Operations Officer - Program Management

Job #:	112453
Title:	Operations Officer - Program Management
Job Stream:	Technical Assistance & Advisory Services
Location:	To Be Determined
Closing Date:	01/12/2012
Background / General description:
Improving the investment climate in Africa is one of three core priorities of the IFC/World Bank Group strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa. IFC manages the Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group, which comprise staff based in the regional hub offices of Nairobi, Dakar and Johannesburg and across the continent, who work with a team of product specialists based in Washington, DC and Istanbul. The Investment Climate Advisory Services have been supporting Sub-Saharan African countries to design and implement investment climate reform programs for nearly a decade, and have scaled up their efforts significantly in recent years. The programs assist client countries to implement a range of investment climate reforms, including economy-wide reforms of aspects of business regulation, supporting international trade and investment, regional integration as well as addressing obstacles to private sector investment in leading industries, such as agribusiness, infrastructure, tourism and health. The team’s objective is to support African countries’ efforts to create a positive investment climate to increase their competitiveness and private sector investment. The Investment Climate Advisory Services are looking to fill staff positions as Operations Officer with the role of Program Manager to be located in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Conakry, Guinea and Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. The successful candidate will coordinate our program in Sierra Leone/Guinea/Cote d’Ivoire and will be expected to work in close coordination with the World Bank team and IFC's Investment staff in the country, and with regulatory and industry experts from the investment climate team in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dakar, Washington and Istanbul. S/he will also be expected to contribute to the Investment Climate Advisory Services’ support to regional investment climate reforms.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The Operations Officer will have frontline responsibility for delivering the investment climate (IC) reform program in Sierra Leone/Guinea/Cote d’Ivoire, under the leadership of the Manager of Investment Climate Advisory Services for Africa, with day-to-day technical guidance from the deputy manager responsible for West and Central Africa and the IFC Country Manager. The scope of activities will include the following: •Take overall responsibility for the design and implementation of an investment climate reform program, providing technical and logistical program support and ensuring the appropriate integration of all the business line activities. •Take lead responsibility for the management of the relationship with the country clients and any external clients under the guidance of the IFC Country Manager. •Coordinate fund raising activities with Donor Relations team. Coordinate and prepare all necessary donor reporting. •Develop and monitor the budget for the IC programs, review and report on monthly budget reports and provide timely reports to management on the program. •Authorize all payments for work on the IC country programs, which are not approved by one of the product leaders for subsequent approval by the manager concerned, certifying that the work claimed has been performed in accordance with the budget, work program and the WBG procedures. •Coordinate and backstop all reporting on activities, outputs, outcomes and impact achieved by the program overall and its components. •Ensure that all necessary program documentation, request letters, implementation updates etc., are filed electronically in iDesk, as per current instructions. •Recruit, and manage the performance of short-term consultants. •Coordinate all missions related to the IC programs in the country managed by the incumbent, in order to exploit synergies. •Develop positive working relationships with other units of the World Bank Group to support the delivery of the IC programs drawing on inputs from multiple Group units.
Selection Criteria:
•Advanced degree in law, economics, business, public policy or related field •A background in investment climate policy issues, and economic, political and social facts in African countries •Minimum of 8 years’ professional experience, preferably of working in complex multi-sectoral teams •Effective inter-personal skills, leadership, team player, ability to maintain excellent client and donor relations •Prior experience in working in World Bank Group offices in Africa is a recommendation •Experience in developing and managing technical assistance, advisory services, and consultancy programs •Strong advocacy skills, ability to interface effectively with public and private sector leaders; •Experience in developing countries, especially in the country concerned •Fluency in English is essential for all three countries; Fluency in French is also essential for Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. Candidates are requested to indicate their preferred locations in order of priority and also note if any location is unacceptable.
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