Senior Investment Officer - Public Private Partnership Transaction Advisory (Hub Leader) at International Finance Corporation (IFC)

Description

• IFC’s Transaction Advisory Services Department (CTA) is housed in the IFC Cross-Cutting Solutions Vice Presidency (CCSVPU) and consists of two business lines: 
  • PPP Transaction Advisory (C3P) offers transaction advisory services to governments to assist them in partnering with the private sector in sustainable long-term infrastructure projects through designing and structuring PPP transactions able to provide high-quality, affordable, and efficient public and social services. The main sectors are typically electricity, water, transportation, telecommunications, and social services, such as health and education.
  • Corporate Finance Services (CFS) has three key product offerings: (1) M&A Advisory: advising on buy-side / sell-side transactions; (2) Equity Mobilization Program (EMP): supporting third-party equity mobilization alongside IFC investment; (3) Asset monetization involving listed or listing public entities.
• CTA mobilized $4.7B of private investment in FY24 and has a target of $5.9B for FY25, translating into almost 25% of IFC’s total core mobilization.  Drawing on over 25 years of experience and over 120 staff across the globe, CTA currently manages over 100 active client engagements.  Africa will have ca. 30 staff distributed in five regional hubs in Johannesburg, Cairo, Nairobi, Abuja/Lagos, Johannesburg and Dakar/Abidjan. The CTA department is expected to continue playing a leading role in mobilizing private capital on behalf of the WBG, the FY25 target being fixed at $5.9B. 
• PPP Transaction Advisory is seeking a Senior Investment Officer (SIO) with significant market and industry experience to manage the hub to be established in Abuja, Nigeria, with the main objective of developing the PPP business in the Central Africa sub-region that includes 10 countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and Sao Tome & Principe.
• The PPP team focuses on advising governments and government entities on the following types of transactions across all infrastructure sectors: 
  • Public-Private Partnerships e.g. BOT type concessions.
  • Restructuring and privatization of state-owned enterprises.
  • Corporate Finance type activities (equity raising, M&A, pre-IPO support).
• The SIO/Hub Leader will be strongly engaged in business development and execution of mandates. Both origination activities and the preparation work of complex PPP transactions may require close collaboration within the World Bank Group to ensure consistency with the countries’ strategy and access expertise in institutional and sector reforms and the development of legal and regulatory frameworks (tariff structures, and others), as it may be necessary. The Central Africa hub staff will work on the business development and execution of transactions.
• The work of the SIO/Hub Leader will be carried out in close consultation with the Africa Regional Manager and, if necessary, in collaboration with the other hub leaders. He/she will be part of the collective decision-making process regarding strategies for business growth, pricing, targets, staffing, recruitment, etc.
• Further to acting as the Central Africa hub leader and team leader in the projects to be executed, he/she could also be required to work across the broader Africa region, depending on the portfolio/business needs.
• The SIO/Hub leader will collaborate with other PPP Hub leaders in Africa and will report to and work under the supervision of the Regional Manager for CTA in Africa. 

Roles and Responsibilities

• The SIO/Hub Leader’s work will involve the management of the Central Africa hub, leading the team in the implementation of advisory mandates of a variety of types, including business development, interactions with government clients, supervision of consultant hiring, preparing and delivering presentations, overseeing financial modeling and due diligence, transaction structuring, leading and supervising the drafting of bidding documents and assist government-clients managing bidding processes, supporting and advising during negotiations and interacting with potential investors.

Duties will include, but will not be limited to:

• Establish the Central Africa hub expected to start with 3 staff members and prepare a strategy to develop the market in the region, starting from the accumulated experience and existing portfolio.
• Interact with the other hub leaders in Africa to fine-tune and draw on the accumulated experience and expertise.
• Lead the origination and marketing activities in the Central Africa Hub, managing marketing activity in assigned countries/strategic areas, including collaborating with other WB/IFC teams to identify opportunities based on country strategies and market creation potential and ensure supervision of the preparation of commercial proposals, mandate negotiation with clients, etc.
• When appropriate, undertake project scoping to assess the feasibility of potential projects
• Prepare/review memos and documentation for internal approval and consultant procurement processes and manage the projects’ budget.
• Foster strong relationships with World Bank Group counterparts to identify collaboration opportunities while enhancing business delivery at the country level. 
• Develop client relationships and project leads in the CA region.
• Understand the political, legal, and regulatory impediments permitting private sector participation in the working countries and work closely with the other parts of the WBG to overcome these.
• Lead the day-to-day management of project preparation, leading teams working on sell-side PPP mandates, including managing legal, technical, environmental, and other consultants; review the consultants’ outputs, reports, analysis, financial models, etc.
• Develop transaction structure options for PPP projects, provide innovative solutions, and present recommendations to clients.
• Develop the transaction structure aiming at innovative PPP projects, addressing the client problem with practical and bankable solutions and present such recommendations to management and clients, while managing expectations.
• Participate/lead meetings with government clients and investors.
• Assist in the organization and management of the tendering process of projects, including marketing of projects, participating in road shows, and preparation of Prequalification and Request for Proposals documents. Assist during the selection and project award processes and final negotiation of project agreements leading to closing deals. Strong negotiation skills to develop solutions and overcome impasses in transactions is paramount.
• In the preparation of the Projects, coordinate closely with other parts of IFC including environmental, social, legal, or other advice, and if appropriate, investment and World Bank colleagues to provide bespoke solutions to ensure Projects achieve expected sustainable development impact.
• Develop, coach, motivate, and manage junior members of the team.
• As appropriate, participate in the development and implementation of upstream activities in line with IFC 2030 to create, deepen, and expand markets with the regional and global team from across IFC and the WBG.
• As appropriate, contribute to the elaboration of the sub-regional strategy, and HR/staff-related matters.
• Support Corporate Finance mandates, both in terms of origination as well as execution that may include the preparation and delivery of pitch presentations to companies, reviewing and advising on corporate structure, balance sheet structure, valuation, prospectus review, corporate governance, etc.
• As requested, participate in the preparation of the regional strategy for the PPP Division’s advisory business, in partnership with the Country Managers, Upstream and Industry Departments as well as where applicable, the World Bank, with a focus on the PPP practice strategic priorities, mobilization of private investment, and development of climate-friendly and high impact projects.
• Support knowledge management by helping to disseminate PPP and CFS knowledge and experience and,
• Assist in other projects or strategy-related activities, as the need may arise.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s in Business Administration, Finance or Economics or similar relevant education
• Minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in PPP transaction advisory on buy and/or sell side, investment banking, project finance or corporate finance with a leading institution. PPP transaction advisory work experience in the region is desirable.
• Minimum 3-4 years of experience of sell//buy-side M&A advisory is a plus;
• Knowledge of overall infrastructure sector trends and experience in infrastructure transactions/PPPs preferably in Africa;
• Business development and client relationship skills, record of accomplishment in origination and ability to focus on clients’ needs effectively;
• Proven track-record in originating, advising, structuring, and executing infrastructure transactions 
• Strong grasp of legal documentation including risk allocation related to PPP projects including concessions and privatizations, ensuring prudent and sustainable risk sharing among all parties.
• Sound business judgment in identifying potential business and development partners and other key stakeholders and ability to interact directly and independently with senior government officials, potential investors. Strong existing relationships with government officials and investors in the infrastructure space in Central Africa is preferred;
• Ability to manage teams in multiple transactions, delivering high quality work within deadlines, and to meet objectives;
• Strong analytical and financial modeling/structuring skills and demonstrated ability to lead a variety of transaction advisory, including debt, and equity transactions;
• Proactively address and resolve client challenges with a solution-focused approach, effectively engaging decision-makers when necessary
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills and ability to communicate ideas clearly and confidently (written and oral);
• Ability to operate in large, culturally diverse, and geographically dispersed teams;
• Proven experience building productive relationships and fostering open communication across diverse teams and organizations to share knowledge and resources. 
• Strong interpersonal skills with demonstrated record of accomplishment in leading, motivating and managing multidisciplinary and multicultural teams
• Strong commitment to project success, delivering innovative and sustainable solutions, while overcoming obstacles.
• Building organizational capacity through system and process improvements
• Ability to work under pressure, travel on short notice and frequently, and deliver high quality work within deadlines to meet team objectives;
• Highly motivated, committed to the highest ethical standards, and aligned with the World Bank Group and IFC's mission, strategy, and values, and
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, and knowledge of French or Arabic is referred.

Language:

• Preferred: French or Arabic
• Required: English