Senior Operations Officer – Agri Decarbonization Specialist

IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2023, IFC committed a record US$43.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of global compounding crises. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

IFC’s Manufacturing, Agribusiness and Services (MAS) industry group covers sectors which cater to basic human needs such as food, shelter, jobs, health, and education. MAS Asia has identified decarbonization of food systems, from field to food retailer, as a key opportunity for business development and climate impact reduction, working across investment and upstream/advisory units. IFC seeks a Senior Operations Officer for the MAS Asia team to work on the development and implementation of projects which support IFC’s investment business and portfolio clients and provide development impact to IFC in the agricultural supply chain decarbonization space. The position will provide sound technical advice to MAS Asia team and IFC clients and liaise with other World Bank teams in the development of projects and programs which catalyze food and agribusiness companies to reduce their environmental footprint more broadly and carbon footprint specifically. Among other actions, the decarbonization work is expected to support clients to:

• Assess their climate footprint (Scope 1, 2 and 3, as feasible).
• Develop low carbon strategy and action plans.
• Implement projects which deliver measurable results to allow reporting, verification, certification and potential carbon credit trading.
• Benchmark resource efficiency against global best practices.
• Deploy climate smart, low-carbon technologies and promote adoption of practical carbon reduction solutions in their supply chains.
• Facilitate access to climate finance (e.g. green, sustainability-linked) for decarbonization projects/investments.

The ideal candidate profile will combine sector expertise and technical knowledge with strong advisory, consulting or investment experience. The preference is for a specialist with deep experience and expertise in decarbonization of agricultural production and a proven track record of impact in this sector; equivalent deep experience and expertise in post-harvest, food processing and logistics, as well as climate financing, will be a plus. S/he will appreciate the need for a “farming” orientation as well as a “carbon” orientation and be able to clearly convey ideas across and obtain buy-in from other units with deep interest in the subject.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The Senior Operations Officer will develop and take ownership of the “MAS Asia Agricultural Supply Chain Decarbonization” agenda. Her/His duties will include but are not limited to the following:

Business Development

• Engage with the market to identify and assess agricultural production and food supply chains to develop decarbonization projects that ultimately support sizeable investment and financing opportunities for IFC, including climate financing.
• Conceptualize a business development approach to new IFC clients that complements the existing MAS investment business, and identify means of approach, necessary supporting documentation and strategies and tactics.
• Collaborate closely with internal stakeholders including the MAS Investment and Upstream/Advisory teams working on business and project development and World Bank teams performing country-level analytics and policy/regulatory research and analysis.
• Actively participate within an active network of industry stakeholders to keep updated on developing market drivers and trends, including technology and policy developments.
• Ensure familiarity with completed Climate Change Development Reports (CCDRs) and provide input to upcoming CCDRs for use as a common starting point in firm-level discussions. Provide input to CCDRs that are being prepared.

Project Management

• Support MAS Upstream/Advisory project managers working in agricultural and food supply chains, including participating in project reviews, in delivery of decarbonization actions listed above.
• Develop Terms of Reference (ToR) for consultants, market studies and other advisory and analytical work and help manage consultant activities to produce high-quality project and client deliverables.
• Support MAS Investment teams in deal appraisals and related project activities while working closely with Industry Specialists and other team members to promote advisory offering(s). 
• As requested by Investment team, interface with Climate Business Unit (CBD) team regarding Paris Alignment issues/risks related to agricultural and food supply chain at investment cycle stages.
• Develop relationships with private-sector clients and other external stakeholders and assist team members in managing and maintaining client and stakeholder relationships while growing the business.
• Coordinate closely with the CBD and relevant MAS Advisory platforms such as the MAS Climate platform, Sustainable Crop Production platform, Sustainable Proteins platform, Food Safety platform and Smallholder Supply Chains platform.
• Support Development Partnerships and project teams seeking funding from various donors providing climate finance funding.
• Provide practical and actionable input to implementation plans including leading development of budgets, selection of technologies, definition of practices and assessment and training to ensure client capacity supports successful project outcomes. 

Sharing Knowledge

• Identify and evaluate game-changing trends, technologies and business models that can bring solutions to emerging markets and share appropriate insights within IFC.
• Share project and country knowledge, project lessons learned, and best practices with wider WBG network and external clients and stakeholders to support IFC’s positioning as a thought leader.
• Collaborate with stakeholders and form partnerships with staff across IFC and the World Bank Group, sponsors, clients and other external parties to enable delivery of projects. 
• Participate in internal and external conferences, workshops and other subject matter fora as an expert speaker.
• Build IFC overall brand and visibility within the topic of decarbonization through development of thought leadership and knowledge materials 

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