IDB Invest - Disputes Legal Officer

IDB Invest; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Pension plan

Hybrid work schedules

Flexible work schedules

Leaves and vacations (24 days)

Job summary

IDB Invest, the private sector arm of the IDB Group, seeks a qualified attorney to lead legal recovery and enforcement of distressed assets across Latin America and the Caribbean, with support for U.S. and New York law matters.

The role focuses on advising and managing complex cross-border disputes, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, and enforcement actions within a global financial institution context. A Master’s in Law and bar admission are required, with 5+ years of experience.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Law (LL.M., Juris Doctor, LL.B. or equivalent) and admission to practice in at least one IDB member country.
• At least 5 years of relevant private sector legal experience in the U.S. and Latin America/Caribbean.
• Experience in commercial/civil litigation, bankruptcy/insolvency, restructurings, workouts, enforcement and creditor-side recovery strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage complex cross-border disputes, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, enforcement actions, and asset recovery strategies.
• Advise on distressed debt situations involving loans, guarantees, equity and quasi-equity investments and litigation risk.
• Manage disputes before courts, tribunals, authorities, and arbitral panels; supervise external counsel and represent IDB Invest’s interests.

Skills

English proficiency

Cross-border disputes

Legal drafting

Court/tribunal experience

Education

Master's degree in Law (LL.M./J.D.) and bar admission

Job description

We improve lives

IDB Invest is the private sector arm of the IDB Group and an international financial institution committed to addressing the development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean. Our mission is to support sustainable enterprises and projects that deliver financial results while maximizing social and environmental impact in the region.

We improve lives

IDB Invest is the private sector arm of the IDB Group and an international financial institution committed to addressing the development needs of Latin America and the Caribbean. Our mission is to support sustainable enterprises and projects that deliver financial results while maximizing social and environmental impact in the region.

IDB Invest operates in 26 countries, structured across four geographic regions and three industry verticals: Infrastructure and Energy, Financial Intermediaries, and Corporates.

In support of a new transformative business model “Originate to Share” our shareholders recently approved a $3.5 billion capitalization. This will allow IDB Invest to significantly scale up its investments, nearly doubling annual financing from approximately $8 billion to $19 billion, and unlocking greater private sector participation to drive development and climate impact across the region.

About This Position

The IDB Invest Legal Department (GCL) is seeking a motivated colleague from IDB Invest to work in our Institutional and Corporate Legal Affairs Division (GCL/ICL), with a primary focus on the legal recovery and enforcement of distressed assets within IDB Invest’s portfolio.

The selected candidate will advise on and manage complex cross-border commercial disputes, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, enforcement actions, asset recovery strategies, and litigation involving loans, guarantees, equity and quasi-equity investments throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The position will also support U.S. and New York law-related disputes and insolvency matters, as well as selected institutional litigation and legal risk matters affecting IDB Invest.

Our department advises all of the governance bodies of IDB Invest, a multilateral development bank organized as an international organization owned by 48 member countries. As part of our functions, we provide a full range of legal support to IDB Invest’s mission of promoting the economic development of our Latin American and Caribbean developing member countries by investing in private sector companies. The Institutional and Corporate Legal Affairs (GCL/ICL) Division provides legal advice on all institutional, corporate, and financial matters for IDB Invest. Our broad portfolio includes advice on the rights and obligations of member countries; the relationship with other international organizations, including the relationship with the IDB and IDB Lab, which are part of the IDB Group; financial management and capital markets transactions to fund our operations; resource mobilization; administration of human resources; data privacy, intellectual property, information technology and general corporate matters; compliance, litigation, and many other matters of strategic importance to IDB Invest.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and manage legal recovery strategies for distressed assets, including judicial and extrajudicial enforcement of creditor-side actions, commercial and civil litigation, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, asset tracing, and recovery actions across Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Advise project teams on complex distressed debt situations involving loans, guarantees, equity and quasi-equity investments, including strategic assessment of recovery options and litigation risk.
• Manage a diverse portfolio of disputes and enforcement matters, including proceedings before courts, insolvency tribunals, administrative authorities, and arbitral tribunals. Supervise external counsel and represent IDB Invest’s interests in connection with such matters.
• Advise on U.S. and New York law litigation, insolvency, restructuring, and enforcement matters affecting IDB Invest's portfolio investments.
• Provide legal support in connection with institutional litigation and disputes involving multilateral development bank privileges and immunities, lender liability claims, jurisdictional issues, and other matters affecting IDB Invest as an international organization.
• Assist with the development and regular updating of model documentation and maintenance of the Legal Department intranet, taking into account lessons learned.
• Identify lessons learned from troubled debt situations, workouts, bankruptcy, and litigation and promote knowledge-sharing to improve the structuring of transactions.
• Participate in the selection of external counsel and coordinate the work of counsel in a cost‑effective manner.
• Support Legal Department staff in the above activities and in the drafting and review of draft documents related thereto.
• Provide support in connection with general institutional and corporate legal matters.

What you’ll need

• Education: Master's degree (or equivalent advanced degree) in Law (LL.M., Juris Doctor, LL.B. plus qualifying postgraduate studies, or equivalent) from an accredited institution. Admission to practice law in at least one IDB Group member country is required. Advanced academic training in bankruptcy, insolvency, restructuring, litigation, dispute resolution, or related fields is desirable. Knowledge of both civil law and common law legal systems is strongly preferred. An LL.M., particularly with a concentration in U.S. bankruptcy, insolvency, commercial litigation or restructuring, will be considered an asset.
• Experience: At least 5 years of relevant professional legal experience in private sector law firms in the U.S. and in Latin America and the Caribbean is essential. Demonstrated professional experience in commercial litigation, civil litigation, bankruptcy, insolvency proceedings, restructurings, workouts, enforcement actions, and creditor‑side recovery strategies is required. Experience managing cross-border disputes and coordinating external counsel in multiple jurisdictions throughout Latin America and the Caribbean is highly desirable. Experience with U.S. commercial litigation, Chapter 11 proceedings, New York law credit transactions, creditor rights and enforcement remedies is an advantage. Experience advising international organizations, multilateral development banks, financial institutions, or lenders in disputes involving immunities, jurisdictional defenses, or lender liability claims would be a plus.
• Language: Proficiency in English, spoken and written, is required. Additional knowledge of Spanish, French and Portuguese is preferable.

Requirements

• Citizenship: No requirement.
• Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement.

What We Offer

• A competitive compensation package
• Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender‑neutral parental leave
• Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program that covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
• Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and support employees in planning for their future.
• Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• Health and well‑being: Access to our Health Services Center that provides preventive care and health education for employees.
• Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile, such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.

Our culture

At the IDB Group, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work while finding their purpose. Our people consistently strive for excellence, and we recognize and celebrate the impact of their contributions.

In our efforts to drive innovation, we intentionally include all voices, cultivate a sense of belonging and champion fairness. We welcome individuals from underrepresented groups to join us and share their unique perspectives.

We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job interview process. If you require an accommodation to complete this application, please email us at [e-mail].

Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.

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