(Senior) Industry Specialist - Global Health

(Senior) Industry Specialist - Global Health Job #: req34408 Organization: IFC Sector: Health & Safety Grade: GG Term Duration: 3 years 0 months Recruitment Type: International Recruitment Location: Washington, DC,United States Required Language(s): English Preferred Language(s): Spanish, Portuguese Closing Date: 10/3/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Build a career with impact. Working at the World Bank Group (WBG) provides a unique opportunity to help countries solve their greatest development challenges. As one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, the WBG is a unique partnership of five global institutions 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, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.

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. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2025, IFC committed a record $71.7 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions, and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.

IFC’s Global Health unit, housed within the Global Disruptive Technologies, Services and Funds department, supports the World Bank Group (WBG)’s objective of enabling access to affordable, quality healthcare in the emerging markets. The unit is responsible for managing IFC’s global health sector strategy and delivering the sector expertise and the global platforms in support of IFC’s investment and advisory activities in the areas of health services, life sciences and medtech sectors.

The unit supports IFC’s investment and portfolio supervision activities by providing sector input across all stages of organization through supervision of projects, including due diligence for sector specific risks and issues, such as in the areas of quality and ethical conduct and other non-financial risks. The unit also coordinates collaboration within the WBG to inform policy reforms and public sector initiatives to catalyze private sector contribution to the WBG health goals.

In addition to its investment activities, IFC’s value proposition includes a suite of enabling initiatives and advisory tools under the Global Health Advisory Program (the Program) to foster best practices in the health sectors by offering expert guidance and tailored solutions to enhance healthcare quality, efficiency, and access. The Global Advisory Program currently includes:

Healthcare Quality Advisory. To enhance quality assurance practices at its existing and prospective clients in healthcare services, IFC provides direct advisory support that gives health facilities an evidence-based overview of their strengths and gaps in operations, and a roadmap for improving quality to reach national or international standards of care. For more information, please visit www.ifc.org/iqhealth.
Ethical Principals in Health Care (EPiHC) is helping to build transparent, resilient health systems through a set of shared principles that promote ethical decision making and behavior. EPiHC is a set of ten fundamental principles to be shared across the health care ecosystem—from front line providers to top leadership—adding welcome clarity to the decisions, transactions, practices, and encounters that affect every aspect of health care services. For more information, please visit www.epihc.org

Health Benchmarking. IFC rolled out an international healthcare benchmarking survey. IFC collaborates with healthcare companies worldwide to develop a Benchmarking approach based on their performance needs. Additionally, IFC enhances knowledge of performance management and improvement techniques so that participating companies can leverage the Benchmarking outputs.
Resource Efficiency/Decarbonization in Pharma Manufacturing. IFC works with pharmaceutical manufacturers globally to increase efficiency along energy-water-material nexus which would lead to reduced costs, while responding to climate change by decarbonizing and reducing greenhouse gas and water footprint.

DigiHealth/Digipharma. IFC works with healthcare and pharmaceutical companies to develop digital transformation strategies and implementation roadmaps that will help scale up digital delivery of essential services, digital interaction with patients and key stakeholders, enhance operational efficiency. The client engagement includes digital maturity baseline assessment, co-creation of digital transformation strategy and roadmap through a series of workshops and providing implementation guidance and review of results.

In addition, IFC increasingly engages in public private partnerships and private sector contracting jointly with World Bank and contributes to other initiatives aimed at strengthening resilience of health systems. The Program is continuously evolving in line with IFC’s impact priorities and needs of the clients and are run in collaboration with IFC’s regional advisory teams to grow and disseminate its reach in line with regional needs and priorities.
To support the growth of this business, IFC is seeking a Health Industry Specialist, with rich experience in various sub-segments of the health sector, including services, life sciences and medtech, to be a part of the Global Health unit and lead a number of advisory initiatives in the sector.

Duties and Accountabilities

Specific roles and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Advisory and Program management:

• Lead Digihealth/Digipharma and other advisory programs, as needed, to ensure delivery of high quality of client and knowledge management deliverables as well as observing all governance and results reporting requirements.
• Explore and lead collaboration opportunities with the World Bank and other partners, including but not limited to in the area of digital transformation
• Lead or support other initiatives or risk mitigation activities with regards to private sector involvement in the health sectors

Origination and pipeline management:

• Support the teams in assessing needs and opportunities for investment and/or advisory services to support companies involved in health services and life sciences. Help differentiate the IFC offering depending on client and market maturity;
• Coordinate and participate in origination and business development activities for advisory and ensure timely follow through by team members;
• Provide appraisal support with regards to sector specific risks and issues (including in the areas of cyber security, quality and ethics), in collaboration with other industry specialists

Client engagement:

• Join client discussions with regards to sector specific risks identified as part of the appraisal process and develop mitigation solutions, including but not limited to IFC’s advisory solutions, including for digital transformation
• Coordinate and support delivery of advisory engagements with clients in health sector according to the agreed scope and timeline;
• Provide expert opinion and input on the delivery of other advisory engagements
• Coordinate a team of specialists (consultants) for each client engagement with the right mix of skills, provide clarity on roles and set expectations for delivery;
• Coordinate other input from other internal peer reviewers (industry specialists, regional and/or global sector leads etc);
• Provide quality control of client deliverables for data accuracy and relevance of conclusions and recommendations.

Product development/Knowledge management:

• Capture learnings from client engagements and share them within IFC, and if relevant externally;
• Coordinate periodic review of advisory offerings, shape necessary adjustments depending on maturity of clients and markets;
• Contribute to the sector teams’ knowledge management, through the development of case studies, preparation and leading of industry overviews and primers;
• Lead or support other initiatives, including impact studies and/or development of new programs 

Selection Criteria

• Master’s or advanced degree in a related field and at least 12+ years of operational and managerial roles in the private health sector, and/or consultancy for private health companies;
• Strong understanding and track record of working with the private sector across the health value chain, and ability to identify opportunities and risks, including operational, quality and ethical risks
• Strong understanding of health digital solutions and applications for the private sector.
• A proven track record in managing diverse teams which include colleagues, consultants and client representatives in order to achieve common business goals and objectives;
• A track record in business development, nurturing client relationships and resolving challenging issues;
• Experience managing project budgets, timelines, staff and consultants.
• Recognized as a team player, collaborator, leader and strategic thinker;
• The ability to represent IFC externally and to develop and manage relationships with a range of stakeholders.
• Sound business judgment, a demonstrated ability to deliver results under challenging conditions;
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal in English. Ability to work in other languages, i.e Spanish or Portuguese is a plus.
• Willingness to travel globally on a regular basis

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

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.