Country Manager

Contract

This is a World Bank Group grade: GH contract. More about World Bank Group grade: GH contracts.

Country Manager

Description

IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and the world’s largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing and advisory services for private sector in the developing world. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record $32.8 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 global compounding crises. Working with 2,000 businesses worldwide, IFC draws on more than six decades of experience to create opportunities and solutions where they are needed most. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

IFC has embarked on an ambitious new growth strategy (IFC 3.0) to stimulate more investment activity, especially in Low Income Countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict affected Situations (FCS). This strategy calls for generating our own opportunities by proactively working “Upstream” to create, deepen, and expand markets and to imagine, design and implement investment projects. It 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 Group engagement on policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level. This strategy also calls for working with Governments and World Bank colleagues to first seek private sector solutions to address development challenges - where such solutions are advisable and can be effective - and reserve public financing for projects only when other options are suboptimal. This approach is called the “Cascade.”

IFC is looking to recruit a Country Manager, responsible for the following cluster of countries: Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome & Principe. This position is based in Douala, Cameroon.

The Country Manager will play a critical role in operationalizing IFC3.0/Creating Markets strategy and enabling the Cascade at the country level. He/she will be responsible, in close collaboration with the WBG counterparts, for developing operational country strategies and action plans and for driving their implementation. The Country Manager will oversee a portfolio of approximately US$ 400 million. The prospects for continued growth in both investment and advisory activities are very good. The mandate of the Country Manager will be to significantly build the portfolio, develop new opportunities for IFC in the countries of the cluster and enhance our impact.

The Country Manager will be responsible for all IFC's activities in the cluster of countries while managing a multidisciplinary team of more than 20 investment, advisory services, and support staff on the ground. This will require close interactions with corporate clients, governments, counterparts at the World Bank and other multilateral/bilateral institutions, as well as internal coordination within IFC with Industry Department Directors and Managers, Advisory Services Managers, and constituent Executive Directors. The Country Manager will report to the Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Duties and Accountabilities

• In consultation with the Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, develop, design, and implement multi-year country strategies and implementation plans for integrated investment and advisory operations, including sector priorities and business targets; • Support the implementation of the Upstream strategy; • Oversee all IFC's investment and advisory activities in the cluster of countries; • Lead/coordinate the development of a client engagement strategy for existing and new clients; • Take accountability for early review and clearance of sponsors. For all investments and AS client’s programs, review and validate IFC’s added-value, development impact and fit with IFC strategy in the cluster of countries; • Manage investment teams and provide guidance for complex investment structuring and portfolio management cases; make early review and Investment review stage decisions, serve as transaction manager, and chair decision meetings as appropriate under an approved delegated authority framework, and/or carry out all Country Manager responsibilities under the prevailing accountability for decision making (ADM) matrix at IFC; • Manage and develop relationships with key clients (governments and private companies) at the highest level of seniority and position IFC as the partner of choice to support high development impact projects in the cluster of countries. Build up relationships with key stakeholders (including relevant regulators, businesses, NGOs, PE Funds, and investors); • Identify and implement measures to improve country results in terms of efficiency, productivity, profitability, and impact and increase its contribution to the corporate scorecard; • Lead, manage, develop, and mentor an integrated and diverse team consisting of regional and industry staff, ensuring that the team is high-performing, well-motivated, innovative, well-trained; has clear deliverables; and is committed to the success of IFC in the country; • 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; • Develop and maintain strong relationships with Industry Departments to originate, process and manage a pipeline of investments, and support proactive and strategic portfolio management, to meet IFC’s objectives; • Develop market knowledge to ensure that IFC is working with the right sponsors. Take accountability for client selection, ensure the integrity of potential clients, and develop and maintain relationships with these companies to identify business opportunities considering IFC’s strategy, priorities and products; • Lead the coordination with World Bank Group institutions and oversee with the regional industry managers (and other colleagues in IDA and MIGA) the design and implementation joint and collaborative solutions to enable the Cascade at the country level. Fully contribute and drive on behalf of IFC the development of Systematic Country Diagnostics (SCDs), Country Private Sector Diagnostics (CPSDs) and Country Partnership Frameworks (CPFs); • Develop IFC’s “brand,” building on IFC’s regional brand and the overall communications strategy; engaging with local media; • Represent and provide visibility for IFC in the target markets including through organizing/participating in high profile events (Senior level visits, interviews, seminars, and conferences); • Share accountability (with Industry Portfolio Managers) for the quality and performance of the Country Portfolio; work jointly with relevant managers to meet Scorecard targets in the cluster of countries (Client Satisfaction, Productivity, Development Impact and People metrics); • Provide administrative and HR management oversight; • Act as the Head of Security for the cluster of countries responsible for QBG’s duty of care obligations to staff; • Oversee the crisis management team supported by the business continuity management program offices; • Appoint emergency wardens, security focal points and road safety focal points; • Coordinate security decisions with other affected Heads of Office across the WBG.

IFC—a member of the World Bank Group—is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets and the world’s largest multilateral source of loan and equity financing and advisory services for private sector in the developing world. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2022, IFC committed a record $32.8 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 global compounding crises. Working with 2,000 businesses worldwide, IFC draws on more than six decades of experience to create opportunities and solutions where they are needed most. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

IFC has embarked on an ambitious new growth strategy (IFC 3.0) to stimulate more investment activity, especially in Low Income Countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict affected Situations (FCS). This strategy calls for generating our own opportunities by proactively working “Upstream” to create, deepen, and expand markets and to imagine, design and implement investment projects. It 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 Group engagement on policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level. This strategy also calls for working with Governments and World Bank colleagues to first seek private sector solutions to address development challenges - where such solutions are advisable and can be effective - and reserve public financing for projects only when other options are suboptimal. This approach is called the “Cascade.”

IFC is looking to recruit a Country Manager, responsible for the following cluster of countries: Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Sao Tome & Principe. This position is based in Douala, Cameroon.

The Country Manager will play a critical role in operationalizing IFC3.0/Creating Markets strategy and enabling the Cascade at the country level. He/she will be responsible, in close collaboration with the WBG counterparts, for developing operational country strategies and action plans and for driving their implementation. The Country Manager will oversee a portfolio of approximately US$ 400 million. The prospects for continued growth in both investment and advisory activities are very good. The mandate of the Country Manager will be to significantly build the portfolio, develop new opportunities for IFC in the countries of the cluster and enhance our impact.

The Country Manager will be responsible for all IFC's activities in the cluster of countries while managing a multidisciplinary team of more than 20 investment, advisory services, and support staff on the ground. This will require close interactions with corporate clients, governments, counterparts at the World Bank and other multilateral/bilateral institutions, as well as internal coordination within IFC with Industry Department Directors and Managers, Advisory Services Managers, and constituent Executive Directors. The Country Manager will report to the Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.

Duties and Accountabilities

• In consultation with the Regional Director, Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, develop, design, and implement multi-year country strategies and implementation plans for integrated investment and advisory operations, including sector priorities and business targets; • Support the implementation of the Upstream strategy; • Oversee all IFC's investment and advisory activities in the cluster of countries; • Lead/coordinate the development of a client engagement strategy for existing and new clients; • Take accountability for early review and clearance of sponsors. For all investments and AS client’s programs, review and validate IFC’s added-value, development impact and fit with IFC strategy in the cluster of countries; • Manage investment teams and provide guidance for complex investment structuring and portfolio management cases; make early review and Investment review stage decisions, serve as transaction manager, and chair decision meetings as appropriate under an approved delegated authority framework, and/or carry out all Country Manager responsibilities under the prevailing accountability for decision making (ADM) matrix at IFC; • Manage and develop relationships with key clients (governments and private companies) at the highest level of seniority and position IFC as the partner of choice to support high development impact projects in the cluster of countries. Build up relationships with key stakeholders (including relevant regulators, businesses, NGOs, PE Funds, and investors); • Identify and implement measures to improve country results in terms of efficiency, productivity, profitability, and impact and increase its contribution to the corporate scorecard; • Lead, manage, develop, and mentor an integrated and diverse team consisting of regional and industry staff, ensuring that the team is high-performing, well-motivated, innovative, well-trained; has clear deliverables; and is committed to the success of IFC in the country; • 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; • Develop and maintain strong relationships with Industry Departments to originate, process and manage a pipeline of investments, and support proactive and strategic portfolio management, to meet IFC’s objectives; • Develop market knowledge to ensure that IFC is working with the right sponsors. Take accountability for client selection, ensure the integrity of potential clients, and develop and maintain relationships with these companies to identify business opportunities considering IFC’s strategy, priorities and products; • Lead the coordination with World Bank Group institutions and oversee with the regional industry managers (and other colleagues in IDA and MIGA) the design and implementation joint and collaborative solutions to enable the Cascade at the country level. Fully contribute and drive on behalf of IFC the development of Systematic Country Diagnostics (SCDs), Country Private Sector Diagnostics (CPSDs) and Country Partnership Frameworks (CPFs); • Develop IFC’s “brand,” building on IFC’s regional brand and the overall communications strategy; engaging with local media; • Represent and provide visibility for IFC in the target markets including through organizing/participating in high profile events (Senior level visits, interviews, seminars, and conferences); • Share accountability (with Industry Portfolio Managers) for the quality and performance of the Country Portfolio; work jointly with relevant managers to meet Scorecard targets in the cluster of countries (Client Satisfaction, Productivity, Development Impact and People metrics); • Provide administrative and HR management oversight; • Act as the Head of Security for the cluster of countries responsible for QBG’s duty of care obligations to staff; • Oversee the crisis management team supported by the business continuity management program offices; • Appoint emergency wardens, security focal points and road safety focal points; • Coordinate security decisions with other affected Heads of Office across the WBG.

Selection Criteria

• Have at least a Master’s degree with at least 12 years of professional experience in strategy, finance, or advisory, e.g., commercial or investment banking, project finance, private equity, and management consulting; • As an ambassador representing IFC in the cluster of countries, country manager must be a role model for ethical behavior values of IFC; • Strong client relationship management skills, with an existing network of relevant top-level contacts in the cluster of countries’ private and public sector and/or demonstrated ability to build such high-level client network; • Outstanding and proven track record of performance in investment and advisory activities; • Strong leadership capabilities and experience managing people, especially leading diverse and high performing teams; • Significant experience with proven success in developing client relationships; • Ability to represent IFC externally with government, media, clients, donors, and other stakeholders; • Ability to think strategically and adjust the country strategies as needed so that it remains responsive to the needs of client countries, and in coordination with development partners; • Experience in transaction processing and portfolio supervision a strong plus; • Work experience in at least one other region, as well as the Africa region and a strong interest in developing a thorough understanding of the cluster countries; • Ability to build successful relationships across the matrix; • Strong written and oral communications skills, French is essential; • Recognized as a leader; • Ability to develop innovative solutions and challenge the status quo to build IFC’s business and image in the market; • Meet Bank Group-wide managerial selection criteria including Courage of your convictions, Leading the team for impact, Influencing across boundaries, fostering openness to new ideas, and Building talent for the future.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

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