THE ORGANIZATION:
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group, and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. IFC pursues its mission of reducing poverty and improving people’s lives by providing financing to help businesses employ more people and supply essential services, by mobilizing capital from others, and by delivering advisory
services to ensure sustainable development.
IFC provides a broad range of advisory services and technical assistance aimed at fostering inclusive development, addressing climate change and promoting the global integration of local economies through sustainable private sector development in the East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region. More specifically, IFC seeks to achieve these goals by providing advisory services in four Business Lines:
(i) Access to Finance;
(ii) Investment Climate;
(iii) Sustainable Business Advisory; and
(iv) Public Private Partnerships Advisory Services.
The Access to Finance (A2F) business line aims to increase the number of individuals/firms with access to basic financial services, to increase the diversity of financial services available to poor households, and to lower the costs of essential services. The Investment Climate (IC) business line focuses on helping governments implement reforms to improve their business environment and encourage and retain investment, thus fostering competitive markets, growth, and job creation. The Sustainable Business Advisory (SBA) business line works with firms in manufacturing, agribusiness, services, and infrastructure to contribute to the creation of inclusive, environmentally sustainable, and efficient markets.
In Vietnam, IFC is developing an integrated agribusiness program which will be jointly supported by three advisory business lines – A2F, IC and SBA. IFC is looking to recruit a Senior Operations Officer to provide the overall leadership for this important initiative in Vietnam as well as take on specific accountabilities for designing and implementing select components of the Program.
THE PROGRAM:
Agriculture is one of the most important sectors for Vietnam’s economy. It provides employment for 70% of rural households and accounted for more than 20% of GDP and 28% of exports in 2010. While Vietnam is a major exporter of rice, coffee, casher and pepper, there is limited private sector financing available to enable investment in the production practices, infrastructure and market institutions necessary to competitively and sustainably produce, store and transport those crops. In particular, the lack of broad access to financial services limits opportunities for agribusiness enterprises and smallholders to adopt appropriate technologies, allocate resources efficiently and meet external quality standards. Commodity collateralized financing represents a critical opportunity to drive price discovery and transmittal, improve the quality of export commodities, and improve producer risk management capacity.
IFC’s Vietnam Agribusiness Program (the Program) seeks to improve the competitiveness of Vietnam’s agribusiness sector by helping to facilitate more investments in the agri logistics sector, reduce post-harvest losses and costs of compliance, and increase lending to agribusiness related activities. Specifically, the program will aim to help modernize Vietnam’s warehouse industry by improving commodity collateralized financing, professionalizing warehousing and related services, increasing usage of standards, and improving the enabling environment for warehouse licensing and collateralization. This will involve working with committed partner banks and other financial institutions, asset managers and warehouse operations to improve their capacity related to collateralized commodity financing, working with relevant government and industry bodies to improve the enabling environment related to commodity collateralized lending, licensing of warehouses and exporters, and industry dialogue related to warehousing.
REPORTING LINES: This position reports directly to the EAP Regional Business Line Leader, Sustainable Business Advisory with a secondary reporting line to the Regional Manager for Mekong.
Duties and Accountabilities:
SCOPE OF WORK: The Senior Operations Officer will act as the Program Manager for Vietnam Agribusiness Program and will take overall responsibility for coordinating all aspects of the Program including financial and operational reporting to IFC and donors, team cohesion and communications. In addition, the Senior Operations Officer will be directly responsible for specific program components that will fall into the SBA business line, including their design, managerial and financial oversight, day-to-day delivery of advisory services to clients, and overall quality control.
The Senior Operations Officer will work closely with the Regional Business Line Leaders for A2F, IC and SBA as well as the IFC investment team to ensure a successful initiative. Specific duties and accountabilities include, but are not limited to:
• Program design: Overseeing all aspects of Program design and implementation, including impact targets and timelines, in collaboration with country teams, the global access to finance team and regional specialists. Ensure Program design exemplifies best practice and lessons learned from similar initiatives globally. Draw on own expertise in the industry to design advisory interventions that address challenges and opportunities the sector while also promoting environmentally and socially sustainable behaviors across all market segments.
• General program management including accountability for Program objectives and target:
a. Develop a detailed plan for the Program’s various components in close collaboration with the Regional Business Line Leaders for A2F, IC and SBA business lines as well as the IFC investment team
b. Manage external and internal relationships for successful delivery
c. Collaborate with IFC investment staff in identifying and assessing clients
d. Work constructively with staff in other IFC business lines who have core expertise to contribute as well as with other market stakeholders as necessary in designing and executing program elements
e. Represent the Program to stakeholders at multiple levels (e.g., industry fairs, thematic seminars)
• Team Coordination: Serve as the focal point for the Program as it spans across three business lines of IFC.
For the SBA component, design the team roles and responsibilities, recruit and manage a team of professionals and a resource base of consultants who can deliver on the various objectives:
a. Set clear goals and targets for team members
b. Manage the performance evaluation process for all team members, incorporating feedback across the institution as per IFC guidelines
c. Adapt to different circumstances and demonstrate ability to act decisively when faced with obstacles by identifying innovative solutions and approaches
d. Resolve differences across stakeholders and consider interests of multiple stakeholders in addition to clients
• Communications and Reporting:
a. Manage the communications and reporting required by IFC and donor partners according to IFC standards and guidelines
b. Track program performance indicators against the monitoring and evaluation plan, refocusing activities as required to meet program targets in coordination with other IFC stakeholders including the global and regional product specialists
• Budget and Financial Management: develop a detailed program budget, manage and report on financial performance according to plan:
a. Ensure that the IFC pricing policy for advisory services is applied
b. Control expenditures according to IFC policies and guidelines and within own approval thresholds while achieving maximum results
• Knowledge Management:
a. Systematically consolidate and analyze lessons learned from project implementation experience and share with team members and colleagues across the region;
b. Ensure connectivity with the IFC global product team and other IFC/World Bank programs.
Selection Criteria:
The candidate should be a senior professional with comprehensive and in-depth expertise in program management and in providing advisory services. S/he routinely leads complex projects and integrates work of other (often multi-disciplinary) professional staff. S/he can interact with clients at the policy level or with senior counterparts in national governments and/or other organizations with confidence.
Minimum Requirements
• Master’s degree in economics, finance, business or other relevant discipline required;
• At least 10 years of professional experience in a position with significant decision-making responsibility, preferably working with/in the agribusiness sector in an emerging market environment;
• Proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement major programs and to produce major/complex reports or studies;
• Demonstrated professional leadership and ability to lead a team of professionals in the execution of major program components;
• Ability to engage with various stakeholders, effective influencing skills and demonstrated diplomacy;
• Strong ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently, articulate issues and recommend solutions;
• Proven ability to demonstrate initiative, monitor issues and tasks, meet deadlines and priorities, and ability to work in a team;
• Ability to work effectively under time pressure with high degree of accuracy and with a strong capacity to produce quality work.
• Relevant experience working in the East Asia and the Pacific region is desirable;
• Excellent communication skills in English and a second language, preferably an East Asian language;
• Willingness to travel regularly within the EAP region.
IFC offers a challenging and rewarding work environment, attractive compensation and excellent career opportunities. All applications will be treated in strict confidence. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
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Closing Date: 02/15/2012
