Senior/Principal Investment Officers, Infrastructure in Africa

Job #:	120934
Title:	Senior/Principal Investment Officers, Infrastructure Africa
Job Stream:	Investment
Location:	To Be Determined
Closing Date:	05/13/2012
Background / General description:
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector investment arm of the World Bank Group, is one of the leading investors and lenders in emerging markets. The mission of IFC is to promote sustainable private sector investment in developing countries, helping to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. IFC finances private sector investments in the developing world, mobilizes capital in the international financial markets, helps clients improve social and environmental sustainability, and provides technical assistance and advice to governments and businesses. The development of infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa is a top strategic priority for IFC and for the international development community. IFC is seeking to recruit Senior/Principal Investment Officers (IOs) for its Infrastructure Group in the Africa region. This group is responsible for sourcing and executing investment transactions in power, transport, and utilities in the Africa region. Applications will also be considered at this time to work in the same region and sectors for IFC Infraventures, a US$100 million equity fund established by IFC to provide risk capital and expertise for the early stage development of infrastructure projects. Depending on their profile, Senior / Principal IOs may be wholly or partially dedicated to IFC Infraventures. Senior/Principal IOs are the project leaders of multidisciplinary teams and professionals who have expertise in the regions or sectors in which IFC does business. Project teams consist of lawyers, environmental and social specialists, and economists, as well as technical specialists. Senior/Principal IOs work directly with their clients and international and local sponsors on complex projects, with the overall goal of maximizing the impact of IFC s interventions in the Infrastructure sector in Africa by executing innovative, developmental, and profitable investments for IFC. Positions are based in Dakar, Washington, D.C., or Nairobi. Please indicate in your application your preferred duty station(s). Regional travel will be required.
Duties and Accountabilities:
Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to: - Develop a strong pipeline of good quality investment opportunities by anticipating market trends and employing sector/country knowledge; - Evaluate, structure, negotiate, and close new transactions, portfolio restructurings, rescheduling, capital increases, equity sales, etc., - Develop innovative and appropriate financial structures for complex transactions; - Execute IFC s project development investments with a strong focus on achieving bankable projects; - Lead negotiation/documentation teams; use strong negotiation skills to develop solutions and overcome impasses in straightforward and complex transactions; - Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, global and regional private businesses, banking and multilateral partners and government officials to further develop the sector and to develop specific investment opportunities; - Lead and manage project teams, mentor and develop junior staff; - Collaborate in developing sector and/or regional strategies and support related promotion work, including targeting potential investments and policy advisory work; and - Coordinate closely with social, environmental, and technical assistance colleagues in order to add value to our clients' businesses, find pragmatic solutions to the specific sector challenges, and achieve sustainable development impact. Candidates at the principal level will need to demonstrate a commensurate level of experience and will in addition need to demonstrate the ability to play a leadership role in areas such as formulating business strategy, developing new financial products, providing guidance to multiple teams on transaction enhancement, and setting standards for quality control.
Selection Criteria:
- MBA or equivalent qualification; - At least 8-12 years experience in finance with a proven track-record of sourcing, structuring and closing investments in infrastructure sectors; - Experience in project development would be particularly valued for positions focused on IFC Infraventures; - Knowledge of overall industry sector trends, experience in emerging markets a plus; - Strong business development and client relationship skills, track record and ability to focus on clients needs effectively; - Sound business judgment in identifying potential business partners; - Strong financial and credit skills; demonstrated ability to structure a variety of complex financial instruments (debt and equity); - Ability to interact directly and independently with the senior management of potential clients, of financial and technical partners as well as senior government officials; - Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, French language skills an advantage; - Strong inter-personal skills, ability to interact effectively with clients and colleagues from various cultural backgrounds; - Ability to mentor junior investment staff; - Highly motivated, committed to highest ethical standards; and - Genuine commitment to sustainable development. Women are particularly encouraged to apply. For Corporate information, please visit www.ifc.org. Please be aware that only selected candidates will be contacted.
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