Senior Economist, Investment Climate Washington, DC

Job #:	121755
Title:	Senior Economist, Investment Climate
Job Stream:	Technical Assistance & Advisory Services
Location:	Washington, DC
Closing Date:	08/26/2012
Background / General description:
[This is a two-year term appointment. However, staff currently on open-ended contracts are encouraged to apply and if selected, will retain their appointment status.] The World Bank Group’s Investment Climate Department (CIC) assists governments of developing countries and transition economies in reforming their business environments, with support focused on reforms that strengthen business environments and the investment climate (IC) at economy-wide as well as industry/sector level. The department collaborates extensively with other teams across the World Bank Group in the design and delivery of advisory services and other operational work related to investment climate reform, and develops IC knowledge products for staff and clients. Serving as the global backbone of the Bank Group’s IC activities; CIC: (i) anchors the Investment Climate Business Line (one of IFC's four Advisory Services Business Lines), and handles the global dimension of its work; (ii) anchors the Investment Climate Global Practice of the Bank's Financial and Private Sector Development Network (which covers six Practices); (iii) implements MIGA’s technical assistance mandate, and (iv) manages the multi-donor Facility for Investment Climate Advisory Services (FIAS), a global funding and partnership platform for IC reform. In addition, CIC also manages the following programs for IFC: (v) the Health in Africa (HiA) initiative (in collaboration with AFTHD), (vi) the Water Resources Group (WRG) (in collaboration with CNGWA and other WBG units), (vii) a new program on private participation in infrastructure (in collaboration with C3P and other WBG units), (viii) and the coordination function for IFC’s work on fragile and conflict-affected countries (jointly with CTGDR). CIC is organized into four main units, reflecting four global service or product lines: Business Regulation, International Trade and Investment, Investment Climate for Industry, and Private Participation in Infrastructure and Social Sectors, as well as a unit dedicated to Africa (CIC is co-managing IFC’s IC work program in Sub-Saharan Africa), an Operational Support unit, and a unit supporting FPD’s Global IC Practice. About the Position: CIC is seeking a highly motivated, creative micro-economist with strong research and analytical skills, a very good knowledge of the literature in the private sector development area, a keen sense of policy and strategy, and strong writing and presentation skills. The economist will report to the Director of CIC.
Duties and Accountabilities:
Key responsibilities include: - Work closely with the Director and the management team of the Investment Climate Department to provide intellectual leadership on the overall investment climate (IC) agenda, including: (i) the economic underpinnings of investment climate reforms; (ii) how do investment climate reforms link-up to broader economic reforms; and (iii) the link between investment climate reforms and growth, economic development and competitiveness; - Provide background notes, briefs, and viewpoints on frontier IC topics, in preparation for senior management discussions, conferences and decision meetings. - Coordinate and provide key inputs to review corporate papers/reports (ex. Board papers, senior management briefings, etc.) and support advisory projects. - Inform IC management and staff on recent trends in the investment climate area, recent research, emerging topics, etc. - Advise CIC management and CIC teams on specific analytical and research questions that relate to the microeconomic and institutional underpinnings of investment climate reforms. - Work closely with the impact program team and provide advice on the economic aspects of the program. - Develop and maintain active engagement with PREM, DEC, WBI as well as IFC and FPD Chief economist and strategy offices, and external think tanks, research institutes and donor organizations active in the investment climate area. - Organize regular BBLs/workshops to spur intellectual debate and thought innovation.
Selection Criteria:
• Advanced degree in economics, public policy, political science, or equivalent. • At least 8 years of experience in research or policy advice, preferable in the area of private sector development and the investment climate. • Proven ability to conceptualize, design and implement policy advisory services and to produce complex analytical notes and reports. Excellent command of applied economic theory as demonstrated in publications. • Strong analytical and research skills and experience pertaining to investment climate issues; demonstrated understanding and experience of substantive issues in international development, with emphasis on regulatory and institutional economics related to the investment climate area. • Demonstrated experience and ability to translate policy recommendations into implementation; demonstrated record of innovative and strategic public policy advisory work, advising the public sector on policy / investment climate reform; practical understanding of the political economy of investment climate reforms. • Quick thinker, able to pull notes and presentations together on policy topics at very short notice. • Strong integrative skills and demonstrated ability for sharing knowledge and applying knowledge to different economic areas. In particular, demonstrated ability to integrate and apply microeconomic and institutional concepts to other economic areas, like the investment climate area. • Well-developed interpersonal and teamwork skills; ability to reach out to different parts of the World Bank Group and to interact with different levels of the organization and diverse profiles (Bank FPD teams, IFC advisory teams, research department, management, etc.); • Ability to deal sensitively in multicultural environments and to build effective working relations with local and international partners in the private sector, in the academic community, civil society and with client governments; • Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to management requests. • Fluent in English, with excellent interpersonal, verbal communication and writing skills. Demonstrated experience in writing effective reports and communicating in public; • Fluency in Spanish or French is a plus; • Willingness to travel internationally.
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