Senior Financial and Private Sector Development Specialist - Hoofdinhoud

Sub-Saharan Africa is the largest and most complex region in the Bank, spanning 47 countries (including 34 of the world’s poorest countries) with a population of 1 billion inhabitants. While it was hit by the global financial and economic crisis, the continent has been on the rebound since 2010 and overall GDP growth continues to be strong. Beyond growth, making headway against poverty will require a focus on job creation with Africa’s youth entering the labor force at an estimated 7-10 million annually. A new Africa strategy is under implementation. It has two pillars - -competitiveness & employment and vulnerability & resilience - - and a foundation of governance &public sector capacity. It will be implemented through partnerships, knowledge and financing.

The Financial and Private Sector Development (FPD) Network has launched the FPD Global Practices (GP) pilot program to promote a more coherent operating model of “One FPD,” replacing the old fragmented structure that operates as if FPD were six separate regional units with only a loosely connected global anchor. With the endorsement of Bank senior management the FPD GP pilot seeks to significantly increase client impact and staff satisfaction. The Region’s Financial and Private Sector Department (AFTFP) has 60+ staff (including a significant portion based in country offices) and is organized into two units, East and Southern Africa (AFTFE) and West and Central Africa (AFTFW). The department will be critical to the implementation of both the new Africa Region strategy and the FPD Global Practices pilot.

Cameroon’s main development challenge is to stimulate growth and to ensure dividends are equitably shared among the population in order to reduce poverty. The government’s development objectives are outlined in “Vision 2035” – an ambitious document that serves as the long-term anchor for the country’s new Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), the 2009 Growth and Employment Strategy (Document de stratégie pour la croissance et l’emploi, or DSCE). The principle objectives of “Vision 2035” are to reduce poverty to less than 10 percent, for the country to become a middle-income, industrialized nation, and to consolidate democracy and national unity. The DSCE identifies weak productivity, a looming energy crisis, the effects of the global financial crisis, food insecurity, stagnating poverty, and high unemployment as key challenges over the 2009 to 2019 period. It envisions significant investment in infrastructure to stimulate growth, notably in energy, roads, port infrastructure, water supply, and information technology. Productivity increases are sought in agriculture and livestock farming, mining, key value chains (timber, ICT, tourism), and reforms are needed in business environment, including to improve SMEs access to credit.

The two strategic themes of the CAS are (a) to improve Cameroon’s competitiveness, and (b) to improve service delivery. World Bank support to competitiveness improvement focuses on infrastructure investment in energy, transport, and telecommunications sectors and the promotion of high potential value chains. Regional integration is also a key priority in this area.

Taken

The AFTFW Unit seeks to recruit a Senior Finance and Private Sector Development Specialist, with a strong background in, financial sector development and implementation to join its Yaounde’s team. The selected candidate will report to both AFTFW and AFCC1 management units. The AFCC1 Department is a dynamic Country Management Unit (CMU) which covers Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. The Country Director is based in Yaoundé and is supported by two country managers in Central African Republic and Gabon.

The candidate will:

• Provide strategic advice and support on FPD matters to the country director / manager.

• Build close and cordial relationships with key private and financial sector counterparts to ensure high impact of analytic and operational work;

• Conduct policy dialogue on private and financial sector issues while actively participating and contributing to multisectoral teams involved in policy based operations or AAA to ensure the integration of key FPD thematic areas (financial sector development – stability and access, enterprise competitiveness, public private partnerships, MSME development) in the country work program;

• Ensure effective supervision of FPD activities (lending and non-lending) under implementation in AFCC1 countries. In particular, he or she will supervise, and/or support a broad range of project activities including the Competitive Value Chains project in Cameroon or the proposed Economic diversification and competitiveness project in Gabon;

• Develop a strong FPD pipeline of activities (lending and non lending) with a particular focus on design/implementation of second generation line of credit operations to improve MSMEs access to finance,

• Broaden the dissemination of FPD AAA in AFCC1 countries through effective collaboration with IFC, MIGA and other relevant partners;

• Coordinate activities with financial and private sector partners, other donors as well as with public-private policy dialogue activities.

• Mentor or coach junior FPD staff working in the same CMU

Criteria

• Minimum MA +8 years of relevant professional experience (private sector, government, academia or international agencies with a focus on either the financial or the private sector). The ideal candidate will have a combination of experience inside and outside the World Bank, and/or in other international organizations.

• Broad knowledge of the financial sector and the financial services industry, for either bank or non-bank financial institutions to provide analytical and operational support for financial sector development is highly appreciated;

• Proven technical skills at least in one of key private sector development competencies (investment climate reform, trade, investment promotion/facilitation, competitive industries – including support to SMEs, public private partnerships, public private dialogue, etc.)

• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge and understanding of the project management concepts, as well as of instruments and processes related to project preparation and implementation.

• Prior experience or exposure to the management of a range of Bank products, including different types of loans/credits (adjustment/development policy, investment, and technical assistance) or of a major pieces of analytic work such as ICAs, Private Sector Strategies, Value Chain analysis, FSAP, CEMs, or policy papers.

• Excellent analytical skills with an ability to address both macro and micro issues and a strong track record of excellence in analytical work and policy discussions;

• A consistent track record of performance with a clear focus on results on the ground. Proven ability to integrate multi-sectoral approaches or programs and proven ability to work in interdisciplinary teams;

• Trust Fund accreditation and procurement proficiency a plus.

• The Candidate must have excellent communications skills, including writing and presentation skills in both French and English.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.