Senior Country Officer - World Bank Group

Do you want to build a career that is full of meaning and impact? 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 where they are needed most. Visit www.ifc.org

IFC is recruiting a Senior Country Officer who will promote and coordinate IFC's investment and advisory activities in Ghana. The role requires close interaction at a high level with the private sector, government, and international development organizations, as well as key counterparts in the World Bank Group (WBG) to develop new business and support the structuring and negotiation of deals.

The Senior Country Officer will also assist with the oversight of IFC’s program in the entire Ghana Sub-region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger and Togo) and the supervision of staff including the Country Officers responsible for the other countries.

The position is based in Accra and reports to the IFC Country Manager.

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Duties and Accountabilities

• Assist with overseeing IFC activities in the country and act as a deputy to the Country Manager;

Strategy

• Together with the Country Manager, oversee the implementation of IFC’s strategy in Ghana and the preparation of business plan updates as needed;
• Oversee the preparation of WBG strategy documents such as Country Strategies, Country Private Sector Diagnostics, and Country Partnership Frameworks;

Business development

• Develop and maintain a good understanding of the country and stay on top of key economic and political issues;
• Work with investment, advisory, upstream and relevant WBG teams to continue to roll out the IFC 3.0 strategy and develop the project pipeline;
• Build and maintain strong high-level relationships with the private sector, relevant government officials, key development partners, and WBG colleagues to support business development and portfolio management;
• Participate in client selection and help ensure that IFC is working with the right sponsors;
• Assist in project structuring and implementation using local market intelligence;
• Track the project pipeline and assist in moving transactions forward;
• Help manage development partner relations to support the raising of funds for advisory projects;
• Track and oversee the preparation of visiting missions/trips to the country;
• Contribute to the preparation of board papers and other documents, as needed;

Portfolio management

• Develop a good understanding of the portfolio, assist with resolving issues and maintain good relationships with existing clients;

Briefs

• Prepare/coordinate high-quality briefs for WBG senior management;

Representation

• Represent IFC externally and provide visibility for IFC through organizing/participating in high profile events (high-level visits, press interviews, seminars and conferences);
• Ensure internal and external requests are addressed;
• Act for the Country Manager as needed;

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People management

• Assist with the supervision of staff in the Ghana Sub-region, including providing leadership, guidance and mentoring, and recommending career and training opportunities;
• Assist in the onboarding and supervision of the Country Officers responsible for the other countries in the Ghana Sub-region; and,

Office management

• Assist with the smooth running of the IFC country office and WBG building in Accra.

Selection Criteria

• Post-graduate degree, preferably in finance, business administration, management, economics, or a similar field;
• 12+ years of relevant experience, preferably in areas such as investment or commercial banking, public-private partnerships, management consulting, or operational experience in an investment and/or advisory role;
• Experience and/or a strong interest in Africa is required, and experience in the Ghana Sub-region is an advantage;
• Ability to assess the viability of business opportunities and risks;
• Ability to think creatively about potential investment opportunities, and to use business development skills to translate such opportunities into bankable projects; 
• Strong analytical, finance, financial modeling, credit, and transaction structuring skills is an advantage;
• Good understanding of IFC’s investment and advisory business lines, their products, how they complement each other, and how they may be leveraged to match the long-term needs of clients and open new markets;
• Track record in developing and maintaining strong high-level relationships in the private sector, government, and development institutions;
• Ability to represent IFC externally with the private sector, government, development partners, media, and other stakeholders;
• Team management experience including supervising, mentoring and training staff; 
• Team player with strong leadership and influencing skills, and track record in working in a matrix structure;
• Strong client service orientation;
• Ability to resolve challenging issues;
• 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; and,
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English is required, and French language skills are a strong advantage.

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