Country Manager – Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) at the OPEC Fund for International Development

Job Title: Country Manager – Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)Location: Austria

Job Profile

• In co-operation with the Director, the Country Manager leads and oversees the identification, development, appraisal, approval and implementation of Public Sector projects.
• The position contributes to the development of policies and strategies in the portfolio-countries and supports the achievements of the regional and departmental objectives and targets.
• The Country Manager is responsible for identifying and recommending options and solutions for the optimum deployment of financing resources in the portfolio-countries, including the development, implementation and monitoring of country operational strategies and business plans.
• Working together with the Director, the Country Manager also leads and oversees relations with the portfolio countries and other relevant partners.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Policy development and implementation:

• Conducts regular assessments for assigned portfolio countries, to support the development of short-medium term strategies (3 year objectives) in coordination with the Director, partners and other donorstnership strategies and country business plans, to support the achievement of the regional business plan. 
• Leads and coordinates the preparation of country partnership strategies and country business plans, to support the achievement of the regional business plan. 
• Coordinates the implementation of the annual work plan for the assigned portfolio, in co-operation with the Director, ensuring alignment with the regional and departmental objectives, targets and KPIs. 
• Coordinates work with the Director, as well as other departments on project, strategy and policy related matters.

Project cycle (Project development and processing):
In tandem with the Director, the Country Manager: 

• Contributes to the identification of a pipeline of projects and identifies opportunities through partner outreach and project screening. 
• Supports the sourcing of new projects and co-financing opportunities, by leveraging professional networks and relationships.
• Evaluates financing opportunities and provides support on the initial risk and financial assessments of the projects. 
• Participates in project appraisals, including technical, economic, and ESG analysis, as well as project administration design.  
• Coordinates and supports the full project life cycle including project identification, preparation, concept and terms clearance, due diligence and appraisal, interface with technical and loan committee as well as with management and the Governing Board.
• Ensures that legal documentation is successfully concluded (loan signed and declared effective) in a timely manner through negotiations with Government and partners with the support of the legal counsel.
• Supports project implementation, ensuring compliance with covenants, achievement of contract awards, and planned disbursements in order to achieve the envisaged project outcomes.
• Contributes to the implementation of projects, in coordination with project management teams and executing agencies, developing practical and innovative solutions to facilitate implementation, resolve implementation problems, as well as incorporates lessons learnt into the project implementation framework.
• Facilitates the procurement and disbursement processes for the project, insuring achievement of contract award, as well as successful disbursement.
• Manages day-to-day project administration, providing support to the team responsible for disbursements and loan servicing (repayments) and coordinating with Loan Management and Risk Management.

Capacity Building, Knowledge Sharing and Supervision:

• Recommends and supports the implementation of individual annual work program and budget for the assigned countries, including proposed missions and trainings.
• Contributes to institution building, and builds and shares knowledge through participation in task force groups and other meetings.
• Participates and contributes to relevant learning activities for advocacy, and knowledge building. 
• Enters, updates and validates data/ information related to the assigned countries into the Management Information System (MIS/ SAP/ EDMS).
• Coaches and supervises newly appointed analysts and interns.

Partners and Relationships Management:

• In cooperation with the Director, maintains active relationships and creates new partnerships with governments, executing agencies, partner institutions with the aim of expanding strategic partnerships in the portfolio countries. 
• Maintains and fosters relationships with governments’ authorities, and DFIs to maximize potential for co-financing and catalyzing resources from partners. 
• Perform other duties as required by the Director relevant to the area of responsibilities. 

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Economics, Finance, Engineering or another relevant field
• A minimum of five (5) years relevant professional experience.
• Preferably at least two (2) years’ relevant work experience in an international development institution.
• Fluent in English and Spanish. Good working knowledge of Arabic or French is an added advantage.

Competencies:

• Collaboration and Teamwork – The ability to effectively work with colleagues, stakeholders and partners to achieve shared goals.
• Customer Centricity  – The ability to focus on comprehending and addressing customer needs; consistently deliver exceptional service and foster strong, lasting customer relationships. 
• Decision making – The ability to analyze information comprehensively to make well-informed decisions; assess both immediate and long-term ramifications. 
• Effective Planning and Follow Up – The ability to set clear goals and priorities; skillfully organize tasks for efficiency; consistently follow through on commitments and plans. 
• Sense of Responsibility – The ability to demonstrate ownership and accountability in tasks and outcomes; uphold reliability and commitment to fulfilling responsibilities.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is on 10th January, 2025. Therefore, qualified and interested candidates can “CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT APPLICATION” It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Official Job Website: https://opecfund.org/