Investment Officer, Upstream Infrastructure, LAC Region Job #: req33174 Organization: IFC Sector: Investment Grade: GF Term Duration:ย 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Sao Paulo,Brazil Required Language(s): English, Portuguese Preferred Language(s): Spanish Closing Date: 5/28/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC
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ย Description
The International Finance Corporation (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 embarked on an ambitious new growth strategy to stimulate more investment activity across emerging markets. This strategy aims to create new opportunities for private investments in riskier markets and sectors by proactively working โUpstreamโ or at the pre-investment stage (early in the project-development cycle) to create, deepen, and expand markets and design and develop potential investment projects. Implementing this strategy will require a different approach to business development, deal sourcing, and client support that relies on (i) a broader product offering to engage earlier in the project cycle and secure opportunities; (ii) a greater focus on preparing clients in nascent markets and sectors for investment; (iii) a greater focus on value addition and risk management of portfolio investment clients to enhance their performance; and (iv) a longer time horizon and a more patient, longer-term perspective.ย
Specific โUpstreamโ pre-investment and early-stage project development products include (i) collaboration engagements through which IFC supports private companies in the evaluation of new investment opportunities or business models; (ii) co-development engagements whereby IFC shares in the cost and risk of developing investment projects; (iii) advisory engagements to assist existing and prospective clients in unlocking investment opportunities or advancing climate and broader sustainability goals; (iv) joint engagements with the World Bank, taking a systematic approach to understanding the regulatory and sector bottlenecks that prevent the flow of private capital into productive investment in our member countries and addressing these bottlenecks through policy reforms and programmatic interventions at the country and sector level.ย
IFCโs focus on infrastructure is on (i) increasing access to basic infrastructure services; (ii) supporting local companies while improving transparency and corporate governance; (iii) exploring new equity and debt investment opportunities and catalyzing foreign direct investments, including co-investments and mobilizing syndicated and parallel loans; (iv) introducing and developing new financial products including through Public Private Partnerships; and (v) building long-term partnerships with strong global and regional players.
The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Infrastructure department is an open and dynamic team that originates, structures and commits financing to infrastructure projects across several sectors, including energy, transportation, water and waste, telecom and technology, subnational infrastructure, and natural resources.ย The department includes new business, portfolio, and upstream (pre-investment) units. The upstream/pre-investment team intrinsically works with investment and portfolio teams generating leads on potential opportunities for IFC.
IFC is seeking an Investment Officer to support our upstream/pre-investment work in the infrastructure sector in the LAC region, with a focus on Brazil (but able to work across LAC as needed).ย The selected candidate will focus on supporting the development of high-quality pre-investment pipeline in the Latin America & Caribbean region across the different infrastructure sectors (Energy, Water and Wastewater, Municipal Infrastructure, Transport Telecommunications, Media, Technology). S/he will also support policy work and other interventions across the World Bank Group to prioritize various initiatives and to maximize the impact of upstream/pre-investment efforts. The position will be under the supervision of the Regional Upstream and Advisory Manager, and the selected staff will work with other Senior Investment Officers working in infrastructure in the region. The candidate will be based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.ย
Duties and Accountabilities
The roles and responsibilities of the position will include but not be limited to:
โข ย Work closely with the Subregional Lead for Brazil (and other subregional leads in INR LACย as needed), to advance regional infrastructure business development activities and help develop a strong pipeline of investments by assessing business leads, anticipating market trends and employing deep sector/country/market knowledge.
โข ย Lead pre-investment and advisory initiatives in the region, under guidance from senior team members, to create a pipeline of future investments for IFC by spotting emerging opportunities for private investment and converting them into bankable projects through technical assistance and co-development of projects.
โข ย Assess the attractiveness of specific investment opportunities with a strong focus on credit quality, viability and development impact and contribute to recommendations to IFCโs management.
โข ย Lead internal processing of pre-investment and advisory initiative; support invest teams as needed with transaction processing. Support negotiation/documentation for pre-investment and investment projects.
โข ย Collaborate in developing client/country pre-investment strategies, engagement plans and pitch books.ย
โข ย Contribute to the development of feasibility studies and implementation plans for pre-investment projects that lead to IFC investments.
โข ย Assist in designing and implementing scalable solutions and platforms similar to โScaling Solarโ, โUtilities for Climateโ, โFuture Grids Allianceโ , and โSustainability Linked Financeโ that can be replicated across markets.ย
โข ย Produce regular reports on the assigned pre-investment portfolio including monitoring progress against project milestones and KPIs.
โข ย Take a lead role in helping provide infrastructure-related inputs to reform processes and regulatory changes, coordinating with internal and external stakeholders as necessary.
โข ย Coordinate with World Bank colleagues and help create opportunities for investments for the private sector.
Selection Criteria
โข ย Master's degree or equivalent post graduate professional qualification/specialization in Business, Finance, Economics, International Relations, Engineering, or other relevant field.
โข ย 6-8 years of relevant experience in project and/or program development and project design, producing feasibility studies, hands-on advisory and/or consulting functions in emerging markets. Demonstrated experience in Project Finance and/or Corporate Finance is strongly preferred.
โข ย Good understanding of at least one infrastructure sub-sector, such as power, transportation, utilities, natural resources, telecoms, technology.
โข ย Experience with project and/or program management and development is required, including (i)Hands-on experience executing against implementation plans with defined business development achievements for internal or external clients; (ii) Strong organizational skills and proven ability to work on several assignments simultaneously, and (iii)Experience in monitoring and reporting on a portfolio of projects, programs, and or initiatives.
โข ย Proven experience in the development of business models, from conceptual stage to investment (Go/No-Go) decision, integrating market analysis, technical studies and financial planning to build a strong business case for C-suite level management and Board members.
โข ย Capacity to innovate and challenge the status quo and experience in new idea generation, business development, and creating projects/programs from scratch.ย
โข ย Understanding of the relevant sector and ability to link policy reforms, advisory interventions, investment, and mobilization to deliver solutions at a country level.
โข ย Ability to engage with private sector clients, local and national governments and other stakeholders, including donors, to encourage pioneering business and market development.
โข ย Outstanding analytical and critical thinking skills.
โข ย Excellent people skills and team player, and ability to work in a multi-cultural environment, openness to feedback, new ideas.
โข ย Pro-active, motivated and able to multi-task under time pressure.
โข ย Strong written and verbal communications skills in English and Portuguese are required. Knowledge of Spanish is a plus.
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.
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