About the Organization:
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a member of the World Bank Group. It promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries as a way to reduce poverty and improve people's lives. In addition to its investment work, IFC provides advisory services to a number of its clients to support them in meeting specific development goals. IFC's support to the financial sector is implemented via its Access to Finance Business (A2F).
About the Job:
IFC is looking for a Senior Operations Officer – Payments Lead in South Asia Advisory. S/he will work closely with the local teams and under the supervision of the A2F regional business line manager to expand the portfolio of client projects in the region. S/he will support a substantial knowledge and learning agenda for mobile financial services, in partnership with the global payments team, and will be expected to contribute to tools and standards that are disseminated globally.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Development of a strategy for MFS Advisory in South Asia, with a focus on achieving high development impact, defined as bringing the poor and unbanked into the formal financial system, and ensure alignment with IFC's strategic objectives in South Asia more generally;
- Contribute to an evolving global strategy for payments, based on best practice and learning in South Asia;
- Lead the development of the payments project portfolio in South Asia, identifying and vetting prospective clients in partnership with regional IFC advisory and investment operational staff and the global specialist team;
- Develop partnership proposals for prospective clients on the basis of appraisals of their operations and on-going business development discussions;
- Guide client projects through IFC's internal approval process, ensuring that lessons learned world-wide are appropriately taken into account in the design of new projects;
- Support the Global payments team in the abovementioned areas with respect to regional subsidiaries of global partnerships; Project Implementation and Technical Support
- Manage implementation of the South Asia payments program, under the supervision of the A2F regional business line leader;
- Monitor implementation and progress of payments projects and recommend corrective actions where/if necessary;
- Ensure all advisory processes by supporting A2F RBLM in the project lifecycle and supervision as required, and provide input to project completion reports;
- Supervise consultant work to ensure high quality and on-time delivery of work program;
- Support IFC payments investment efforts, by interacting closely with the Global Financial Markets (CGF) industry department and the Global Information Technology (CIT) industry department. This will include supporting the vetting of potential investment clients, pipeline identification and participation in joint investment-advisory appraisals, where appropriate.
- Close collaboration with the South Asia monitoring & evaluation officer and A2F portfolio management unit, to ensure that evaluation activities are embedded into project design and implementation;
- Oversee development of necessary approval documents, supervision, and completion reports and review for quality control.
Qualifications:
- Earned MBA, Master of Finance, Master of Public Policy or other relevant qualification;
- At least 7 years of operational experience in financial services and/or technology solutions for financial services in emerging markets, preferably with at least 4 to 5 years of direct experience in the use of technology to expand reach of financial services to low-income populations;
- Experience in designing payments advisory programs in emerging markets;
- Recognized leadership in the banking, consulting or development finance communities particularly in the use of technology to reach the unbanked;
- Strong familiarity with international best market practices and global trends in mobile financial services and payments systems. Related expertise in microfinance or SME banking a plus;
- Excellent communication skills in English, fluency in a South Asian language a plus;
- Willingness to travel regularly within South Asia.
Closing Date: 16 Nov 2012
How to Apply:
Apply Online
