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Counsel

New
Legal Department of IFC (CLED)
Closes 6 Nov 2026 · 1 day EST (UTC-5)
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Posted 3 minutes ago
Job Description

At the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group (WBG), you’ll join a diverse, global community working across cultures, disciplines, and borders to address the world’s most pressing development challenges. With 1.2 billion young people reaching working age in the decade ahead, the challenge of job creation has never been greater. Through partnerships across 145 countries and more than 182 offices worldwide, we work with governments, private sector, development partners and other stakeholders to invest in people, strengthen markets, and deliver scalable, data-driven solutions that generate more and better jobs and improve lives. In fiscal year 2026, IFC committed a record $105.6 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries. For more information, visit www.ifc.org. The Legal Department of IFC (CLED), under the Vice President and General Counsel, Legal Governance Vice Presidency Unit, is responsible for providing legal and policy advice to the IFC Board, its Management and client departments on operational, advisory and corporate matters. Specifically, CLED supports client departments in (i) the delivery of IFC’s annual program of financing private sector projects in emerging markets, advisory services, as well as early-stage engagements and pre-investment project development work to identify opportunities for private sector investment and create markets (“Upstream”); (ii) project portfolio management (including jeopardy projects and projects in litigation); (iii) the delivery and design of structured finance products, sub-national lending, equity and quasi-equity, public-private partnerships, investments in funds, and platform products; (iv) advising on corporate policy and operational matters; (v) mobilizing funds from third parties, including syndication partners and public and private donors, and administering trust funds for developmental purposes; and (vi) knowledge management and training. Blended Finance is designed to address market failures and help mobilize private investment in pioneering projects and challenging environments. IFC is one of the world’s largest implementers of Blended Finance for private sector operations. IFC uses relatively small amounts of concessional donor funds to mitigate specific investment risks and help rebalance the risk-reward profiles of pioneering investments that are unable to proceed on strictly commercial terms. Blended Finance can be structured as debt, equity, risk-sharing, or guarantee products with different rates, tenors, security, or rankings. Under select facilities, it can also take the form of performance-based incentive structures. Solutions are tailored to address specific market barriers and failures and the requirements of donor partners. The Trust Funds unit and the Partnerships Multilateral Engagement team manage IFC’s donor relationships and engagements with government development agencies, foundations, corporations, and multilateral organizations, and channel these resources through trust funds. These funds support IFC’s Blended Finance and other development activities. Counsel: To support IFC’s growing activities across regions, sectors and practices, CLED is recruiting a Counsel primarily to support the Blended Finance and Trust Funds practices, and to act as project lawyer on investment projects. The Counsel will report to the Global Lead Counsel, Blended Finance, and indirectly the AGC, Legal Practices. The position will be based in Washington, DC. Duties and Responsibilities The Counsel is expected to take primary lawyer responsibility on transactions, work independently, and exercise sound, independent judgment. This includes advising internal clients from the business development and term sheet stages through the drafting, negotiation and closing of legal documents. The Counsel is also expected to support senior colleagues on complex transactions and to guide more junior colleagues. Blended Finance

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  • Act as project lawyer on Blended Finance transactions, including negotiating and drafting concessional terms and legal documents for debt, equity, guarantee, risk-sharing, fund and performance-based incentive structures.
  • Support the Global Lead Counsel for Blended Finance in running CLED’s Blended Finance practice, including acting as a point of contact for investment teams and CLED lawyers.
  • Advise on the legal aspects of donor-supported Blended Finance programs, platforms and partnerships, and on portfolio matters for Blended Finance projects.
  • Coordinate with investment teams to finalize documentation, including flagging for the relevant CLED project lawyer any issues related to execution by Blended Finance signatories.
  • Maintain and update legal templates, checklists and guidance for Blended Finance products. Trust Funds
  • Support the Global Lead Counsel for Trust Funds in running CLED’s Trust Funds practice.
  • Draft and negotiate trust fund agreements, including administration agreements, with public and private sector donors.
  • Advise on establishing and using IFC trust funds for investment and other activities, including assessing the legal risks of new donor and development partners.
  • Update trust fund templates in line with evolving business needs and policy requirements.
  • Provide guidance and support to CLED lawyers, legal analysts and legal assistants on trust fund matters. Investment Projects
  • Act as project lawyer on new and portfolio investment projects and Upstream transactions across sectors and products.
  • Advise on the selection of outside counsel for IFC projects and manage outside counsel and legal costs. Other Responsibilities
  • Mentor and guide lawyers, legal analysts and legal assistants, and coach business colleagues.
  • Contribute to knowledge management, including creating or updating template legal agreements, forms, guidance and the CLED website.
  • Assist in designing and delivering training for colleagues in CLED, IFC staff and external audiences.
  • Work with colleagues in all regions, including supporting projects and sharing knowledge and experience across regions.
  • Advise internal clients on institutional and corporate matters, as needed.
  • Help raise the profile of IFC and CLED, internally and externally, as thought leaders in legal issues in development finance.
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