Executive Partner to Global RE Developers

The Company

The World Bank Group (WBG) supports countries in solving their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership dedicated to ending poverty, increasing shared prosperity, and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, the WBG works with public and private sector partners to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.

The real estate team forms part of the Tourism and Services Solutions and Impact team under the WBG Infrastructure Vice Presidency. It is a part of the WBG Knowledge Bank. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. IFC has a current portfolio of $4 billion in housing and commercial real estate that includes housing, offices, shopping centers, warehousing, as well as proptech and construction companies in over 50 emerging markets. The team facilitates IFC’s investments in real estate providing sector expertise and facilitating knowledge sharing, working with all regions globally. In addition, the team shapes strategy and supports the development and deployment of relevant advisory and upstream tools to strengthen private sector’s capability and development impact and catalyzes further investment in the sector. The team is united by core values of Impact, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork, and Innovation. Together, we tackle the world’s toughest challenges and advance social and economic inclusion.

Purpose of the Position

The key role of the Industry Specialist for Real Estate is to provide independent technical assessment and market guidance in support of IFC’s investment and credit decision making for projects with real estate developers, investors, and asset managers. The role involves working closely with regional investment teams across emerging markets globally. The Industry Specialist appraises markets, developers, and projects, assesses commercial and technical feasibility, identifies key risks, and evaluates strategic fit and development impact. The role also involves engaging with real estate clients and representatives at the highest levels, including shareholders and top management. It is centered on delivering objective, evidence-based analysis and expert opinion to investment teams, risk managers, and credit committees, helping ensure that proposed investments are sound, and aligned with the sector best practices and WBG’s institutional priorities.

Key Responsibilities

A more detailed set of responsibilities includes:

• Project Appraisal – engage in and lead detailed due diligence to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of potential investment projects and companies and identify risks; Evaluate the projects in the context of the real estate markets; Support investment teams in developing comprehensive financial projections; Prepare detailed written reports and power point presentations.
• Strategy - Support the development and implementation of IFC’s real estate sector strategy and develop sub-sector strategies; Identify opportunities for IFC to engage in new real estate segments.
• Thought Leadership - Keep updated on sectoral and industry news and trends; Extract lessons learned from investments and develop best practices; Contribute to the development of information, knowledge and benchmarking relevant to the property sector for internal and external dissemination; Represent WBG/IFC as a speaker/panelist at conferences and seminars; Replicate/ scale high-impact projects and innovations across all WBG products.
• Business Development - Build client networks and participate in business origination activities.
• Portfolio Management - Provide advice to the regional and global teams on key aspects of client operations and strategies; provide market and competitor updates to inform portfolio management decisions as well as exits, debt restructurings etc.
• Advisory - Help to design and deliver advisory solutions that drive innovation and create value in the real estate sector.

The Candidate

Experience and Professional Qualifications

• Master’s degree in the relevant area.
• 20+ years of deep practical experience in the real estate industry, preferably with an international or large regional real estate development organization. Experience in revenue generation (leasing and sales), corporate leadership involving strategy and real estate development, and asset management, including investment and divestment. Preferred - experience across a broad range of real estate asset classes, including warehousing and light industrial, offices, shopping centres, and housing.
• Real Estate Sector expertise, including feasibility analysis, construction oversight, development management, property management, leasing and sales, market research, and financial analysis. Sound business judgment and the ability to prepare reports, correctly identify and present the strengths, weaknesses, and risks of the proposed investments as well as the management capabilities of the target developers.
• Strong understanding of global real estate trends. Strategic thinking. Ability to opine on the clients’ business strategies.
• Ability to work across different geographies, cultures and organizations and on multiple projects simultaneously; Significant international exposure, including experience of working in developing countries, preferred.
• Flexibility to meet the demanding global travel requirements of the job.
• A strong sense of curiosity and the ability to work both in teams and independently.
• Strong collaboration and mentoring abilities as well as excellent stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills
• Ability to clearly communicate verbally and in detailed written reports in English. Knowledge of another major business language (particularly French or Spanish) is an advantage.

Salary and Benefits

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; paid leave, including parental leave; and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Explore the full range of our worldwide benefits here:

The World Bank Group is committed to providing competitive compensation and transparency in salary ranges. For most of our positions, we generally offer starting salaries between the minimum and the midpoint of the salary scale, commensurate with your skills, experience, and qualifications. For more information visit the WBG Compensation Scales site: resources/HQ-AND-CO-COMPENSATION-SCALES

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WBG Attributes

• Sense of Urgency. Anticipating and quickly reacting to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
• Thoughtful Risk Taking. Taking informed and thoughtful risks and making courageous decisions to push boundaries for greater impact.
• Empowerment and Accountability. Engaging with others in an empowered and accountable manner for impactful results.

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