Senior Investment/Operations Officer - Cross-Cutting Lead

DescriptionCross-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 CriteriaThe 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 CompetenciesThe 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.Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.