Senior Investment/Operations Officer - Cross-Cutting Lead

Senior Operations Officer - Cross-Cutting Lead Job #: req32631 Organization: IFC Sector: Operations Grade: GG Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 4/17/2025 (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. 
IFC is deeply committed to advancing gender equality and economic inclusion as laid out in IFC's 2030 Roadmap for Gender and Inclusion to deliver game-changing private sector partnerships and programs to accelerate gender equality and inclusion in emerging markets. Aligned with the new World Bank Group (WBG) Gender Strategy (2024-30): Accelerate Gender Equality to End Poverty on a Livable Planet, IFC’s Roadmap is built on six priorities offering high potential for impact in and through the private sector. These areas aim to (1) Allocate Capital that Drives Inclusion, (2) Make Supply Chains Inclusive, and (3) Remove Barriers to Entrepreneurship, Employment, and Leadership (including addressing gender-based violence). Equally important are three cross-cutting themes that are foundational to achieving sustainable results across the priority areas and require action: (4) Bridging the Digital Divide; (5) Accelerating Inclusive and Gender-Smart Climate Action; and (6) Ending Gender-based Violence and Harassment.  As part of its mandate, IFC’s Cross-Cutting Vice Presidency includes a dedicated team, the Gender and Economic Inclusion (GEI) Department (GEID), that works with IFC’s investment and advisory teams to support private and public sector clients in providing all genders and underserved communities with equal economic opportunities as leaders, employees, entrepreneurs, consumers, and community members. GEID leads strategy development and implementation for the organization, provides tailored operational solutions and client advice, innovates, and incubates novel approaches, serves a thought leader and disseminator of knowledge on GEI issues, supports mobilization through impact investing and sustainable financing; and forges public and private sector partnerships with the aim of creating economic opportunities and development for all. 
GEID is establishing a new operating model built around Global Operations in four Regional Gender Hubs and two new units focused on Thought Leadership and Innovation. The Innovation unit within GEID (The Innovation Center) will drive initiatives to identify/generate, design, pilot, and expand new advisory and investment mechanisms to mobilize capital that incentivizes private sector action on gender and inclusion. The Innovation Center will be designed to enhance closer collaboration with industry and regional operations and investments officers, and external partners, to deliver new models/processes that enable cross-department co-creation of solutions that meet a range of client business needs and are adapted to country contexts. The Innovation Center will focus on solutions that accelerate gender equality and economic inclusion while deepening and scaling impact in alignment with the priorities of IFC’s 2030 Roadmap on Gender and Economic Inclusion. 
The Lead for “Cross-cutting” (i.e. multiple sectors and thematic areas) Solutions will spearhead a dynamic function, influencing both the design and strategy of the first Innovation Unit for IFC’s GEID department. This role will focus on enabling IFC to facilitate greater access to economic opportunities for underserved individuals within the cross-cutting IFC Gender and Inclusion 2030 Roadmap priorities of climate change (inclusive climate action) and digital inclusion (action for digital empowerment), working across multiple sectors in emerging markets. The role is multi-faceted and involves both leadership and support. It will work closely with the Innovation unit’s Inclusive Capital and Supply Chain Leads to identity new area to pilot or develop considering climate needs and digital mechanisms and ensuring investment linkages across IFC’s spectrum of debt, mezzanine, quasi-equity, and equity instruments, and financial instruments including funds and pooled investment vehicles.  
Working with all industries within IFC, the topics of focus will vary based on business needs and market opportunities and may include, for example:
•   Developing gender-responsive climate solutions across a range of sectors from skilling women for green jobs in manufacturing and services to scaling tested solutions integrating SDG credits, including gender, alongside carbon credits, •   Identifying successful practices of Agtech activities that increase women’s economic opportunities and integrating these digital practices in in agribusiness supply chains in collaboration with Agri industry department and gender team,•   Integrating incentivization schemes into digital financial solutions and the platform economy to enable access to capital for women and women-led businesses, and more.  The position will report to the Principal Innovation Officer. It will oversee a small team of dedicated professionals with specializations in areas such as inclusive climate action, and inclusive digital/tech solutions and liaise with specialists across IFC in all departments.  They will manage the sourcing, incubation, and piloting of select solutions in deep collaboration with cross-departmental teams across IFC including industry, regional, GEID, and other department staff as relevant including the World Bank colleagues.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Cross-cutting Solution Scoping and Development:

•   Lead the identification of specific solutions to advance equitable climate action and digital inclusion, in deep collaboration with industries, regions, cross-cutting IFC departments, and GEID Units (Thought Leadership and Operations) utilizing design thinking and co-creation methodologies.  
•   Oversee feasibility studies, market mapping, sectoral/regional analysis and other analytical exercises for select solutions to determine if potential for piloting under Innovation unit, working in close collaboration with industries, regions, corporate strategy, and GEID units (Thought Leadership and Operations)
•   Lead the design of scalable solutions and platforms like “Banking on Women” that can be adapted across markets and sectors to enhance IFC’s investments and advisory services in alignment with WBG Gender and Inclusion Strategy KPIs and the Corporate Scorecard.
•   Facilitate cross-industry partnerships to test and launch innovative financing models supporting gender and inclusion, leveraging blended finance tools and performance-based incentives across sectors.
•   Drive collaboration with internal teams (i.e. thought leadership, corporate strategy, industries, upstream) to drive product innovation by incorporating data-driven insights to optimize the performance and scalability of cross-cutting gender and inclusion initiatives.
•   Refine and scale gender and inclusion investment advisory structures that make climate action and digital empowerment inclusive such as IFC’s GenderXClimate and Digital2Equal Programs.  

Crowdsourcing and Co-Creation:

•   Inform and lead select crowdsourcing and co-creation processes to identify and enable gender and inclusion-focused investment and advisory opportunities for cross-cutting solutions. 
•   Spot game-changing trends, technologies, and business models that can help bring gender and inclusion into climate action and digital inclusion in emerging markets.
•   Conduct sector-specific data analysis and stress testing of various operating models to help generate ideas for new projects, new products, and platform businesses, in collaboration with GEID Thought Leadership Unit, Corporate Strategy, and industry departments.
•   Enable investments that intentionally seek to address social inequalities (including gender gaps) across the full range of instruments from to equity, funds instruments, platforms, etc. in emerging markets. 
•   Contribute to due diligence, financial analysis, risk assessments, project/facility structuring, and client/partner negotiations for potential investments, as relevant to innovation GEI solutions.

Innovation Process and Solution Lifecycle Management:

•   Oversee the lifecycle of Cross-cutting solutions from ideation to scaling, ensuring rigorous evaluation and refinement.
•   Ensure high-quality implementation of flagship programs by managing project teams and maintaining high standards of quality.
•   Incubate high-impact projects and initiatives that require upstream development before investment.
•   Oversee the development and execution of innovation processes and create an agile environment that encourages entrepreneurial thinking and seeks creative programming.
•   Foster collaboration across departments, especially industries, and ensure the efficient deployment of staffing and resources, with a rigorous selection of solutions to pursue.

Strategic Development of Innovation Center:

•   Work closely with the Principal Innovation Officer to develop and execute strategic initiatives that drive Innovation Center goals and metrics in line with WBG/IFC Gender KPIs and overall IFC business KPIs.
•   Contribute to the development of policies and frameworks that support inclusive climate action and digital practices.
•   Work closely with thought leadership unit, especially the Data/Impact team to bridge research to actionable solutions for cross-cutting areas. 
•   Collaborate closely with regional operations teams to ensure alignment and facilitate  pathways/destinations for innovation solutions, including influencing IFC’s investment pipeline and portfolio value-add.  
•   Align upstream, advisory, and investment solutions to support the product lifecycle of innovative solutions from sourcing to scaling. 

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration:

•   Foster a culture of collaboration with internal and external partners, ensuring diverse participation in cross-cutting activities.
•   Monitor and support for standard-setting activities, including inclusive climate action, investment criteria, and disclosure approaches, to ensure alignment with market best practices and new investment mechanisms.
•   Collaborate with cross-industry teams to support gender and inclusion-related project execution and upskilling initiatives.
•   Engage with regional and industry teams for innovative, inclusive climate action and digital access/ownership that prioritize gender equality, social inclusion, and sustainability.
•   Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, including clients, partners, and donors.

Knowledge Sharing and Upskilling:

•   Facilitate knowledge sharing across GEID, IFC and the World Bank Group, and encourage the adoption of new approaches and best practices as related to cross-cutting solutions. 
•   Help build external recognition of IFC’s distinctive capabilities in innovation and gender and inclusion to catalyze a greater flow of investment and advisory opportunities in gender and inclusion.
•   Mentor and support junior team members working on Innovation activities, providing expertise on climate action, digital inclusion, and other cross-cutting themes as they emerge, as well as expertise in investment transactions and innovative structures.  
•   Contribute to bespoke gender and inclusion-related training sessions and external events. 
•   Facilitate the development of gender and inclusion-related case studies, tools, and publications to enhance institutional capacity on cross-cutting themes and best practices. 
•   Collaborate with communications teams to promote the success of IFC's cross-cutting activities, amplifying their impact through digital platforms and media.

Resource Mobilization:

•   Contribute to fundraising efforts to secure financial support for innovation projects and the innovation center operations, including concessional seed funding to stimulate market-moving solutions. 
•   Allocate resources effectively, prioritizing initiatives with the highest potential impact on inclusion, gender equality and scale.

Monitoring and Evaluating Performance:

•   Contribute to developing performance metrics, value propositions, and strategic communications for the Innovation Center in coordination with the Principal Innovation Officer.
•   Establish robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact of inclusive climate action and digital empowerment initiatives. 
•   Use data and evidence to inform decision-making and improve program outcomes.

Selection Criteria

The candidate should be a seasoned candidate with in-depth investment and consulting experience working with the private sector and across institutional structures to deliver cross-cutting solutions. They routinely lead staff, initiatives, programs, projects, and integrate the work of others (often multi-disciplinary). They confidently deliver quality output and can work and inspire others with a sense of urgency. They can proficiently interact with companies’ senior management (and/or Boards of Directors), development partners and communicate with senior government counterparts and other organizations with confidence on the topic at hand. They have contributed to creating inclusive climate action and/or inclusive tech that empower women, promote gender equality and inclusion, and drive sustainable development, and are eager to shaping the future of new products, business models, and partnerships that deliver development impact.
 
Minimum Requirements

Education: 

 •   Master’s degree in economics, finance, business, or other relevant discipline required.

Professional Experience:

•   At least 10 years of professional experience in private sector development in emerging markets with decision-making responsibility, ideally with a focus on gender and inclusion, with experience of working on climate finance and digital inclusion transactions and/or technical assistance solutions.
•   At least 8 years of experience in investment structuring with strong financial analysis skills.  Understanding of different asset classes and investment strategies.  
•   At least 5 years of experience in sustainability, or innovation roles, with a strong focus on gender equality, climate, and private sector engagement; with the demonstrated ability to engage with credibility and confidence.
•   Experience designing advisory projects, including results frameworks to capture gender/inclusion outcomes and impacts.
•   Experience working with multinational companies, financial institutions, and local enterprises to integrate gender equality and inclusion solutions, especially in emerging markets.
•   Demonstrated knowledge of gender equality and sustainability in business resilience.
•   Proven track record in developing, successfully implementing, and scaling high-impact initiatives.
•   Strong experience in emerging markets in at least one region; additional experience or exposure to emerging markets in other region(s) would be a plus.

Preferred Additional Qualifications: 

•   Experience working with international financial institutions.
•   Familiarity with blended finance models, and innovative financing solutions across sectors

Skills and Abilities:
•   Innovative strategic thinker with a proven track record in developing and successfully implementing and scaling high-impact initiatives.
•   Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound business judgment to identify issues and present creative and practical solutions.
•   Ability to self-manage, multitask, and work under time constraints.
•   Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills in English, including the ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently, articulate issues, and recommend solutions.
•   Strong communication, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience influencing senior decision-makers and managing complex partnerships.
•   Proven collaborator with the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels of a complex organization.
•   Excellence in organizational management with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance teams, and set and achieve strategic objectives.
•   Professional agility to easily adjust to the rapidly changing dynamics within and outside the organization.
•   Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to business planning.
•   Excellent business acumen and analysis skills; strong pattern recognition; horizontal thinker and synthesizer.
•   Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed.

Note: Selection for this role from a lateral grade within the WBG does NOT include a salary increase. Duty station-based adjustments will be applied as appropriate. 

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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