IFC - International Finance Corporation hiring Chief/Principal Investment Officer - Financial Institutions Group in Washington, DC | LinkedIn (2024)

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 in developing countries. In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record US$43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit www.ifc.org . . The Financial Institutions Group (FIG) is one of the major industry groups at IFC, responsible for managing roughly 40% of IFC’s overall business in terms of volume and capital at risk. FIG engages in a wide range of sub-sectors including Microfinance, SME, Gender, Climate, Insurance, Capital Markets, Housing, Distressed Assets, and other areas, with both investment and advisory services delivered to IFC’s clients through IFC’s global network. IFC's priorities in FIG as an industry group are: (i) grow investment and advisory solutions in all regions it operates in, while achieving strong profitability and development impact (ii) build new and nurture existing client relationships to make IFC the preferred partner for key clients (iii) manage portfolio of assets for strong profitability and impact; (iv) support local companies, while improving transparency and corporate governance; (v) catalyze foreign investment, including mobilizing various forms capital from international and local investors; (vi) develop and implement innovative new financial solutions and products; (vii) build long-term partnerships with global and strong regional players; (viii) develop client, sector and country-level solutions through upstream and downstream interventions that can be scaled and replicated; and (ix) be a thought leader and innovator of products and client solutions globally. CFGCM focuses on Capital Markets & Housing and strengthening the capital markets of emerging markets and developing countries is a strategic priority for IFC.IFC has long-standing programs for providing support for a wide range of securities issuances by emerging market (EM) clients and is looking to expand its investment activities. The Global FIG team is developing and implementing solutions to increase the availability of financing of SMEs and other impact investing asset classes (climate, sustainability, gender, infrastructure development, financial inclusion, among others) through capital markets and structured finance activities. The Global FIG team works in close collaboration with the regional FIG teams, Treasury, Risk, Sector Economics and other IFC departments. IFC is looking to identify an individual with significant market and sophisticated transaction experience who will help lead its Global FIG capital markets team to continue to expand the scope of our activities, identify and scale new and existing opportunities, manage the growing portfolio, as well as to continue to jointly develop and closely coordinate the delivery of our strategy through global transactions as well as with regional FIG teams. This position will complement the existing cadre of CFGCM Chief Investment Officers. The position will report to the Manager, CFGCM, and will be based in Washington, DC. Roles & Responsibilities:Specific Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To

• Help lead the Capital Markets team to achieve its objectives and ambitious plans for investment growth and development impact;
• Collaborate closely with other Chief Investment Officers in CFGCM and FIG regional management in developing Capital Markets priorities, strategies, and products across IFC regions;
• Help develop a strong pipeline of high quality investment opportunities for IFC in capital markets and structured finance space through anticipating market trends and employing sector/country knowledge;
• Focus on adding value to IFC’s clients, find solutions to sector challenges, and achieve sustainable development impact;
• Evaluate, structure, negotiate, and close new transactions, in particular innovative capital market structures and products, special purpose structures, securitizations, and risk transfers, among others;
• Work closely with the World Bank to establish priority areas for joint efforts;
• Help in the development and implementation of internal requirements associated with a growing business line of sophisticated financial instruments;
• Coordinate with other units including the other Industry Departments, Risk, IFC Treasury and others within IFC to ensure all the required support to develop new business opportunities and to efficiently manage both new investments as well as the existing portfolio. Roles & Responsibilities:

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in finance, economics, or other related areas;
• Minimum 15 years of experience in finance, with evidence of expertise in banking, financial institutions and finance-related disciplines;
• Strong experience in and in-depth understanding of industry trends and regulations in capital markets. Solid track record of delivery of sophisticated capital markets and structured finance transactions;
• Good network of financial institutions, investment banks and investors;
• Ability to think strategically;
• Ability to bring together teams within IFC, WBG, and other DFIs to mobilize private sector investors and increase financing to emerging markets;
• Exceptional financial and credit skills; demonstrated ability to structure a variety of sophisticated financial instruments;
• Good management skills with a proven track record of success in developing client relationships and execution of client engagements;
• Ability to build long-term engagement with IFC’s strategic and top-tier clients by engaging with senior management and connecting their strategies and business needs with IFC strategic priorities at sector, region, and country levels;
• Able to have difficult conversations with clients to set reasonable expectations and with team members on their accountabilities or to address performance issues;
• Ability to deal proactively with and resolve conflicts when misalignment of interests develop between shareholders and sponsors.
• Excellent negotiation and structuring skills demonstrated by proven track record in negotiating both plain vanilla and complex transactions;
• Excellent business judgment and strong analytical and problem-solving skills to identify issues and present creative, practical solutions.
• Excellent team player, able to mentor and train more junior staff.
• Capacity to deal with conflicting priorities and deliver high-quality work on schedule; facility to work successfully in multicultural teams and across boundaries.
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English are required; an additional major language, such as Spanish, is desirable.
• Willingness to travel.