Senior Operations Officer (Req 29815)

The Caribbean CMU is recruiting a Senior Operations Officer to play a lead role in the CMU’s operations team, under the management of the Operations Manager for the Caribbean and under the overall direction of the Country Director for the Caribbean

Regional Context

 The World Bank Group serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state. Despite immense resources, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region's people living in poverty. The Bank's strategy in LCR is focused on five pillars: (a) stimulating growth and improving competitiveness; (b) reducing poverty and inequality; (c) making governments and institutions work for people; (d) providing a platform for tackling global issues (climate change, trade, disease, migration); and (e) reducing risk, whether from extreme weather events, climate change, crime and violence, or other.

 CMU and Country Office Context

The Caribbean Country Management Unit (LC3 CMU) covers 19 countries, with a total population of about 18 million people, ranging from Sint Maarten (40,000) to Haiti (11 million). The CMU and key staff, including the Country Director and Operations Manager, are based in Kingston, Jamaica. Additionally, the CMU has Country Offices in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sint Maarten and Guyana. A Caribbean CMU anchor unit represents the CMU in Washington, D.C., and supports the overall work program.

In collaboration with Global Practice Groups, the LC3 CMU supports the development priorities of Caribbean countries through financing (IDA, IBRD, trust fund) and knowledge services, and also provides reimbursable advisory services in Overseas Countries and Territories. The active program includes a portfolio of 72 projects with commitments of $2.6bn in IBRD, IDA, and recipient-executed trust fund financing and 49 advisory services and analytics (ASA) products. 

he Caribbean CMU is recruiting a Senior Operations Officer to play a lead role in the CMU’s operations team, under the management of the Operations Manager for the Caribbean and under the overall direction of the Country Director for the Caribbean. The duty station for this position is Kington, Jamaica.

Duties and Accountabilities

A seasoned and dynamic development professional is being sought to join the Caribbean Country Management Unit as a Senior Operations Officer. The Senior Operations Officer is a key member of the CMU’s operations team led by the Operations Manager. The Senior Operations Officer will support the Operations Manager in the planning, delivery, implementation, and monitoring of the unit's work program. More specifically, the Senior Operations Officer will undertake the following principle tasks:

Operations Quality Management. Help ensure strategic and high-quality lending and non-lending products by playing a central role in the CMU’s operational clearance function. Review operational documents in the project cycle and analytical products, and ensure inputs from other CMU members as appropriate. Ensure operational compliance and promote best practices and distill and disseminate operational lessons learned. Bring ideas and contribute to continuous CMU efforts to improve CMU processes and procedures. Support the preparation of the unit’s operational quality tables and reports. Participate in selected missions to remain abreast of sector and country developments.

Portfolio Implementation Support. Play an active role in managing the operational quality of the ongoing Caribbean lending and non-lending program. This would involve taking a proactive role in reviewing and monitoring country portfolio performance in close collaboration with CMU country representatives/coordinators; technical project teams; fiduciary, safeguards, and legal staff; and government counterparts. Identify and assess implementation problems and bring them to the attention of the Operations Manager. Assist project teams in addressing complex operational challenges that emerge during implementation, liaising with World Bank operational departments as needed. Also, oversee and participate in periodic country portfolio performance reviews and monitor follow-up. More broadly, help conceptualize improved operational implementation arrangements in small states with low capacity environments and help develop an improved and innovative implementation model tailored for small states.

Liaison with Regional Organizations. The Senior Operations Officer will help produce responses to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties (e.g., cooperation agencies and other international organizations).

Country-specific liaison responsibilities. Serve as the liaison officer (country coordinator) for the Jamaica portfolio. Lead program delivery and implementation, portfolio development, and the preparation of strategy products, including being the coordination and integration point for the extended country team and providing guidance and advice on country developments, operational priorities, and strategies, as needed. Maintain strong relationship with government counterparts, development partners, civil society organizations, and academia. Help foster teamwork and cross-sectoral cooperation on program preparation and implementation.

Country Strategy Documents. Lead or participate in the preparation of Country Engagement products (Country Partnership Frameworks, Performance and Learning Reviews, etc.), including managing the consultative process with external partners; conceptualizing the storyline, pillars, and objectives; organizing inputs from Bank teams; drafting sections of these documents; and preparing the results framework.

CMU Support. Assist business planning and work program preparation, budget allocation, monitoring of work program and budget implementation, quarterly reviews, and progress reporting in collaboration with the Operations Manager and resource manager. Support the Country Director by preparing notes, briefings and other communication products for internal or external clients.

Reporting:
The Senior Operations Officer will report to the Operations Manager.

Selection Criteria & Competencies:

• Advanced degree (minimum Master’s degree) in a relevant field such as economics, finance, business, and international relations, or other related field.
• Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience with development agencies, government, non-governmental organizations, or comparable institutions.
• Knowledge of the Jamaica/broader Caribbean development context will be a plus.
• Hands-on experience in portfolio management. Operational/sector experience at the World Bank or another International Financial Institution (IFI) highly desirable. Client relations and donor coordination experience highly desirable. Prior small state/ fragile state experience highly desirable. Strong analytical skills.
• Excellent knowledge of operational, procurement, and financial management policies and procedures of the World Bank or other IFI highly desirable.
• Demonstrated competence in key areas of sustainable development topics with sound understanding of development and developing country issues; with proven capacity to assess policies and interrelationships for sector, macro-economic, and country strategies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to draft concise reports and correspondence.
• Ability to think strategically and be innovative in both substance and process in the design and implementation of country strategy and work program.
• Demonstrated outstanding inter-personal skills with proven ability to work cooperatively in multi-cultural environment with a multi-disciplinary team.

Competencies

COS Generic Competencies: https://tinyurl.com/y34lnxvu
WBG Core Competencies: https://bit.ly/2kbIA7O

Note: If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 4 years 0 months term appointment.

The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply!