Manager, Sovereign Risk

The Manager, Sovereign Risk leads the Sovereign Risk Team within the Credit Risk Department of the World Bank Group's Chief Risk Officer Vice Presidency. The role involves overseeing country risk rating work, monitoring global and regional development trends affecting country risks, and managing a team of professional staff to ensure high-quality delivery of risk assessments and reports to senior management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Sovereign Risk Team and oversee its work program.
• Assess country credit risks and assign internal credit ratings used by all WBG entities, including ratings reflecting Preferred Creditor Status and those that do not.
• Ensure rating methodologies are robust, clear, up to date, and meet all WBG entities’ requirements.
• Oversee country rating processes ensuring high-quality analysis and consistent application of methodologies.
• Manage rating group discussions and final rating recommendations.
• Engage with external auditors on country risk rating queries.
• Improve efficiency and effectiveness of the country risk rating process.
• Monitor global and regional development trends impacting country risks, including conducting stress tests (macroeconomic, climate, natural disasters).
• Monitor countries vulnerable to crises, including payment arrears to the World Bank.
• Serve as Secretariat to the monthly Short-Term Risk Monitoring Group meetings and oversee report preparation.
• Participate in Paris Club meetings and brief members on economic situations of countries of interest.
• Oversee country creditworthiness assessments ensuring robust methodologies and processes.
• Contribute to IBRD Country Exposure Management processes including assessing country limits reallocation requests.
• Support country teams in managing country exposures in line with the IBRD Exposure Management Framework.
• Prepare high-quality briefings to Senior Management and develop dashboards, reports, and tools.
• Contribute to department, VPU, and corporate initiatives and goals.
• Model exemplary WBG leadership values and managerial behavior.
• Implement and monitor compliance with talent management, diversity, and inclusion plans.
• Drive technical excellence and foster an environment of learning and innovation.
• Coordinate strategies for global staffing, deployment, staff learning and development, career progression, and talent and performance management.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD degree in Economics, Finance/Risk, or another relevant field.
• Minimum of 12 years of directly relevant professional experience.
• Broad and deep experience with developing country economics and credit risk analysis, including country risks for private sector operations.
• Deep understanding of factors affecting World Bank client countries’ credit risks, including IBRD and IDA’s Preferred Creditor Status.
• Ability to guide staff on macroeconomic modeling work, including stress testing.
• Ability to develop sound and practical methodologies and policy frameworks.
• Excellent management and leadership skills, including planning, organizing, and managing high-performing teams under time pressure.
• Strong communication skills, able to write and speak clearly and convincingly for various audiences including Senior Management and the Board.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills to build effective partnerships and resolve conflicts.
• Familiarity with the World Bank’s country engagement model and financial instruments.
• Knowledge of sovereign debt issues, including debt restructuring, is desirable.
• Excellent work ethic and results focus with a proactive attitude.
• Commitment to innovation and process improvement, including use of new technologies.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent contexts is a plus.

Skills

• Credit Risk Analysis
• Country Risk Analysis
• Macroeconomic Modeling
• Stress Testing
• Policy Frameworks
• Team Management
• Leadership
• Strategic Planning
• Sovereign Debt Knowledge
• Debt Restructuring
• Financial Instruments Familiarity
• Process Improvement
• Risk Methodology Implementation
• Communication for Senior Leadership
• Negotiation and Diplomacy
• Innovation Management
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Fragile Settings Experience

Languages

English