Investment Officer

Job #:
req30450
Organization:
IFC
Sector:
Investment
Grade:
GG
Term Duration:
3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment
Location:
Johannesburg,South Africa
Required Language(s):
English
Preferred Language(s):
Portuguese
Closing Date:
12/2/2024 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

IFC - a member of the World Bank Group - is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities. Our mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet.

IFC's Transaction Advisory Services Department (CTA) is housed in the IFC Cross Cutting Solutions Vice Presidency (CCSVPU) and consists of two business lines:

• PPP Transaction Advisory (C3P) offers transaction advisory services to governments, designing and structuring PPP transactions in infrastructure with focus on electricity, water, transportation, telecommunications, etc. and social services such as health and education, to assist client governments to partner with the private sector in sustainable long-term projects providing high quality, affordable and efficient public and social services to economic agents and the population, in general.

• Corporate Finance Services (CFS) has three key product offerings: (1) M&A Advisory: advising on buy-side / sell-side transactions; (2) Equity Mobilization Program (EMP): supporting third party equity mobilization alongside IFC investment; (3) Asset monetization involving listed or listing public entities.

CTA mobilized $4.7B of private investment in FY24 and has a target of $5.9B for FY25 which translates into almost 25% of IFC's total core mobilization. Drawing on over 25 years of experience and over 120 staff across the globe, CTA manages currently over 100 active client engagements. Africa has 25 to 30 staff distributed in five regional hubs located in Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dakar, Cairo, and Abuja/Lagos. The CTA department is expected to continue playing a leading role in mobilizing private capital on behalf of the WBG.

The CTAPP department is looking to recruit an Investment Officer (IO) for the Eastern Africa (EA) hub who will support the regional team and management in the business development and the whole PPP transaction process of IFC acting as Lead Transaction Advisor. The IO will work under the supervision of the EA Hub Lead, with a focus on East Africa, and beyond in the wider region, depending on business needs. The sub-region comprises 9 countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

The PPP team focuses on advising on the following types of transactions across all infrastructure sectors:

• Public-Private Partnerships e.g. BOT type concessions.
• Restructuring and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
• Corporate Finance type activities (equity raising, M&A, pre-IPO support).

Both origination activities and the preparation work of complex PPP transactions often require close collaboration with the World Bank to ensure consistent country strategies and, if needed, access to expertise in institutional and sector reforms, as well as development of legal and regulatory frameworks including tariff structures.

The position is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and reports to the Hub Lead South Africa for PPP Transaction Advisory Services, and the Regional Manager for PPP Transaction Advisory Services in Africa.

Role & Responsibilities:
The IO's work will involve the implementation of advisory mandates of a variety of types, including business development, interactions with clients, supervising consultant hiring, preparing and delivering presentations, overseeing financial modeling and due diligence, leading transaction structuring and the drafting of bidding documents, managing bidding processes, and interaction with investors towards closing deals. Duties will include, but will not be limited to:

• Contribute to origination and marketing activities across the Southern Africa region (SA), managing marketing activity in assigned countries/strategic areas, including collaborating with other WBG teams to identify opportunities based on country strategies and market creation potential;
• Develop new client relationships and project leads in SA region;
• As appropriate, undertake project scoping to assess feasibility of potential projects, and lead the origination and marketing activities, e.g. supervision of proposal preparation, mandate negotiation with clients, etc.;
• Lead the day-to-day management of project preparation leading teams working on sell-side PPP mandates, including review of legal and technical outputs, documentation and financial models;
• Prepare/review memos and documentation for internal approval, manage consultant procurement processes, and project budget;
• Manage consultants e.g. legal and technical and review their outputs;
• Understand possible legal and regulatory impediments for private sector participation in the working countries/sectors and work closely with the WBG relevant teams to overcome these;
• Develop transaction structure options for the PPP projects, providing innovative and practical solutions and present these to management and clients;
• Participate/lead meetings with government clients and investors;
• Organize and manage the tendering process of projects, including marketing, support to the Government procurement entities in the definition of the prequalification criteria, elaboration requests for proposals, selection and project award and, as appropriate, the final negotiation of project agreements leading to closing of deals;
• Develop, coach, motivate and manage the junior members of the team;
• Actively participate in the development and implementation of upstream activities in line with IFC 3.0 to create, deepen and expand markets with the regional and global team from across IFC and the WBG;
• As appropriate, support the SA Hub Lead and SA TL group on sub-regional strategy, origination activities, and HR/staffing related matters;
• Potential support/intervention on Corporate Finance mandates, both in terms of origination as well as execution that may include the preparation and delivery of pitch presentations to companies, reviewing and advising on corporate structure, balance sheet structure, valuation, prospectus review, corporate governance, etc.
• As appropriate, coordinate with different WBG groups to assess opportunities for PPPs in the WBG operations;
• Support knowledge management by helping to disseminate PPP and CFS knowledge and experience and,
• Assist in other project or strategy related activities as the need may arise.

Selection Criteria

• MBA or equivalent Post Graduate degree in business, finance or economics;
• Solid and relevant experience of at least 10-12 years gained either in project finance, corporate finance, M&A and privatizations, or private equity funds in infrastructure;
• Minimum 3-4 years of experience of sell//buy-side M&A advisory is considered a plus;
• Knowledge of infrastructure trends and experience in infrastructure transactions/PPPs preferably in Africa;
• Business development track record and ability to focus on clients' needs effectively;
• Strong track record in preparing and closing infrastructure transactions;
• Strong existing relationships with government officials and investors in the infrastructure space, Africa being preferred;
• Client relationship skills, experience and ability to interact independently with senior government officials, development partners, investors and the many stakeholders of infrastructure projects;
• Ability to manage teams in multiple transactions, delivering high quality work within deadlines meeting team objectives;
• Strong analytical and financial modeling and structuring skills and demonstrated ability to:
• Lead a variety of transaction advisory, including debt and equity transactions;
• Independently develop financial models and sound financial analysis to support structuring solutions;
• Structure/restructure transactions with prudent and sustainable risk sharing among all parties.
• Proactively address and resolve client challenges with a solution-focused approach, effectively engaging decision-makers.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently (written and oral);
• Ability to operate in large, culturally diverse and geographically dispersed teams;
• Proven experience building productive relationships and fostering open communication across diverse teams and organizations to share knowledge and resources.
• Strong commitment to project success, delivering work with high standards, and proactively seeking opportunities for improvement and innovation.
• Ability to work under pressure, travel on short notice and frequently
• Highly motivated, committed to the highest ethical standards; and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Portuguese.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC , including our values and inspiring stories.

Job ID req30450