Senior Operations Officer, Sub-Regional Coordinator

Background / General description

Improving the investment climate in Africa is one of three core priorities of the IFC/World Bank Group strategy in Sub-Saha ran Africa. The Investment Climate Advisory Services (IC) of the World Bank Group comprise staff based in the hub offices of Nairobi, Dakar and Johannesburg and across the continent, working with a team of product specialists in Washington, DC and Istanbul. The Investment Climate Advisory Services have been implementing reform programs in Sub-Saharan for almost a decade, and have scaled up their efforts significantly in recent years.

The programs assists 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 to lead to measurable increases in private sector investment.

Programs in East and Southern Africa are managed principally out of the IFC Office in Nairobi, with individual IC staff and/or consultants also working from most of the country offices in the region. In 2012, the IC Team in East and Southern Africa comprised a portfolio of approximately 30 projects in over 20 countries with annual costs of around $13m. Under the IC program, East and Southern Africa is divided into three sub-regions: Countries in East Africa, countries in Southern Africa, and countries on the African Horn and in the Indian Ocean.

The Investment Climate Advisory Services are seeking a Sr. Operations Officer with the role of Sub-Regional Coordinator, based in Nairobi.

The staff is expected to work in close coordination with the World Bank and IFC's Senior Investment Officer in the relevant countries, and with the investment climate team staff in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Dakar, Washington and Istanbul. The staff is also expected to participate in and contribute to the Investment Climate Advisory Services’ support to regional investment climate reforms.

The position is based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Duties and Accountabilities

•Oversee individual country projects in the sub-region, maintaining oversight of program budgets and results against individual project workplans;
•Provide oversight and guidance to country program managers on administrative issues including workplans, budgeting, staffing, and client relationships; and on technical issues including regulatory reform proposals, implementation of reforms, and capacity building and training;
•Ensure all reform recommendations and other project activities maintain the highest standards for quality, comply with international best practices, and are vetted by appropriate internal and external stakeholders;
•Ensure coordination and communication with WBG and external stakeholders on issues related to investment climate in the region, and specifically on municipal or province-level initiatives;
•Ensure program compliance with IFC, client, and donor reporting requirements and with wider World Bank Group and donor regulations;
•Develop and maintain direct relationships with high level counterparts in the public and private sector on issues related to the project and its activities;
•Lead development of new projects and donor relationships on issues related to regulatory reform and sub-national investment climate in the region;
•Help to develop and secure funding for new projects that are consistent with IFC's country assistance strategies and try to address strategic development priorities of IFC member countries.

Selection Criteria

•Advanced degree in economics, law, finance or other relevant field;
•10+ years of relevant work experience;
•Practical experience in designing and implementing investment climate reform projects in developing and post-conflict countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa;
•Strong prior experience in working with World Bank Group project management, M&E and procurement systems;
•Strong analytical skills, and demonstrated capability in effective writing;
•Experience in managing project teams, consultants and other stakeholders;
•Experience with designing and managing IC programs involving participation from other parts of the World Bank Group, including IFC’s advisory and investment services, the World Bank, and MIGA.
•Well-developed interpersonal and team-working skills, ability to operate effectively as a team leader and member

Company Description

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. We help developing countries achieve sustainable growth by financing investment, providing advisory services to businesses and governments, and mobilizing capital in the international financial markets. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.