Operations Analyst at World Bank

Job #: req4349
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Grade: GE
Sector: Advisory Services
Term Duration: 3 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Descriptions

• Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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. Working with more than 2,000 businesses worldwide, we use our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in the toughest areas of the world. Visit www.ifc.org.
• IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, promotes sustainable private sector growth and is the largest multilateral provider of financing for private enterprise in emerging markets.  IFC invests in private sector institutions, mobilizes private capital in local and international financial markets and provides technical advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses.  It focuses on investing in private sector projects that are financially and economically viable and have a substantial development impact.
• The Financial Institutions Group (FIG), one of IFC’s largest industry departments, is responsible for a significant portion of IFC’s business volume, profitability and development reach.  FIG has three main objectives: 1) financial inclusion 2) servicing the real economy and 3) mobilizing third-party resources.
• To achieve these objectives, FIG invests in numerous financial subsectors and strengthens financial institutions across the region through Advisory Services (AS). The FIG AS program in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is closely coordinated with investment operations and helps banks across the region to build or improve their operations across several focus areas: Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (including Gender Finance and Non-Financial Services); Digital Financial Services; Risk Management; Microfinance; Agri-finance; and Climate & Sustainable Finance. 
• The World Bank Group’s Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions (EFI) Global Practice combines expertise in the financial sector with expertise in private sector development to foster private-sector led growth and help create markets in client countries.  Through this work, EFI strengthens the World Bank Group’s evolving approach to development finance: to maximize finance for development and to leverage private sector investments for sustainable and inclusive growth.  Within countries, EFI works with governments to create an enabling environment where financial stability, access to finance and risk management provide a foundation to crowd-in private sector investment, create capital markets, and accelerate equitable growth.  The Practice focuses on six thematic areas: (i) Financial Stability & Integrity (ii) Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure & Access ((iii)  Firms, Entrepreneurship, & Innovation (iv) Markets & Technology (v)  Long-Term Finance (vi) Climate & Risk Management.
• FIG Advisory Services in Middle East and Africa is seeking to recruit highly-motivated Operations Analysts with demonstrated interest in development finance to support Advisory Services engagements in the region.
• The positions will be based in Lagos (Nigeria), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Luanda (Angola), Abidjan (Cote D’Ivoire), and Nairobi (Kenya).

Duties and Accountabilities

• The Operations Analysts will support project teams in the preparation, administration, implementation and supervision of client projects, working in close collaboration with Country Office, EFI, Investment and Advisory Services teams. 
• The Operations Analysts may work as part of a pool supporting the FIG Advisory services team with specific responsibilities for key administrative functions at the business line level (finance, budgeting, results measurement, communication, knowledge management, integrity due diligence, etc.), but with responsibilities on projects to encourage focus and professional development. 
• The Operations Analysts will report to a designated staff member relevant to their primary function. 

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Business Development Support:

• Perform desk research with respect to the market landscape. The analyst would be required to consider various in-country data sources, to have granular country level understanding of issues and advisory opportunities
• Keep abreast of market intelligence and developments globally, conducting desk research and preparing initial reports with findings, graphs, etc
• Develop financial models, budget analyses, and financial monitoring for projects
• Participate in key projects and take a lead on project/client analytics and report generation
• Participate in diagnostic missions, carry out quality review of the diagnostic reports of banks’ work streams, and help refine output quality. Prepare the market context and detailed analysis in presentations and reports
• Support project teams to organize appraisal missions, prepare meeting minutes, support appraisal mission follow-up steps as needed, and develop financial plans for missions
• Based on appraisal mission findings, support development of proposals for clients (including budget, pricing and costing research)
• Assist in processing internal documentation for project approval.

Portfolio Management Support
Project Support:

• Assist in the preparation of project supervision and completion reports, particularly tracking of key performance indicators against targets established at the onset of the project.
• Monitor project timelines to ensure updates on objectives are completed within the allowable timeframe.
• Ensure high data quality in all project documents and provide supplementary data gathering support for evaluations.
• Assist in planning the contents and context of conferences and other knowledge management events, including training events and workshops.
• Collaborate with project teams and senior consultants to carry out specific tasks including desk reviews, data analysis, financial projections, preparation of notes, taking minutes of meetings, writing memoranda, preparation of briefs and presentations.
• Work in partnership with project leaders and the donor relations team to prepare initial drafts of semi-annual donor reports, based on project supervision documents.

Finance and Budgeting:

• Monitor and update project budgets regularly to ensure that financial reporting is accurate, timely and aligned with internal financial systems and requirements.
• Manage interface with finance team on timely collection of client fees in line with legal agreements.
• Coordinate and manage the submission of consultant invoices to ensure accurate financial reporting within each quarter.
• Manage allocation of consultant and other project costs to the appropriate charge codes.
• Monitor charging of staff time to ensure accurate cost allocation against charge codes.
• Work with the Country Manager, regional and industry teams to monitor and update budgets and spend at both the project and aggregate levels and contribute to the financial projections reports on a quarterly basis.
• Track Trust Fund spend and availability monthly.
• Liaise with the finance donor team and Country/FIG Advisory teams on establishing new trust funds and charge codes.

Country and FIG/EFI Advisory Support:

• Assist FIG /EFI and the Country team in strategy building, coordination and implementation.
• Work closely with project teams and provide analytical and technical support.
• Support Project Leaders in achieving a high degree of standardization in client deliverables (pitch, proposals, workshops, product programs, strategy documents etc.) and enhancing quality in terms of content and analytics.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree and at least 4 years of relevant experience in the region, preferably working within the financial sector or with similar donor agencies/development finance institutions or consultancies.
• Experience working on similar areas (private sector and financial institutions) as well as on market research, surveys, data analysis, etc.
• Team player with good problem solving and analytical skills, with an ability to execute the tasks promptly and effectively.
• Organizational and communications skills, including the ability to represent IFC work credibly at the senior executive levels.
• Advanced user level proficiency in PowerPoint, Excel, Word is a must; report writing capabilities and ability to comprehend and analyze large amounts of data/information and translate them into ideas and actionable plans is required
• Strong command of English (written and verbal) is a must. In addition, French is mandatory for Abidjan location, and Portuguese for Luanda location.
• Proficiency in relevant research tools e.g. Factiva, IBM, MIX, Bloomberg, EIU, advanced google search, WBG databases).