The vision of the WBG is to eradicate extreme poverty by reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to 3 percent by 2030, and promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40 percent in every country. To achieve this vision, our strategy has three components: (1) maximizing development impact by engaging country clients in identifying and tackling the most difficult development challenges; (2) promoting scaled-up partnerships that are strategically aligned with the goals; and (3) crowding in public and private resources, expertise and ideas.
The architecture underpinning the strategy and instrumental to its success is the establishment of fourteen Global Practices (GPs) and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) that, in concert with the WBG Regions, will design solutions that address clients’ most pressing developmental challenges, and ultimately, enable the WBG to meet its twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.
The AFCS2 team covers Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Comoros, and Seychelles and provides a wide range of financial, knowledge and convening services to help address these countries’ most complex development issues. The various Country Partnership Strategies are based on a combination of key pillars for competitiveness and employment, vulnerability and resilience, and governance and public sector capacity. Our program of IDA credits and grants and IBRD loans has averaged about US$0.5 billion a year over the past five years, and leverages a wide range of multilateral and bilateral trust funds that co-finance these investments as well as support supplemental stand-alone projects administered by AFCS2.
Our knowledge program is extensive, including a substantial focus on SMEs and shared growth, inclusive services, land and water management, DRM, climate change resilience, as well as other areas, provided through a mix of AAA and Reimbursable Advisory Services. The AFCS2 program also seeks to innovate in the use of financial instruments working closely with IFC and MIGA, adjusted to meet the needs of s diverse set of three IDA countries and two IBRD countries. Relationships with the Bank across all of these clients are very strong.
Duties and Accountabilities:
Based in Maputo, the Senior Operations Officer will be expected to support the programs in the 5 countries of the CMU. The incumbent will have the following principal duties and accountabilities:
Overall Responsibilities:
The SOO will be expected to provide operational support/guidance and quality assurance on cross-cutting dimensions to task teams and the CMU management (Country Director CD, Country Managers CM, Country Program Coordinator CPC and Program Leaders) including advice on the implementation of operational policies and guidelines and the use of instruments. The SOO will also support the CD, CMs, CPC and the Program Leaders to help track overall project implementation performance and facilitate resolution of portfolio problems. The SOO will maintain up-to-date information on portfolio performance for all AFCS2 countries in close collaboration with the Washington Anchor Unit. The SOO will be a member of the CMU Management Team.
Specific duties include:
- Preparation and Implementation
- Portfolio Management
- Country Strategy Formulation and Implementation
- Country Office Management (Maputo)
Desired Skills and Experience
• A Master’s degree or equivalent and a minimum of 8 years of relevant discipline and progressively substantive operational experience, combined with a good knowledge of World Bank strategic directions.
• Knowledge of operational policies and procedures, and experience relevant to portfolio management (e.g. direct experience with portfolio management, varied project experience). Experience of the bank policies and procedures is a plus.
• Proven capacity to view project-level issues in a broader context where the sector setting and policies, the macro context, and the Bank’s country strategy all intersect.
• Ability to lead a team of professionals in the execution of major projects.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and develop more junior staff.
• Proven ability to work cooperatively with a multi-disciplinary team, other groups throughout the Bank, and development partners. Ability to work with, and relate to, a wide range of stakeholders-donors, clients, and staff. Ability to work across the matrix in a collaborative manner is essential.
• Ability to contribute to strategic initiatives across the Bank Group and with external partners. Ability to carry out independent and innovative work.
• Ability to operate effectively in a matrix management environment, both as a team leader and team member.
• Effective verbal and written communications skills.
For further details and to apply, please go to www.worldbank.org/careers and under “current job openings” seek vacancy number 150192. Deadline for applications is February 26, 2015.
