Senior Economist - The World Bank - Washington, DC

THE WORLD BANK GROUP

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2014, the WBG committed $65.6 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $22.2 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and – as of July 1, 2014 – has introduced fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

THE ROLE OF THE WBG IN TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS

The Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice (T&C) brings together diverse World Bank and IFC Advisory units around a common vision: sustained economic growth, productivity gains, job creation, and rising incomes for developing countries to eradicate poverty and boost shared prosperity. T&C’s mission is to serve as a trusted partner for countries that seek to develop dynamic and resilient economies, expand market opportunities, and enable private initiative. To this end, T&C supports global and country efforts to boost the volume and value of trade, enhance the investment climate, improve competitiveness in sectors, and foster innovation and entrepreneurship.

T&C boasts a global footprint with about 500 staff working in over 80 locations around the world. T&C’s current portfolio comprises 161 World Bank active and pipeline lending operations, totaling $5.5 billion in commitments; over $300 million in active IFC Advisory Services projects; and nearly 350 knowledge and advisory activities in over 100 countries.

To ensure that the Bank Group is at the forefront of knowledge and development practice, T&C has enriched its offerings and organized them under four global themes. Trade, investment climate, competitive sectors, and innovation and entrepreneurship form the core competencies of T&C. Under trade, the Global Practice supports trade policy and cooperation, trade facilitation and logistics, trade performance, and competition policies. T&C’s offering under investment climate covers business environment reform as well as investment policies. Competitive sectors work focuses on sector or industry-specific policies and growth, as well as spatial growth and investment strategies. Under innovation and entrepreneurship, T&C helps strengthen innovation and technology policies, strategies, and financing, and it promotes entrepreneurship and SME development.

SOUTH ASIA CONTEXT

South Asia (which includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) has experienced a long period of robust economic growth and it has been among the fastest-growing regions in the world. Growth is projected to steadily increase from 7 percent in 2015 to 7.6 percent by 2017 through maintaining strong consumption and increasing investment.

This strong growth has translated into declining poverty and impressive improvements in human development. But poverty in the region remains high. About 399 million people—40 percent of the world’s poor—live on less than $1.25 a day. More than 200 million people live in slums, and half a billion people go without electricity. Many countries in the region suffer from extreme forms of social exclusion and huge infrastructure gaps, and the larger countries are experiencing increases in inequality. Development in the region will be key to meeting global poverty and prosperity goals.

The WBG is a significant development partner in South Asia. To unleash the region’s development potential, the WBG’s strategy for South Asia is based on three pillars:

 Accelerating economic growth

 Enhancing social inclusion and

 Improving climate and environment management

T&C development solutions are at the core WBG engagement under this first pillar. The private sector has been a key contributor to the high South Asia growth rate. The one million jobs required in the region every month will largely come from the private sector. However, the region is plagued with low levels of competitiveness and a difficult business climate. T&C brings in an integrated set of solutions (IFC and World Bank instruments) to remove private sector development/investment constraints to stimulate development, productivity growth, and job creation.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain her/his Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:
The selected Senior Economist will be based in DC and report to the Practice Manager for T&C South Asia Region. S/he will be a highly motivated and dynamic professional, with very solid analytical, advisory and lending operational skills, knowledge of the core areas of the T&C agenda, excellent client engagement and team spirit skills.

S/he will be expected to produce independently important and complex policy reports and take responsibility over important components of TA/advisory and lending projects, as well as lead lending operations and policy work. He or she will be expected to lead client dialogue at the highest level.

Her/his key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and contributing to a wide range of advisory and analytical work undertaken by South Asia T&C.


• Leading and contributing to the preparation and implementation of policy-based as well as investment lending operations in South Asia Region.


• Leading and contributing to policy dialogue on T&C issues.


• Leading or contributing to business development in South Asia countries.


• Fostering collaboration with other GPs in delivering the T&C work program and ensuring good cross-GP collaboration.


• Mentoring junior team members in the delivery of the program.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced degree, preferably a Ph.D. in economics, with at least 7 years of related work experience, or a minimum of 10 years of experience if the candidate holds only a master’s degree in economics, public policy or closely related field.


• Solid knowledge of trade and competitiveness policy areas (trade policy, business regulations, innovation, entrepreneurship, and competitive industries) and issues affecting competitiveness in South Asia region, and capacity to influence policy discussions at country level on trade and competitiveness issues.


• Ability to understand and analyze complex problems and develop innovative approaches.


• Proven ability to manage complex projects and programs.


• Proven experience with delivering very high quality analytical work.


• Strong project management skills.


• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate and liaise effectively with clients.


• Ability to mentor junior staff.


• Native-level proficiency in both written and spoken English with an ability to convey complex ideas with clarity, diplomacy, and precision.


• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to communicate and liaise effectively with clients.


• Ability to supervise teams and mentor junior staff.

OTHER COMPETENCIES

General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills – Possesses a track record of intellectual leadership and ability to integrate economic-specific knowledge and specific micro/sector fields of expertise; provides quality assurance and assesses technical soundness of work/reports.

Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Influences the design and execution of major policy and/or research initiatives; conceives and promotes innovations in development policies, project design, organization and management to improve operational and sector work.

Policy Dialogue Skills – Has a track record of conducting effective policy dialogue with country counterparts; communicates and defends difficult issues and positions to senior Bank management and government officials.

Integrative Skills – Possesses in-depth understanding of Bank resources in all areas of work in the network, and proven fungibility.

Written and Verbal Communication – Demonstrates a strong command of all forms of communication and delivers messages in a consistently effective, timely and engaging manner.

Client Orientation – Translates insight into practice across disciplines, hierarchies, geographies and organizational units in service of clients.

Drive for Results – Ensures successful implementation and delivery of key programs and projects, ensuring that outputs positively impact results.

Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion – Creates a team climate of practical and innovative action, facilitating collaboration between competing interests and stakeholders.

Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making – Serves as a trusted advisor to others on their decisions, ensuring alignment across units and optimal impact on the organization as a whole.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.