Overview
The Country Advisory and Economics Manager will lead a team of operational officers and economists to produce analytical products, contribute to country engagement products, and originate advisory projects that reform markets and sectors to address bottlenecks to private sector growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Collaborate with regional and industry colleagues and World Bank counterparts to produce analytical products such as Country Private Sector Diagnostics (CPSDs).
- Contribute to WBG country engagement products such as the Country Partnership Framework (CPF), Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDR), and occasionally World Bank lending operations.
- Originate Advisory projects that engage with governments, regulators, industries, and other relevant stakeholders to reform markets and sectors and address key bottlenecks to private sector growth, with the purpose of yielding concrete investable opportunities for the private sector, including IFC.
- Lead the team of regional economists as they produce analytical reports and policy notes, particularly the Country Private Sector Diagnostics, jointly with counterparts across WBG.
- Design and implement government-facing Advisory projects that support sectoral reform implementation, with a clear line of sight for investable opportunities for the private sector and IFC.
- Ensure a high quality of the unit’s advisory projects through a focus on project design and throughout an individual project cycle and across the unit’s portfolio of operations, with a focus on achieving high level of uptake by private sector and IFC of concrete investment opportunities.
- Manage, oversee, and optimize IFC’s internal and external funding mix and budget to efficiently deliver operations in their region, within agreed parameters and in compliance with internal controls and policies.
- Guide the team to engage throughout the project cycle to support industry investment teams in developing their projects by providing WBG’s latest analyses on macro-economic trends, country and regional context and risks.
- Work closely with the Economics and Private Sector VPU management as well as the World Bank to coordinate advice to teams on development impact, creating markets and One World Bank Group approach aiming to maximize private capital mobilization.
- Ensure the team works closely with World Bank country economists and contribute as needed to the design of lending operations across the World Bank Group.
- Lead and manage their unit and ensure the team is high-performing, well-motivated and committed to the advancement of IFC’s strategic goals.
- Mentor and develop staff and promote opportunities for rotation and continued learning.
- Be part of and actively contribute to Regional Management Team.
- Work with regional leadership to ensure that exposure and contribution to varied operations are included in staff objectives at all levels across the department.
- Staff projects with the appropriate resources to deploy the most appropriate technical expertise and provide exceptional client service, while keeping in mind career and training development needs of staff.
- Manage, oversee, and optimize IFC’s internal and external funding mix and budget to efficiently deliver operations in their region and industry, including through engagement in budgetary discussions and processes with region, global, and partnership teams.
Required Experience
- At least 12 years of experience in investments related to at least one core sector of IFC, e.g. financial sector, energy, or manufacturing.
- Deep familiarity/experience in IFC, MIGA, WB or other financial institutions focused on the private sector, especially in developing countries.
- Extensive hands-on experience of working with government clients and public/private sector stakeholders, including regulators.
- Demonstrated ability to influence the policy dialogue and lead the development agenda at the country or regional level.
- Familiarity with the WBG or similar operational products and instruments.
- Ability to engage and collaborate closely with the World Bank and IMF on policy and economic issues pertaining to the sectoral issues in countries of the region.
- Strong analytical, strategy formulation, and conceptual abilities.
- Demonstrated ability to think strategically, develop innovative solutions, challenge the status quo and make sound decisions to build IFC business.
- Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, as well as cultivate an active network of relationships inside and outside the organization and to represent IFC publicly as needed.
- Demonstrated interpersonal skills, proven ability to work effectively as a team leader, build high performing teams and manage and recruit talent.
- Ability to manage competing and sometimes unanticipated priorities, and tight deadlines.
Qualifications
• At least, Masters in engineering, in economics, or finance.
