Senior Private Sector Development Specialist

Senior Private Sector Development Specialist Job #: req34875 Organization: World Bank Sector: Private Sector Development Grade: GG Term Duration: 4 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Praia,Cabo Verde Required Language(s): English, Portuguese Preferred Language(s): French Closing Date: 11/26/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org. 

Western and Central Africa

We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.

Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.

In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 387 projects totaling more than $44.1 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives. Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.

Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID. 

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa 

FCI GP

 The World Bank Group’s Finance, Competition and Investment Global Practice (FCI) combines expertise in the financial sector with expertise in private sector development to foster private sector-led growth and help create markets in client countries. Through this work, FCI strengthens the World Bank Group’s evolving approach to development finance: to maximize finance for development and to leverage private sector investments for sustainable and inclusive growth.

Within countries, FCI works with governments to create an enabling environment where financial stability, access to finance and risk management provide a foundation to crowd-in private sector investment, create capital markets, and accelerate equitable growth. At the same time, the practice is focused on identifying firm- and industry-level constraints to deliver reforms which can drive growth and accelerate job creation (including access to finance, innovation, special economic zones, industry solutions, entrepreneurship, etc.). Boosting firm-level efficiency and productivity centers on adopting better technologies, including digital ones.

FCI comprises close to 800 staff working across more than 120 countries. The Practice focuses on six thematic areas:

 · Financial Stability & Integrity(ensuring countries’ financial systems are stable, sound and transparent)

 · Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure & Access(strengthening market infrastructures, and ensuring households and firms have access to financial services)

 · Firm Capabilities & Innovation(creating the enabling environment for businesses to be competitive, efficient and cutting-edge)

 · Long-Term Finance(helping countries deepen and diversify their financial sectors, facilitating long term finance through capital markets, and strengthening the role of institutional investors)

 · Climate & Risk Management(supporting countries to become more resilient and able to mitigate the impact of natural disasters combining financial and insurance tools)

The FCI GP brings together financial experts as well as private sector development specialists.  In engaging with client countries, we focus on the elements of an enabling environment in which financial stability, efficiency and firm-level solutions exist in an integrated way to crowd in private sector resources, support the creation of markets, and accelerate equitable growth. For more information, please visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/unit/fci

The West Africa FCI team (EAWF1) designs and implements a portfolio of lending operations, as well as advisory services and high-quality analytical work. This is designed to support policymakers in a broad range of issues related to financial sector development, job and economic transformation, private sector development.

This recruitment is for a Senior Private Sector Specialist who would work on Cabo Verde or Mauritania, and on The Gambia. In Cabo Verde, FCI currently leads the implementation of a flagship IPF for resilient tourism and blue economy development, including enabling infrastructure investments, sector policy and regulatory reforms, and targeted SME support, and co-leads engagements with other GPs (including a pipeline regional project, WACA+).  In Mauritania, FCI co-leads the development of a new lending operation on Jobs and Banking sector, and co-leads two other lending projects (WARDIP and WACA+).  In The Gambia, FCI leads a Tourism Development IPF, jointly with the Urban GP, and related activities in support of MSME linkages to the tourism sector. FCI’s engagement on private sector development across these countries is evolving, and covers themes such as SME development, entrepreneurship ecosystems, value chain/sector development, trade facilitation, job creation, and mobilization of private capital.

The Senior Private Sector Specialist would report to the Practice Manager (EAWF1) for Finance, Competition and Investment (FCI). The FCI portfolio covers existing and potential pipeline lending operations, analytical work and technical assistance, in addition to co-TTL and component lead on other GP-led projects, as well as collaboration with the IFC on joint analytical or operational activities. The selected candidate would be expected to take on leadership responsibilities, whether as component lead, co-TTL, or lead TTL. They would work in close coordination with other EAWF1 team members, including with the Lead Financial Sector Specialist based in Dakar.   

The position is based in Cabo Verde, Praia, or in Nouakchott, Mauritania. It would also involve travel to other countries in the sub-region, such as Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties include, but are not limited to, the following main tasks:

• Lead the FCI engagement and dialogue on private sector development in Cabo Verde or Mauritania (depending on location of the post), as well as in Gambia, with government and other counterparts, with IFC, and with the CMU.

• Contribute towards enhancing the FCI dialogue and engagement in Mauritania or Cabo Verde, Gambia, and in other countries.

• Contribute to and manage FCI’s lending portfolio: Lead and assist with implementation supervision of the ongoing Resilient Tourism and Blue Economy Development IPF (Cape Verde) or the pipeline Jobs and Banking Sector project (Mauritania), and (as co-TTL) the ongoing Tourism Diversification and Resilience IPF (The Gambia). Ensure satisfactory and impactful implementation of these and other projects, and work closely with CMU, safeguards, and other colleagues in the task team to ensure quality, impact and coordination across projects.

• Contribute to or lead FCI’s ASA engagements, including activities under the cross-CMU ASA, trust-fund supported activities, and the follow-up to the CPSD in The Gambia, and to B-READY across the 3 countries. Support the development and implementation of high-quality analytical and advisory work including in partnership with FCI global teams. Based on high quality analytical work, lead policy dissemination events and consultations with policy makers, stakeholders and the private sector. Where applicable, develop technical assistance projects to follow on or complement the analytics and support lending.

• Contribute to lending operations or ASA led by other GPs or IFC, on FCI-relevant themes.

• Develop new lending or ASA engagements in Cabo Verde/Mauritania and The Gambia, in close coordination with the Practice Manager, CMU, and FCI colleagues.

• Strengthen and deepen cooperation with IFC, including through joint project design and implementation, and well-coordinated policy dialogue.

• Contribute to corporate tasks: Prepare inputs for WPA discussions, strategic documents such as CPFs, SCDs, CPSDs as well as regional strategies.

• Other tasks as requested by Practice Manager. 

Selection Criteria

The candidate should have:

• At least 8 years minimum of relevant professional experience in the areas of finance, business, management, economics or related discipline.

• Master’s degree in Economics, Business Administration, or a related field.

• Technical expertise and experience in at least 3 of the following areas: SME development, business environment reforms, entrepreneurship ecosystems, regional economic development (e.g. special economic zones, clusters, growth poles), trade and value chains.

• Substantial and diverse experience in leading and contributing to operations and client dialogue, including in low-income countries. Preference will be given to candidates with experience of leading complex tasks, such as multi-GP engagements or joint FCI-IFC programs.

• A track record of delivery of high quality ASA work.

• Proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement major projects and to produce major/complex reports or studies, both within the WBG and outside.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate ideas and analyses clearly and tactfully, both verbally and in writing.

• Demonstrated leadership and ability to lead a team of professionals.

• Track record of knowledge aggregation and collaboration

• Fluency in Portuguese (or French if the location is Nouakchott) and English.

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

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.