World Bank recruit a Senior Economist

World Bank is hiring a Senior Economist.

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work 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.

Background / General description

The Global Practice for Macro Trade & Investment (MTI) comprises about 450 staff working across more than 120 countries. Almost half of MTI professional staff are decentralized to the field working closely with the Country Management Units (CMUs) and in proximity to the clients. The Practice houses the Bank’s country economists, as well as professional staff with expertise in macroeconomics, fiscal policy, growth, statistics, trade, competition policy and investment climate. MTI professionals most often work across sectors helping carry out key integrative functions. In this context, MTI professionals are responsible for the preparation and delivery of the majority of the Bank’s Development Policy Operations using both IDA and IBRD resources. MTI professionals also lead or participate in a wide variety of AAA and client advisory work requiring integrative functions that add to the core Macroeconomic expertise. As such MTI staff often lead or participate in the preparation of Strategic Country Diagnostics, Country Economic Memorandums and cross sector Public Expenditure Reviews. An important additional element of engagement in macroeconomic and fiscal policies is carried through work on debt management supported by the Debt Management Facility.

Knowledge and learning is a central part of MTI’s work focused on 9 thematic areas: (a) macroeconomics; (b) fiscal policy; (c) growth; (d) economic management in resource rich environments; (e) macroeconomic modelling & statistics; (f) trade and regional integration; (g) competition policy; (h) investment policy and promotion; and (i) business regulation.

The EA2M1 unit covers work in 13 countries within the Africa Region, including the Senegal (AFCF1), Côte d’Ivoire (AFCF2), and Mali (AFCW3) Country Management Units (CMU).

Note: While the proposed duty station for this position is Dakar,Senegal, Management may propose to selected candidates that the duty station be Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Duties and Accountabilities

• Lead the macroeconomic policy dialogue with Government authorities and development partners.
• Lead the preparation of Development Policy Operations (DPOs) and Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA).
• Lead IDA’s engagement with the country on its overall policy reform program.
• Represent the Bank in its relationship with the IMF on the macroeconomic framework for the country as well as in the preparation of joint World Bank-IMF debt sustainability analyses.
• Lead within the country team a variety of country economist tasks such as the annual Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) exercise, preparation of the Macro Poverty Outlook (MPO), regular macroeconomic monitoring, and contribute to Country Partnership Strategies.
• Work with the EFI Program Leader, participate in the dialogue with development partners.

• In addition to the Bank-wide criteria listed below, the successful candidate for this position should have demonstrated superior technical skills, a capacity to operate successfully across sectors and with other development partners, and first-rate interpersonal skills.
• The incumbent must be able to interact effectively with senior members of the government, senior officials of donor governments, across Bank GPs, and with Bank senior management.

Other selection criteria include:

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in Economics with eight years of relevant professional experience (A completed PhD is equivalent to 3 years of relevant professional experience).
• Strong technical skills on macro-fiscal and growth issues and a proven track record in delivering high quality and technically sophisticated analytical work.
• Strong operational and policy dialogue skills, as evidenced by a proven track record in delivering high quality Development Policy Operations.
• Strong integrative skills in order to support the CMU in articulating its strategic thinking on economic growth and poverty reduction and to articulate a coherent policy dialogue with the authorities.
• Proven sense of initiative, results orientation, team work and leadership qualities, and ability to work effectively across sectors/GPs.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to speak persuasively and to present ideas clearly and concisely with senior authorities.