Upstream and Advisory Manager, FIG

Job #: req38425
Organization: IFC
Sector:
Grade: GH
Term Duration:  Open-Ended Staff (OPEN-OP)
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Jakarta,Indonesia
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date: 10/7/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. In fiscal year 2026, IFC committed a record $105.6 billionto private companies and financial institutions in developing countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

The IFC 3.0 strategy aims to stimulate more investment activity across emerging markets, especially in Low Income Countries (LICs) and Fragile and Conflict affected States (FCS). This strategy aims to create new opportunities for private investments in riskier markets and sectors by proactively working “upstream” to create, deepen, and expand markets and design and develop potential investment projects. Achieving these growth and impact ambitions at scale requires a different approach to business development, deal sourcing, and client support that relies on 1) a broader product offering to engage earlier in the project cycle and secure opportunities; 2) a greater focus on preparing clients in nascent markets and sectors for investment; 3) a greater focus on value addition and risk management of portfolio investment clients to enhance their performance; and 4) a longer time horizon and a more patient, longer-term perspective.

To drive this approach, IFC is seeking an Upstream and Advisory Manager for its Financial Institutions Group (FIG) department of the East Asia and the Pacific region. The Manager will be responsible for IFC’s efforts to enable investment opportunities, enhance investment outcomes, and improve investment conditions – critical activities for the corporation to deliver on its ambitious strategy. The mix of these varied activities should be calibrated to meet the development needs of the market and contribute to IFC’s growth and impact objectives.

The Manager will be based in Jakarta, Indonesia and is expected to frequently visit (travel permitting) other offices where their team and clients are based. They will report to the Regional Industry Director for FIG in Asia Pacific and the Pacific and will be a member of the FIG Asia and the Pacific Management Team. They will work in partnership with relevant Country/Regional Managers and New Business Managers on the appropriate staffing and resourcing to achieve IFC’s country and sectoral strategic and business objectives. They will have supervisory responsibility over a joint Advisory and Upstream team and will closely collaborate with the FIG East Asia and the Pacific Management Team to leverage skills and knowledge across IFC. The Manager will also be responsible for overseeing the development of the Upstream and Advisory business program in close collaboration with the FIG Regional Industry Managers for East Asia and the Pacific to ensure the coordinated provision of services that span the continuum of IFC’s operations – across idea generation, enabling environment, project development and client preparation, investment, and portfolio operations.

Duties and Accountabilities:
The roles and responsibilities of the position will include but not be limited to:
People and Resource Responsibility 
•  Lead and manage the Upstream and Advisory unit and ensure the team is high-performing, well-motivated and committed to the advancement of IFC’s strategic goals.
•  Mentor and develop staff and promote opportunities for rotation and continued learning. 
•  Be part of, and actively contribute to Regional and Industry’s Management Team. 
•  Support the integration and cross-support between upstream, advisory and investment teams and work with regional leadership to ensure that exposure and contribution to varied operations are included in staff objectives at all levels across the department.
•  Staff upstream and advisory projects with the appropriate resources to deploy the most appropriate technical expertise and provide exceptional client service, while keeping in mind career and training development needs of staff.
•  Manage, oversee, and optimize IFC’s internal and external funding mix and budget to efficiently deliver upstream and advisory operations in their region and industry, including through engagement in budgetary discussions and processes with region, Knowledge Bank and Partnerships teams
Strategic Responsibility
•  Formulate the unit’s strategy for Industry’s sectors across the region in coordination with the Regional Industry Director and with support of the relevant Country/Regional and Knowledge Bank colleagues, drawing on and contributing to strategy and diagnostic products (e.g. Country Private Sector Diagnostics, Sector Deep Dives, Country Partnership Frameworks) as relevant.
•  Lead their unit to deliver key strategic priorities as set out in the World Bank Group Country Partnership Framework, with a focus on supporting implementation of IFC country and sector strategies through the design and implementation of upstream and advisory projects, as well as through engagement with the World Bank. 
Business Responsibility
•  Enable investment opportunities by 1) incubating high-impact projects and initiatives that require upstream project development to reach the point of investment; and 2) getting potential clients ready for IFC investment through client preparation and development.
•  Enhance investment outcomes by 1) increasing the development impact of IFC investments; and 2) improving the performance of IFC investment portfolio clients, through the provision of value-additive and risk-mitigation services.
•  Improve investment conditions by 1) leading and/or collaborating with other teams across IFC and the World Bank Group efforts to drive sector-wide change in priority areas; and 2) leading and/or collaborating with other teams across  IFC and the World Bank Group in efforts to open up new markets for private sector participation.
•  Support business development efforts, together with investment teams, regional/country, and Knowledge Bank teams and ensure high level of client satisfaction.
•  Work closely with the FIG Regional Industry Managers to foster cross-departmental collaboration and ensure the efficient deployment of staffing, resources, products and solutions to meet client-specific requirements.
•  Work closely with the Knowledge Bank in designing/piloting of global products, knowledge sharing, and maintenance of pipeline/portfolio quality.
•  Ensure a high quality of the unit’s operations through a focus on project design (development results, PSRs/PCRs, lessons learned) throughout an individual project cycle and across the unit’s portfolio of operations, with a focus on achieving high Development Effectiveness (DE). 
Client and Stakeholder Responsibility 
•  Engage with and establish partnerships with thought leaders and decision makers across the World Bank Group and externally to foster innovative thinking about the creation of new markets and to identify and implement sector and regulatory reforms to unlock private investment opportunities, including leveraging the World Bank’s lending program.
•  Actively collaborate and engage with the Partnerships department to proactively contribute to donor engagement strategies, relationship management, and reporting.
•  Proactively convene stakeholders, form partnerships, and connect expertise from upstream, advisory and investment staff, industry specialists, Knowledge Bank teams, sponsors, clients, and other external parties to enable delivery of upstream and advisory operations.
Knowledge Capture and Management 
•  Spot game-changing trends, technologies and business models that can increase development impact and present opportunities for high-value proprietary engagements.
•  Disseminate and absorb knowledge and experience across the regional industry department and Knowledge Bank teams to support adoption of new approaches and best practices that have been developed in the region. 
•  Within their market of focus, build external brand recognition and recognition of IFC’s distinctive capabilities in working upstream to catalyze investment opportunities.

Selection Criteria

•  Master's degree or equivalent professional qualification in Business, Finance, Economics, International Relations, or related discipline, and a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience. 
•  Commitment to the World Bank Group and IFC's mission, strategy and values.
•  Understanding of IFC’s strategic priorities and changing business model against the backdrop of IFC 3.0.
•  Deep understanding of the industry sectors and ability to link policy reforms, advisory interventions, investment, and mobilization to deliver solutions at a country level. 
•  Good “deal sense” and understanding of bankability criteria, based on demonstrated strong analytical skills and sound business judgment.
•  Track record of engaging with private sector clients, local and national governments, and other stakeholders to encourage pioneering business and market development.
•  Demonstrated capacity for innovating and challenging the status quo to develop business opportunities.
•  Demonstrated capacity for collaborating across organizational boundaries to shift organizational behavior and generate buy-in.
•  Strong and proven track record of delivery on project implementation for Upstream, Advisory, and/or Investment operations. 
•  Excellent people management skills and openness to feedback, new ideas, and ability to guide and incentivize staff, inspire trust, and achieve results.
•  Strong written and verbal communications skills.
•  Ability to mentor and coach junior staff.
•  Sensitivity for working in a multicultural environment, commitment to diversity, and ability to build effective working relationships with colleagues/clients/partners across regions, sectors, and business lines.
•  Meet World Bank Group-wide managerial competencies - Courage of your Conviction, Leading the Team for Impact, Influencing Across Boundaries, Fostering Openness to New Ideas, Building Talent for the Future.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:
• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

WBG Five Managerial Competencies

The 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.

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