E T Consultant

Job #: req13171

Organization: IFC

Sector: Upstream

Grade: EC3

Term Duration: 1 year 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s): English

Preferred Language(s): French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic

Closing Date: 10/8/2021 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

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 in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC committed a record $31.5 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

Working upstream 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 engagement on policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level. It also requires capacity to leverage WBG programs and projects to (i) develop our own proactive sector interventions and (ii) to imagine and design projects even in the absence of reforms. Finally, and most importantly, it requires extending IFC’s activities to partner with private sector entities to jointly prepare and develop investment projects using collaboration and co-development agreements providing early-stage risk capital to greenfield infrastructure projects or pilot business models while actively participating in the development phase with the private sponsor to bring projects to financial close within a reasonable time frame (2-5 years).

IFC is seeking an Extended Term Consultant with experience in the transport sector at the Senior level to work in the Global Upstream Unit of the Infrastructure Department. The selected candidate will focus on proactively developing and monitoring a high-quality Upstream project pipeline under the supervision of the Global Transport Industry Upstream Lead. S/he will identify market trends by researching transport sub-sectors and will be expected to engage with potential partners to proactively originate potential projects. S/he will also support policy work and other interventions across the World Bank Group to prioritize various initiatives and maximize the impact of Upstream efforts.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Play a senior role in upstream business development /market creation activities for the transportation sector across IFC’s regions of operations: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), East Asia and Pacific (EAP), South Asia (SA), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA), and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
• Engage with stakeholders and form partnerships with staff across IFC, including technical and investment staff in the Global Transport and Regional Upstream and Investment teams, and the World Bank Group, sponsors and other external parties to enable delivery of Upstream projects.
• Develop and execute upstream activities that lead to IFC investments by using transport business experience and commercial expertise. This includes the following responsibilities:

o Manage the preparation and implementation of global upstream activities in the transport sector.

o Design and oversee Upstream activities, to ensure value-add is given to both internal and external clients.

o Lead/manage the production of clear and comprehensive upstream project concept notes and supervision and portfolio monitoring reports.

o Design, lead and/or manage Upstream projects, including feasibility studies and implementation plans.

o Design and implement scalable solutions and platforms that can be replicated across markets.

• Provide sectorial commercial and business support and advice to teams and clients at all stages of the upstream project cycle, including support to: the design of transport upstream projects and programs, the monitoring and evaluation of upstream transport activity portfolio, and the execution of upstream projects to ensure sound and impactful engagements that lead to bankable investments, and to help address potential problems or risks. This includes the following responsibilities:

o Provide commercial and/or sector business input to Upstream project screening to ensure that they lead to impactful and well performing investments.

o Apply sector expertise, commercial and/or business knowledge in evaluating upstream projects in transport, monitoring sector portfolios, controlling quality of deliverables, and providing advice to regional teams as required, usually in complex transactions (including some in challenging markets such as FCS).

o Identify potential issues and weaknesses early on, and help find timely solutions, including the design and implementation of complementary activities that increase chances of conversion to an investment.

• Identify and assess Upstream opportunities based on country and sector strategies and market creation and investment potential; and sourcing projects and initiatives by engaging with senior officials in WBG, governments, other development organizations, and the private sector and by uncovering needs through strategic analysis, including country strategies and CPSDs.
• In coordination with the designated Client Relationship Managers in the transport sector, build, maintain, and strategically leverage contacts with key players in the transport sector, as well as non-traditional players to gain access to information on and open doors to potential markets, global delivery platforms, and new venture opportunities.
• Lead Upstream knowledge generation activities and internal knowledge sharing, contributing new ideas for the development of knowledge products and events for both internal and external audiences.
• In coordination with Industry Specialists and seeking their input, provide regional Upstream teams with commercial and/or market parameters for the evaluation of upstream projects.
• Manage consultants hired to support the implementation of upstream activities including ensuring the timeliness and quality of the work delivered.
• Mentor and coach junior staff and share knowledge, experience, and contacts in the transport sector. Assist in the supervision of upstream activities developed by more junior staff in the regional upstream teams.
• Help build external recognition of IFC’s distinctive capabilities in working Upstream to catalyze greater flow of investment opportunities in the sector.
• Work with the World Bank to identify and help implement sector and regulatory reforms that are needed to unlock opportunities for private investment.
• Produce comments to World Bank and IFC country and sector strategy documents in what pertains to the development of investment opportunities in the transport sector.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree or equivalent professional qualification in Business, Law, Finance, Economics, or Transport/Civil Engineering.
• Technical and/or business expertise in transport with a broad and diverse substantive operational experience in the private sector that provides an in-depth understanding of and ability to stay abreast with changes in markets, economics, operations, and key players. Experience should include:

o At least 10 years of relevant experience in transport project preparation, development, financial structuring, and/or financing.

o At least 3 years of experience working in transport investment and/or financing functions.

• Deep understanding of the development of transport projects and experience in emerging markets is required.
• Private sector experience is required.
• Strong understanding of the transport sector and ability to link policy reforms, advisory interventions, investment, and mobilization to deliver solutions at a country level. This understanding should have been developed as part of previous experiences with a transport investor, project developer, operator or specialized consultant with a focus on investment due diligence, business model definition and evaluation, PPP structuring and/or private financing.
• Extensive network of contacts in the transport sector is considered a plus.
• Experience in the roads, maritime transport (ports and shipping), logistics and railway sectors is considered a plus.
• Good communications, diagnostic, project management, and client engagement skills to aid internal and external clients in improving upstream project delivery.
• Experience working with/for International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and understanding of the WBG is considered a plus.
• Deep understanding of the interface between technical, commercial, financial, and social and environmental aspects of projects and the standards that must be met for projects to be viable.
• Deep commercial understanding of profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow aspects of the transport infrastructure and services industry.
• Commitment to development and to the World Bank Group and IFC’s mission and values.
• Capacity to innovate and challenge the status quo and a proven track record in new idea generation, business development, and creating projects/programs from scratch.
• Experience engaging with private sector clients, local and national governments, and other stakeholders to encourage pioneering business and market development.
• Experience in project/program management, including executing against implementation plans with defined business development milestones. Experience in monitoring and reporting on a portfolio of projects/programs/initiatives.
• Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills; demonstrated ability to synthetize complex information and make concrete strategic and tactical recommendations.
• Excellent people skills, openness to feedback, new ideas, and ability to motivate others.
• Ability to produce clear and comprehensive reports. Strong written and verbal communications skills in English required. French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic language skills considered an advantage.

Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable for an additional one year, at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET Appointment of two years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their second-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.

Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.