Senior Operations Officer, Women Entrepreneurship - Investment Climate

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, pursues its mission of reducing poverty and improving people s lives by promoting private sector development through investment and advisory services . IFC's Sustainable Business Advisory Department (CSB) works with companies to adopt environmental, social and corporate governance practices and technologies that make them more productive, inclusive, and profitable. The broad adoption of these practices can transform markets and improve people s lives. CSB hosts IFC s Women in Business Team (WIN), a small group of investment and advisory professionals charged to develop, promote and mainstream initiatives that leverage the untapped potential of women in private sector development in emerging markets . The Women in Business team primarily works with (a) financial market and access-to-finance teams on programs to promote financial inclusion for women entrerpreneurs; (b) investment climate teams on designing advisory programs that encourage women entrepreneurship and create productive job opportunities for women; (c) sustainable business advisory teams on company-level initiatives to develop economic opportunities for women; and (c) a variety of corporate teams to promote and position knowledge and insight related to the role of women in business and private sector development more broadly. An exciting opportunity in the Women in Business Team is opening up for a highly motivated and experienced senior operations officer with a strong background in IFC s Investment Climate work: The Senior Operations Officer/Women Entrepreneurship would work with Regional Business Line Managers and Global Product Specialists across industries, sectors, departments and regions to create products and to promote the delivery of services that particularly leverage women s untapped potential in private sector development. S/he will also design and deliver corporate wide and very visible initiatives to position themes around women entrepreneurship, women leadership and the role of women employees, leading related thought leadership and knowledge management initiatives. While the focus of the position is on engaging with, advising and coaching teams in the Investment Climate business line, the emerging programmatic approaches to IFC s advisory work more general will create opportunities for a broader and corporate wide perspective and impact. The successful candidate is a determined and perseverant “go-getter”, ideally with some leadership experience under her/his belt, with a positive attitude, dedication to excellence, patience for detail and the ability to translate insights from the “gender perspective” into broad strategy and concrete opportunities for IFC s advisory and investment services. While s/he would need to be able to work independently and take initiative, s/he would have to be a strong team player, able to take leadership as well as supporting roles. S/he handles a variety of activities concurrently in a high-pressure environment and delivers consistently. S/he is open-minded, able to work in a fast-paced and multicultural environment and is used to exploring links between fields, disciplines and people which would not usually be related. S/he has the ability to work with colleagues in a constructive manner. S/he actively supports innovation and knowledge sharing in an open, team-based environment, and thrives through partnerships, teamwork, continuous learning and innovation.

Duties and Accountabilities:

Project development, management and quality assurance:

• Lead / support corporate initiatives relating to the gender dimensions of legal, regulatory, and administrative barriers in the investment climate that particularly impact women, with a view to designing recommendations and working with key stakeholders to bring about recommended change.
• Work with teams to design and include the gender dimension in existing or new Investment Climate projects, supported with appropriate M&E indicators, as demonstrated in PDS-A documents.
• Provide expert support, manage consultant teams and oversee the development, refinement, and implementation of the gender angle investment climate projects.
• Strengthen the implementation and delivery capacity of the regions, mentor and train investment climate staff in regions. Knowledge Management:
• Work with KM officers across departments and business lines to ensure gender-related knowledge is ‘streamlined into KM products and services, including practice groups, network efforts, etc.
• Contribute to IFC s knowledge base through notes, papers, presentations, smartlessons, completion reports, KM notes, and workshops as needed;.
• Assist in developing further guidance on gender baselines and M&E framework. Program Management and Development:
• Liaise with other experts in the gender field and assist in developing new partnerships and/or identifying areas for collaboration with internal / external stakeholders, partners, and specialists.
• Update development partners and management team as needed on the progress of the products.
• Interface with other product leaders and teams, field staff and other internal stakeholders.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced university degree in law, economics, business or public administration and a minimum of 8 years relevant work experience in policy reform and private sector development.
• Deep understanding of entrepreneurship and issues facing micro, small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets ; experience with topics related to women entrepreneurship a plus. More general knowledge of private sector development topics more broadly, including –investment climate, SME development, agribusiness, supply chains, climate change and the legal environment, as well as good understanding of World Bank Group activities and familiarity with research in this arena.
• Ability to think strategically, combined with excellent research, synthesis and written skills, demonstrated by a track record of successful publications or reports and toolkits. Strong analytical, and communications skills - ability to research various private sector issues quickly, absorb large amounts of information and summarize them in a succinct manner.
• Significant project management skills with proven track record of success in developing client relationships and execution; Demonstrated ability to assess needs, prioritize resources and design and develop relevant, cost-effective and culturally sensitive solutions. Demonstrated ability to manage staff and consultants for timely, quality outputs.
• Established, up-to-date knowledge in a topic expertise area and strong ability to disseminate this knowledge effectively and efficiently within IFC as needed.
• Leadership talent and strength, and strength in managing complex relationships and “leading across boundaries”. Sound experience in dealing with public and private sector institutions, including ensuring a balanced set of interests Political awareness and ability to handle sensitive situations with target audiences. Other: This appointment is for an initial 2-year period. World Bank Group staff on regular or open-ended appointments will also be considered, and if selected, will transfer at their current appointment status.