Senior/Country Officer, South Africa at IFC - International Finance Corporation

Description

• IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets.
• We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities.
• Our mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.
• For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
• IFC is recruiting a Country Officer who will help promote and coordinate IFC's investment and advisory activities in South Africa.
• The role requires close interaction with the private sector, government, and international development organizations, as well as key counterparts in the World Bank Group (WBG).
• The position is based in Johannesburg and reports to the IFC Principal Country Officer for South Africa.

Duties and Accountabilities:

South Africa Country Operations

• Develop and maintain a good understanding of the country and stay on top of key economic and political issues.
• Keep abreast of macro-economic developments that can impact IFC’s activities in South Africa and provide regular inputs to Country and Regional Industry management teams as needed.
• Support the CMU and industry teams in the preparation of WBG strategy documents such as Country Strategies, Country Private Sector Diagnostics, and Country Partnership Frameworks.
• Work with investment, advisory, upstream and relevant WBG teams to continue to roll out the IFC 3.0 strategy and develop the project pipeline.
• Identify areas where IFC can catalyze market development through innovation based on a thorough understanding of local markets and best practice from IFC’s global experience.
• Support the CMU in the review and quality assurance of project documents and provide inputs to all new investment, upstream, and advisory projects ensuring alignment with country strategy.
• Support the required reporting and updates on South Africa’s portfolio and activities to key internal and external clients including WBG Senior Management, National Treasury, and others. This includes preparing monthly and quarterly updates and briefs on the country program including investment, advisory and country economics (CPSDs, etc.).
• Track the project pipeline and prepare regular status reports on the status of the portfolio and pipeline.
• Track and support the preparation of visiting missions/trips to the country.
• Prepare/coordinate high-quality briefs, memos and talking points for WBG senior management for annual & spring meetings, in country visits of senior management and executive directors.
• Participate in targeted business events, meetings and conferences to support IFC’s activities and expand IFC’s network and visibility in South Africa.
• In partnership with the Principal Country Officer, communications teams, and other relevant colleagues, develop and implement appropriate communications strategies for IFC in South Africa.
• Support ESG matters in relation to the IFC portfolio in South Africa.

Johannesburg Office Administration

• Support the Principal Country Officer in overseeing the day-to-day running of IFC’s Johannesburg office, such as oversight on reporting on office budget, facilities, security, and logistics.
• Support in the supervision and mentoring of members of the South Africa Country Team (operations and administrative staff). Ensure quality control of work products and efficient use of resources.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant authorities and government agencies to enable smooth processing and management of protocols, visas, and other necessary approvals.
• Plan and execute regular office events, including meetings, brown bag lunches, workshops, and social gatherings. Develop and implement initiatives aimed at fostering office cohesion, enhancing staff collaboration, and promoting a positive and inclusive work environment.
• Work with the Facilities Manager to ensure a proper office ecology, including overseeing office renovations and maintenance. Ensure that the office environment is conducive to productivity and meets health and safety standards.
• Perform any other tasks and responsibilities as required by the job and business needs, ensuring flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities and demands

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 South Africa 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 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 language is required.