively contribute and participate in the Agrifinance Practice in the Asia and Pacific region and also regionally contribute to Agrifinance linked engagements.

Client and Stakeholder Management:

• Communicate with middle-senior management of the financial institution (FI) and support the articulation of institution-level as well as segment-level solutions especially in the Agrifinance and Supply Chain Finance (SCF) areas.
• Support the delivery of knowledge transfer sessions, diagnostics with the client, and also be a technical resource for advisory project executions in the Philippines as well as in the Asia region in Agrifinance and SCF.
• Scope technical and commercial market potential for Agrifinance and SCF in the Philippines as well in the Asia region and identify opportunities relevant to FI clients, such as identifying gaps and needs for developing Agrifinance and SCF programs, and formulation of motivation/drivers for end-users to improve agribusiness and SCF practices using the FI’s financing.
• Lead project management and oversight of projects in the Philippines, under the guidance of Country Anchors and/or Practice Leads, to reinforce quality and consistency of approach.
• Work collaboratively with Investment team members in the designated countries (mainly the Philippines) to support Country Anchor and/or Practice Lead in helping close pipeline investment projects and providing solutions to key portfolio clients.
• Provide expert advice to investment and advisory services teams and external financial sector clients on the potential and scope for Agrifinance sector, to help identify opportunities in the market for FIs and to help formulate both investment and advisory strategies to reach out to those opportunities.
• Support Country Anchor in engaging with the relevant teams at the World Bank and IFC to support the work on reforms needed to unlock new markets and work collaboratively with Upstream teams.
• Support country priority initiatives such as Climate / Sustainable Financing, Capital Markets, Disaster Risk Resilience, and Inclusion linked initiatives.
• Be an integral part of the Asia Agrifinance practice and contribute through ideas as well as new product innovation linked to Agrifinance.
• Support the development of digital SME banking, SCF & Agrifinance solutions for the Asia Pacific Region.

Design and Operationalize Solutions:

• Work with more senior thematic specialists in reviewing project proposals to ensure IFC mandate is adequately addressed and thematic solutions are well-designed to meet customer needs.
• Provide technical support in designing pitch materials for business development and thematic proposals for inclusion in straightforward projects that will include drafting other relevant project documents.
• Gather information from clients and project teams to monitor implementation of thematic area recommendations.

Create and Share Knowledge:

• Gather information from external sources on best practices, evolving trends and challenges, and emerging players that can be used to create new knowledge products.
• Provide organizational and coordination support in the convening of knowledge sharing forums and conferences and contribute to the development of content materials.

Build Capacity:

• Coordinate and deliver straightforward training programs and workshops for IFC staff to raise their awareness of thematic area and its importance.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in agribusiness, business, finance, rural finance or agricultural economics, or equivalent professional certification, preferably with experience financing agribusinesses, agri SME and commercial small holders, or SCF.
• At least 8-10 years of lending-related experience, including financial and credit analysis, in a well-regarded financial services institution focused on SCF, MSME, rural and/or agri finance. Having led a business unit role is a plus.
• Experience in product development, especially in the space of agri lending and SCF products.
• Experience in strategy or risk management in MSME banking is a plus.
• Having experience of providing training to frontline staff of the bank.
• Understanding of inclusion gaps for women entrepreneurs and some experience in designing propositions for women entrepreneurs to gain access to financial services.
• Having been involved in operational process reengineering including but not limited to digitization.
• Past experience in participating in transformation initiatives is a plus.
• Industry/Sector Knowledge - Understanding of sector drivers, business and market development cycles, and how business performance and long-term competitiveness and viability are measured within a sector and how sector dynamics may evolve within a country or region.
• Market Creation - Capacity to identify barriers for market creation opportunities in a targeted country by tapping into relevant internal expertise and synthesizing information on local regulatory and economic contexts, industry and sector structure and landscape, and constraints clients are facing to grow their business.
• Client/Stakeholder Engagement.
• Demonstrates active listening skills by paying full attention and asking questions to clarify client and stakeholder needs and gather required information.
• Ability to interact effectively with clients and stakeholders by acting professionally, responding to their requests and inquiries, delivering what is promised, and meeting deadlines.
• Capacity to build productive and mutually beneficial relationships and networks internally and externally to identify business opportunities and resolve issues is a plus.
• Writing and Presentation Skills.
• Excellent written, verbal communication and presentation skills to effectively influence the perception and support of clients and stakeholders.
• Ability to draft documents and reports that are concise, well-organized, and appropriately focused on the most critical points that are relevant to the target audience.
• Utilize charts, graphs, and other presentation techniques to communicate complex data and concepts simply.
• Articulate Value Proposition.
• Able to share valid opinions and new observations relevant to project outcomes with project leaders in a manner that is concise, cohesive and focused.
• Ability to tailor explanations of IFC’s value proposition to specific clients and share relevant information on industry practices.
• 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. Ability to speak a second language, e.g. Mandarin is a plus.

Source:https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=6322&site=1