Work for the IMF. Work for the World.
The Office of Budget and Planning (OBP) is seeking to hire a Projects Officer (Process Improvement) to help improve budget processes, systems, and tools to better inform decision-making and support the strategic allocation of resources at the departmental level. They will execute process improvements and change management efforts to support budget modernization.
Budget processes rely on sometimes outdated and fragmented technology tools that are functionally rigid, have reached end-of-life, and require expensive external support to maintain. OBP is pursuing a wide-ranging, multiyear program to 1) increase agility to better respond to the institution's rapidly changing business priorities and stakeholder demands for insights into resource allocation; 2) increase effectiveness of strategic budget planning and execution by implementing tailored budget frameworks and processes that are harmonized, simple, and well documents; 3) reduce work pressures by minimizing manual effort through automation and integration of end-to-end budget and reporting processes, and by providing modern end-user tools; 4) increase accuracy by eliminating manual data reconciliation given the disparate systems; and 5) avoid escalating costs of maintaining aged systems.
OBP is part of the Office of the Managing Director and oversees the Fund's administrative and capital budgets. OBP’s work involves strategic budget formulation, negotiation of spending envelopes with Fund departments and offices, and monitoring/control and reporting of budget execution. The Office supports departments in assessing the budget implications of internal policies and new work streams, as well as the consequences of changes in the external environment. OBP also plays a key role in developing systems to better track budget performance, outputs, and costing of Fund activities, with significant work being initiated on budget modernization. OBP also works closely with ITD, TRM, CSF, capital-intensive project sponsors, and oversight offices in relation budget aspects of the Fund’s modernization program.
OBP leads the development of procedures and (with ITD) related systems to support budget monitoring and track budget performance, outputs, and costing of Fund activities, working in close coordination with the broader budget community across the Fund. In this context, OBP is continuing sequential work focused on improving the Fund’s budget processes and systems.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
Work with OBP’s leadership and team to identify and gain alignment on key problem statements and improvement opportunities and support the necessary change management and stakeholder engagement.
Oversee strategic communication, change management activities, and resource planning.
Work closely with OBP internal process owners to identify improvements opportunities and design innovative solutions to complex challenges; spanning user experience, service delivery, process improvement, change management and strategy alignment of OBP-specific procedures.
Lead Internal Process Improvement Projects: Work with internal clients to improve processes using various process improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma). Apply advanced data analytics to problems and develop fact-based recommendations. Work with internal clients to implement process changes, ensuring that improvements are measurable and sustainable.
Proactively promote and facilitate a culture of continuous improvement across OBP to help meet business objectives and Fund needs.
Identify and prioritize key pain points, root causes, impacts, improvement recommendations, change considerations and implementation plan.
Develop strong working relationships with internal clients and stakeholders, understand business needs and increase client engagement.
Engage with Stakeholders: Become a trusted advisor for affected stakeholders (direct and indirect) to establish and manage client engagement and pursue excellence in service delivery in a team-oriented environment.
Support related aspects of OBP’s modernization efforts (including related capital projects) working closely with all stakeholders.
Engage with colleagues across the Fund working on process improvement, with the possibility to support a broader range of process improvement projects, time permitting.
Deliver on assignments and responsibilities as required to support departmental goals and priorities.
While the role will focus (at least initially) on internal OBP-specific processes, the work will ensure consistency with OBP’s objective to provide strong service to the budget community and ensure simplicity and ease of use.
Minimum Qualifications
Educational development, typically acquired by the completion of an advanced university degree, or equivalent, in business, finance, budgeting, accounting, statistics, computer science, or related field, or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or similar professional certification, supplemented by a minimum of four (4) years of relevant professional experience, is required. Alternatively, a minimum of two (2) years of experience in a related position at Grade A10, or equivalent, is required. Preferably, at least 2 - 5 years in operational strategy, process improvement work and change management. Strong familiarity with Fund processes and organization is also preferred.
In addition to the qualifications set forth in the job standards, the skills sought for this position include:
strong project and team management experience, with excellent organizational and management skills;