Associate Legal Program Officer - Asia

Associate Legal Program Officer - Asia Job #: req33146 Organization: IFC Sector: Legal Grade: GF Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: New Delhi,India; Hong Kong,China; Bangkok, Thailand Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 5/29/2025 (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. 
Background and Context: There is a significant and growing business need for CLED resources across an increasing range and complexity of investment and advisory projects, and in portfolio legal risk management. A diverse program requires managing legal and regulatory issues that may arise in different markets of each region and providing coordination with global and regional lead counsels, business departments as well as other corporate functions including compliance. In certain markets, we are seeing more sophisticated counterparties that challenge even our long-standing standard forms and clauses, which require bespoke legal attention to all phases of a project.  
This growth in the volume and complexity in these areas has created an opportunity for a GF-1 role, particularly in the regions, to take ownership of key aspects of the various investment, advisory (“Advisory”), institutional administrative (“IA”),  environmental and social (“E&S) and portfolio matters as outlined in the TORs below, as well as some early business development work and coordinate the risk management function with different actors.   
For Asia Region
In respect of Advisory, there is a need to (i) form a clear understanding of the new risks that we face in our countries in our advisory business in close coordination with CRG; (ii) have a structured and regular coordination with the regional and global lead counsels for Advisory in CLED on these risks; (iii) allocate work among legal assistants/analysts working on advisory matters, (iv) suggest KM initiatives and specimen updates that improve the risk management function; and (v) update different lawyers and legal analysts on new developments.  
In respect of portfolio legal work management, there is a need to have a focal contact who (i) for deals in the region, can coordinate with the project lawyers and the AGCs on the various portfolio requests; (ii) will be responsible to follow up on the updates to the PPs in terms of the governance process for processing waivers and amendments; and (iii) will keep an eye on any new developments seen in portfolio work and suggest KM initiatives on the point to the KM anchor in the region and the AGC.
Roles and Responsibilities
1.  Advisory:  (i) act as a first contact for Advisory matters for the region, coordinating lawyer requests from clients and noting particular common themes and risks that emerge in close coordination with CRG; (ii) be the coordinator of Advisory lawyer/LA assignments in coordination with the Regional Advisory Anchors; (iii) organize regular practice sessions with the Legal Analysts in the team who work on advisory to understand what they are seeing across the region, in coordination with the Advisory Anchor the Region; (iv) organize specialist KM sessions to capture the latest developments in Advisory; (v) identify and escalate in a timely and organized manner new issues and risks to the Regional Advisory Anchor, to the Global Lead counsel and the AGC; and (vi) report back to AGC and the regional Advisory lawyer no less than every 3 months with key issues that have emerged in the practice. 
2.  Portfolio: (i) act as the first interface with internal business clients on routine and non-routine portfolio matters including amendments, waivers, consents, rights issues, exits, and security / collateral matters; (ii) coordinate with the project lawyer on how to respond to the requests recommending which LA in the team can support; (iii) mentor and train legal assistants and new legal analysts on templates (waivers, consents, amendments, share voting documents, etc.) and support them  on questions together with the project lawyer; (iv) design a well thought-out onboarding program (with the AGC) to board LAs on portfolio matters; and (v) identify and escalate any non-routine and complex issues arising in portfolio requests immediately to the project lawyer and AGC for guidance. 
3.  External Counsel:  Effectively interface with external counsel, including running RfP processes, managing internal budget matters, preparing counsel retainers, and instructing external counsel where relevant. 
4.  Knowledge Management:  Take responsibility for providing feedback to relevant Global Leads and Regional Anchors on legal documentation specimens, samples and checklists, based on real-life experience from projects or queries or changes involving novel or complex legal issues and contribute to and support CLED knowledge management initiatives.
5.  Corporate Engagement:  Actively participate in IFC-wide discussions and working groups involving at least one area of expertise.  
6.  Continue to perform the duties and responsibilities of a Legal Analyst. 

Selection Criteria

EducationMaster’s degree in any field is preferred; a degree in Law, Business, or Accounting is also preferred. 
ExperienceA minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is preferred.   Core competencies•   Strong communication skills and ability to coordinate quickly and effectively among diverse teams (including CRG, E&S, Financial Operations) inside and outside of IFC.•   Experience and understanding regarding various investment and advisory products; successful track record managing document and process-intensive programs involving diverse business teams.•   Track record of negotiating legal documents with both private sector and public sector counterparties.•   Keen attention to detail; ability to function independently with minimal daily input and guidance •   Ability to anticipate program needs and develop solutions.•   Ability to multi-task across clients in different time zones and deliver large volumes of work to meet client expectations.
Demonstrated commitment to core values, including excellence, mutual respect, collegiality, teamwork, diversity and inclusiveness, integrity, innovation, transparency and accountability.
Location: The position will be in New Delhi or Bangkok or Hong Kong.

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.