Director, MSME Department

Director, MSME Department

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.

Background/ General Description
IFC is seeking to recruit a Director to lead its new MSME Department, based in Washington, DC. Reporting to the Vice President, Products & Clients, the Director will provide strategic and operational leadership for IFC's global micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) agenda. The role requires an integrator by nature, able to build alignment and drive action across a wide network of counterparts through influence and collaboration, often without direct authority or dedicated implementation capacity. 

The Department will serve as IFC's global center for MSME strategy, data and analytics, and the development, coordination, and scaling of products and solutions, while regional teams will remain accountable for delivery against MSME business targets. The Director will work across IFC and the wider World Bank Group, including IBRD/IDA operations, MIGA, the Knowledge Bank, and DEC, to identify market gaps and emerging priorities, strengthen the evidence base and impact measurement, and translate insights into actionable business strategies and solutions tailored to different country and client contexts, including fragile and conflict-affected situations. The Director will promote cross-regional learning and help embed MSME priorities in client engagement, country strategies, investment, and advisory delivery. 

Specific Duties and Accountabilities

Business and Strategic Leadership

• Oversee the continued evolution and corporate-level implementation of IFC's global MSME strategy, aligned with IFC 2030 priorities, development goals, and country and regional needs.
• Provide a clear global view of MSME opportunities, constraints, and priorities and translate this into actionable business priorities for regional and industry teams, working collaboratively across the World Bank Group.
• Lead through a strong matrix model with regional MSME leads, providing strategic direction, global standards, knowledge, and product support while enabling regional adaptation and mobilizing counterparts around shared priorities.
• Support regional teams and World Bank counterparts in the preparation of Country Partnership Frameworks (CPFs), helping ensure that relevant MSME assessments, constraints, opportunities, and objectives are appropriately reflected.
• Represent IFC in senior external engagements and build partnerships with clients, investors, governments, development institutions, and other stakeholders.

Data and Market Analytics

• Build and lead a global MSME data and market analytics capability that consolidates internal and external data, fills critical evidence gaps, and provides a reliable basis for strategy, product development, and business decisions.
• Partner with the Knowledge Bank and DEC on MSME- and jobs-focused data, research, and impact evaluations, ensuring that evidence informs operational priorities and solutions.
• Develop a comprehensive view of MSME market size, financing and capability gaps, client needs, trends, and the reach and performance of IFC's MSME activities, with particular attention to underserved segments and markets.
• Use data and market intelligence to identify priority segments and opportunities, inform resource allocation and product design, and establish common definitions and metrics across regions.
• Strengthen measurement and learning on the reach, additionality, financial sustainability, and development impact of IFC's MSME interventions.

Products and Solutions

• Lead the development and coordination of scalable financial and non-financial solutions for MSMEs, enabling regional delivery through product innovation, quality assurance, best-practice sharing, and corporate-level monitoring and coordination.
• Identify gaps in IFC's MSME product suite and lead the development, testing, and scaling of new or adapted solutions in response to client and market needs.
• Drive systematic 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, appropriate risk discipline, and development impact.
• Work across product, advisory, risk, legal, E&S, economics, and other functions, including with the Chief Maker, to develop proportionate E&S approaches for MSMEs, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected situations.

People and Resource Management

• Manage financial and talent resources, including hiring, developing, and retaining diverse talent, to achieve the Department's objectives.
• Provide overall leadership and people management, setting clear priorities, empowering staff, and fostering a high-performing, collaborative, and inclusive culture.
• Lead effectively across organizational boundaries and through matrix relationships, serving as a connector and integrator across IFC and the wider World Bank Group, building trust, resolving trade-offs, and mobilizing teams around shared MSME objectives.
• Manage the overall budget for the Department with a focus on efficiency, effectiveness, and deployment of resources toward the highest-impact priorities.

Selection Criteria

In addition to the WBG managerial selection criteria*, the following qualifications are sought:

• Master's degree or equivalent in finance, economics, business administration, public policy, international development, or a related field, with at least 15 years of relevant professional experience and substantial exposure to emerging markets.
• Demonstrated, hands-on knowledge of what enables businesses, particularly MSMEs, to succeed and grow in emerging markets, grounded in practical 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 demonstrated ability to act as an integrator, convene diverse teams, reconcile different perspectives, build coalitions, and translate shared objectives into coordinated action without relying on 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 the ability to engage effectively with WBG senior management and IFC's Board of Directors and to represent IFC and World Bank Group viewpoints in global forums.

* World Bank Group-wide managerial selection criteria include: (i) Courage of your convictions; (ii) leading the team for impact; (iii) influencing across boundaries; (iv) fostering openness to new ideas; and (v) building talent for the future.

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.

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

WBG Five Managerial Competencies Include only for managerial positions

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.