Assoc. Operations Officer - Cairo, Amman, Beirut or Islamabad

Job #:	121239
Title:	Assoc. Operations Officer - based in Cairo, Amman, Beirut or Islamabad
Job Stream:	Technical Assistance & Advisory Services
Location:	To Be Determined
Closing Date:	06/10/2012
Background / General description:
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member the World Bank Group, fosters sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing risk and advisory services to businesses and governments. Advisory Services in Middle East and North Africa (AS-MENA) is IFC’s primary mechanism for the delivery of advisory services aimed at promoting private sector development and reducing poverty in the Middle East and North Africa. To achieve this objective most effectively, the AS-MENA has identified four key areas, on which to focus its advisory services programs: (i) Access to Finance (A2F); (ii) Infrastructure Development (INF); (iii) Corporate Advice (CA); and (iv) Improving the Investment Climate (IC). AS-MENA is seeking to recruit an Associate Operations Officer to help develop, support and oversee microfinance Advisory Services (AS) projects in the MENA region. This includes, but is not limited to managing existing, and developing new microfinance projects, managing client relationships liaising with IFC investment staff and World Bank colleagues, , and ensuring that projects are implemented in a timely manner and in line IFC and WB policies and procedures. The Associate Operations Officer will report to the Microfinance Program Manager. The position is based in Cairo, Amman, Beirut or Islamabad. Significant travel will be required to meet the objectives of the assignment.
Duties and Accountabilities:
1. Manage, in line with IFC and World Bank policies and procedures, MENA Microfinanceprojects. This includes: creating project documentation such as concept notes and approval requests; securing budgets; monitoring the work of external consultants ; ensuring the completion of projects within the agreed timeframe and budget, and alerting management to any risks in meeting the project objectives. 2. Conduct scoping missions to assess and analyze the characteristics and the dynamics of the financial sector as well as the particularities of the MF industry in different MENA countries; 3. Help design and adapt the strategy of the MENA MF Program in line with IFC’s global and regional strategies to increase A2F; 4. Identifying potential clients for MF Advisory and Investment projects in line with the target market and the strategy of the MENA MF Program; 5. Assess clients’ strategies, operations (back and front office functions), portfolio quality and control environment; provide recommendations; design, negotiate and oversee the implementation of AS solutions to help clients achieve sustainable growth. 6. Liaise with IFC/WB staff and promote the integration of microfinance AS with IFC’s investment activities; 7. Represent the MENA MF Program in conferences and workshops organized by internal or external MF/Financial sector stakeholders; 8. Work with the microfinance program team to help ramp up project activities in the MENA region; 9. Handle other activities as needed to support the success of the Microfinance Program.
Selection Criteria:
• Graduate degree in Business Administration, Finance, Economics or a related area or equivalent professional certification in accounting or law. • 5+ years experience in corporate finance, retail banking, MSME credit, acquired in a financial institution, one or the big 4 audit firms or a leading consulting company. • Demonstrated, strong understanding of the microfinance industry. • Proven ability to manage complex projects effectively, implementing projects in time and within budget. • Strong client focus, excellent business judgement and ability to produce consistently positive results. • Self-motivated, conscientious, and able to work independently with minimal supervision; • Willing to travel throughout the MENA region as needed; • Expert in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Project; • Excellent communication skills (oral and writing) in English. Knowledge of Arabic and/or French will be an advantage. Please note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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