Senior Operations Officer

Duties and accountabilities:

The Senior Operations Officer (SOO) will have the primary responsibility of supporting the Operations Manager (OM) in ensuring the performance of the World Bank portfolio in Ghana, including ensuring the Ghana program’s strategic alignment with the CPF, its pipeline delivery, portfolio quality, trust funds and analytical program (ASA).

The Senior Operations Officer will work under the supervision and guidance of the Operations Manager and play a leadership role in the CMU Operations team   She/he will work in close cooperation with the other members of the CMU management team, CMU staff and the entire Ghana country team.  Her/his interaction and collaboration with Fiduciary and Safeguards colleagues is expected to be frequent and close with the aim to generate a high level of quality, integration and consistency across and within the portfolio. More specifically (s)he will:

· Coordinate AWCW1 country work program with the CMU management team, Global Practices (GPs), other Bank units and internal partners such as IFC, MIGA and IEG, as required. 

· Work with the OM and the AWCW1 Operations team, and where needed, with CMs and operations teams in Liberia and SIerra Leone to monitor and analyze the work program, maintain portfolio and operational performance, identify quality challenges and trends, and work with procurement and financial management to address bottlenecks.  The SOO will be expected to contribute substantially to problem resolution with task teams and to push teams to early resolution and action where operational issues arise.

· Make substantive contributions to country and sector strategies, lending and non-lending work programs; help ensure that country engagement help address fragility risks, including through a greater regional approach; play a key role in the formulation and implementation of the Ghana CPF (an drafting of the upcoming CPF) (including producing Performance/Completion and Learning Reviews - PLRs/CLRs), and assess sector and thematic issues in relationship with the broader country developments and strategic engagement of the WBG.

· Coordinate, prepare or assist with the preparation of briefs and presentations, including for high-level visiting missions, special events, conferences and IMF-WB Annual and Spring Meetings; and oversee or assist with drafting or reviewing operational correspondence, including responses to official external queries.

· Serve as a liaison, coordination and integration point for the extended country team; provide guidance and advice on operational priorities and strategies as needed; help foster teamwork and cross-sectoral cooperation on program preparation and implementation; contribute to country team meetings and activities; 

· Provide guidance or support for the dialogue with country counterparts, as needed, and help support coordination among Development Partners In Ghana.  Assist in country program management, including business planning and work program preparation, WPA budget allocation, monitoring of work program and budget implementation, quarterly reviews and progress reporting.

· Support the Operations team members (officers, analysts, and assistants) through knowledge sharing and mentoring.

Selection Criteria

· Masters in a relevant field (Economics, Business Studies, Political Science, Finance, International Relations, or similar field relevant to the Bank's mission.)

· Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience with the World Bank or comparable institution. Thorough knowledge of Bank operational policies and business practices.

· Proven ability to think strategically, and to apply this to the design and implementation of country assistance programs.

· Outstanding inter-personal skills with proven ability to work cooperatively with a multi-disciplinary country team, other groups throughout the Bank, and development partners.

· Demonstrated initiative, leadership skills and drive for results, including ability to undertake diverse tasks within a rapidly changing and demanding environment on short deadlines.

· Strong problem-solving skills and solutions-oriented attitude.

· Political sensitivity and mature judgment; and ability to focus on big the picture, while not losing sight of details.

· Highly developed spoken and written communications skills; including the ability to draft concise briefs and reports and correspondence.