Director, MSME Department

The Director will lead IFC's global MSME Department providing strategic and operational leadership for the MSME agenda. The role involves building alignment across IFC and the World Bank Group, driving MSME strategy, data analytics, product development, and partnerships to support MSME growth in emerging markets.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the evolution and corporate-level implementation of IFC's global MSME strategy aligned with IFC 2030 priorities and development goals.
• Provide a global view of MSME opportunities, constraints, and priorities and translate into actionable business priorities for regional and industry teams.
• Lead through a matrix model with regional MSME leads, providing strategic direction, global standards, knowledge, and product support while enabling regional adaptation.
• Support regional teams and World Bank counterparts in preparation of Country Partnership Frameworks ensuring MSME assessments and objectives are reflected.
• Represent IFC in senior external engagements and build partnerships with clients, investors, governments, development institutions, and other stakeholders.
• Build and lead a global MSME data and market analytics capability consolidating internal and external data to inform strategy, product development, and business decisions.
• Partner with Knowledge Bank and DEC on MSME- and jobs-focused data, research, and impact evaluations.
• Develop a comprehensive view of MSME market size, financing and capability gaps, client needs, trends, and IFC's MSME activities performance.
• Use data and market intelligence to identify priority segments and opportunities, inform resource allocation and product design, and establish common definitions and metrics.
• Strengthen measurement and learning on reach, additionality, financial sustainability, and development impact of IFC's MSME interventions.
• Lead development and coordination of scalable financial and non-financial solutions for MSMEs enabling regional delivery through product innovation and best-practice sharing.
• Identify gaps in IFC's MSME product suite and lead development, testing, and scaling of new or adapted solutions.
• Drive sharing, adaptation, and replication of proven products, tools, and implementation experience across regions.
• Support targeted solutions for priority segments and challenging environments including fragile and conflict-affected situations while maintaining commercial viability and risk discipline.
• Work across product, advisory, risk, legal, E&S, economics, and other functions to develop proportionate E&S approaches for MSMEs.
• Manage financial and talent resources including hiring, developing, and retaining diverse talent to achieve Department objectives.
• Provide leadership and people management fostering a high-performing, collaborative, and inclusive culture.
• Lead effectively across organizational boundaries and matrix relationships building trust, resolving trade-offs, and mobilizing teams around MSME objectives.
• Manage overall budget focusing on efficiency, effectiveness, and deployment of resources toward highest-impact priorities.

Requirements

• Master's degree or equivalent in finance, economics, business administration, public policy, international development, or a related field.
• At least 15 years of relevant professional experience with substantial exposure to emerging markets.
• Demonstrated hands-on knowledge of enabling MSMEs to succeed and grow in emerging markets through operational, investment, advisory, entrepreneurial, or client experience.
• Deep understanding of MSME markets and financing ecosystems, including financial institutions, digital and innovative finance models, market-enabling constraints, and differing enterprise needs across segments and geographies.
• Exceptional collaboration and stakeholder-management skills with ability to act as an integrator, convene diverse teams, reconcile perspectives, build coalitions, and coordinate action without formal authority.
• Strong track record of using data, analytics, research, and market intelligence to set priorities, identify opportunities, and support business and development-impact decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate, and scale financial and non-financial products and solutions across multiple regions, businesses, or organizational units while maintaining quality and enabling effective regional delivery.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with ability to engage with WBG senior management and IFC's Board of Directors and represent IFC and World Bank Group viewpoints in global forums.

Skills

• MSME Market Knowledge
• MSME Financing Ecosystems
• Emerging Markets Expertise
• Financial Products Development
• Non-Financial Product Development
• Data Analytics
• Market Intelligence
• Stakeholder Management
• Strategic Leadership
• Operational Leadership
• Investment Advisory
• Entrepreneurial Experience
• Client Engagement
• Collaboration
• Coalition Building
• Regional Delivery Coordination
• Research Analysis
• Business Development
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Languages

English