Principal Investment Officer
Job #: req10250
Organization: IFC
Sector: Agribusiness
Grade: GH
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Addis Ababa,Ethiopia
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): French
Closing Date: 12/8/2020 (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 2020, we invested $22 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity. For more information, visit www.ifc.org
The Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services (MAS) Department is seeking a Principal Investment Officer for its agribusiness and forestry operations in Sub-Saharan Africa. She/he will report to the Manager – Agribusiness and Forestry for Sub-Saharan Africa.
Duties and Accountabilities:
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the various sub-sectors within the agribusiness sector.
• Proactively develop a strong pipeline of good quality investment opportunities by anticipating market trends and employing sector/country knowledge. Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, banking and multilateral partners, and government officials to develop specific investment opportunities.
• Support upstream work to enhance the business enabling environment of selected subsectors/countries collaborating with the World Bank, IFC Advisory, Upstream, and other development partners, to create medium/long-term investment opportunities for IFC (“IFC 3.0”).
• Develop innovative and appropriate financial structures for complex transactions.
• As team leader and sector investment specialist, evaluate, structure, negotiate, and close new debt/mezzanine/equity transactions, portfolio restructurings, rescheduling’s, capital increases, equity sales, as necessary. Lead term sheet negotiation/legal documentation process; use strong negotiation skills to develop solutions and overcome impasses in complex transactions.
• Working with partners in the Global MAS Unit, provide leadership and support in the development of the MAS knowledge management strategy, and assist in the execution of this strategy.
• Coordinate closely with social, environmental and advisory colleagues in order to champion IFC’s value to our clients’ businesses, find pragmatic solutions to specific sector challenges, and achieve sustainable development impact.
• Ability to multi-task, work under pressure, deliver high-quality projects and prioritize work as necessary to deliver on goals, regional and MAS targets.
• Assist in the formulation, monitoring and updating of IFC’s agribusiness strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa, working with IFC’s Global industry and regional departments and in close coordination with the relevant industry groups at the World Bank.
• Mentor and coach investment staff, help build talent and grow the skill base of staff.
Selection Criteria
• MBA or equivalent qualification.
• At least 15-20 years of experience in corporate/project finance; private equity; and/or investment banking with a proven track record of sourcing, structuring and closing investments.
• Expertise in agribusiness and forestry. A combination of experience in Africa and Global will be a plus.
• Broad, in-depth experience and demonstrated success with a diverse range of clients, regions and projects covering a full range of IFC and WBG products/ instruments and involving highly complex factors.
• Ability to anticipate where future opportunities and innovation will emerge in markets/ sectors, to leverage expertise and reputation to connect IFC with those opportunities to grow business and open new markets.
• Proactiveness, strong business development and client relationship skills, and ability to focus on client needs effectively. Ability to interact directly and independently with the senior
management of potential clients, financial and technical partners, as well as senior government officials.
• Credibility to engage with or support IFC Management engagement with Governments at the senior levels and apply political-economy considerations to influence thinking and action on market and regulatory reforms in targeted countries to open doors to private sector investments.
• Outstanding financial, credit, and equity skills; demonstrated ability to creatively structure a variety of complex debt and equity instruments. Excellent negotiation skills.
• Sound business judgment in identifying potential business partners and investment opportunities. Ability to influence others based on an understanding of the implications of investment decisions for IFC’s business.
• Ability to develop and draw on relationships across multiple teams – region, headquarters, Advisory, Upstream, and across WBG to facilitate the transfer of knowledge, innovative approaches, and replication of best practices.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Ability to describe highly complex issues, approaches and lessons in a manner that is relevant and understandable to clients/stakeholders.
• Ability to clearly and extemporaneously articulate the essence of a complex and/or novel deal in a way that is relatable and compelling to clients and key stakeholders, including by ensuring well written Investment Review Meeting books, Board Papers, and complex portfolio documentations.
• A team player and an excellent mentor. Ability to guide junior staff on how to achieve the intended objectives of qualitative and quantitative work and provide quality control. Ability to provide direction to larger size staff with more diverse composition, to adjust supervision style to meet needs and level of individual staff members.
• Knowledge and experience in the international economic development arena and commitment to sustainable development.
• Capacity to deal with multiple tasks with conflicting priorities and deliver high-quality work on schedule; facility to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries.
• Willing to travel to various regions in Africa (as long as safety standards are met based on the World Bank Group standards).
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English are required. Proficiency in French will be a plus but not required.
More Information
- Address Addis Ababa
- Experience Level Manager
- Total Years Experience 10-20
- Qualification BA/BSc, MBA/MSc/MA
