The World Bank Lead Private Sector Development Spec

The Competitive Industries and Innovation Program The developing world needs to create at least 350 million jobs in the next decade, especially for women and youth, just to keep pace with the working-age population. Africa will need 11 million new jobs each year, as its working-age population expands by 30%.  South Asia will see a 20% increase, requiring 14 million new jobs each year.  The vast majority of those jobs will have to come from the private sector. An approach is needed that will go beyond the macroeconomic reform agenda to identify and address the real microeconomic barriers to the growth of industries with high economic and social benefits. In response to this challenge, the FPD Network of the World Bank Group (WBG) and a number of donors have launched the Competitive Industries and Innovation Program (CIIP).  This is a 5-year global program with a target funding of $100mn with the objective to boost industry competitiveness to create jobs and income opportunities at scale.   CIIP will provide direct funding to World Bank teams to help them develop targeted, multi-year structural reform initiatives to systematically address critical market failures that stifle industry competitiveness and innovation and achieve significant private sector growth.  Operationally, CIIP projects will be implemented under the guidance of the WB Country Director and relevant Sector Director. FPD’s Competitive Industries and Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Global Practices will assist in this process, including helping in the design of the specific CIIP intervention, leading multi sectorial teams.  At the technical level, the day-to-day operations and guidance of the CIIP will be the responsibility of the Chief Technical Specialist for Competitive Industries who will officially head the entire Program, reporting to the FPD VP. CIIP interventions require multi-sector expertise and on the ground presence, as well as extensive collaboration efforts within the WBG. CIIP, Trade and Microeconomics of Competitiveness There is strong demand for CIIP teams to support client countries to understand the factors impacting competitiveness in traded sectors, along with the prospects for diversification, and broadly the microeconomic agenda for growth. Requests are coming from all regional units, and they are often related to: • assessing the competitiveness of a country’s overall basket of exports as well as specific traded sectors, in terms of growth, orientation, diversification, quality, and survival. • analyze trade performance - through quantitative and qualitative approaches to analyzing the market and supply side factors that determine trade performance. • identify the main constraints to improved trade competitiveness and potential policy responses to overcome these constraints in specific industrial sectors and value chains

These requests usually fit within broader, complex and multi-sectoral operations, with a strong public-private sector focus, and as such require a suite of competencies ranging from technical analyses, policy design, stakeholders management and practical implementation support. 

Given the growing program, and relevance of this specific activity in CIIP operations, it will be necessary to have a Lead Specialist both to engage in day to day management of client engagements and to provide strategic oversight, quality control and expertise – leveraging and fostering strong linkages and collaboration with other trade related units within the WBG (e.g. IFC, PREM).

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 Lead Private Sector Specialist will report to the Chief Technical Specialist, Head, CIIP, and will work closely with the Head of the CI Practice hub in Singapore.

In most of its activities, the Lead Specialist would be paired with regional TTLs. There is no specific region of focus. He/she will:

• Serve as a senior authority in the development and implementation of programs relating to Competitive Industries, with a specific focus on trade dynamics and sector competitiveness.  • Support competitive industries programs worldwide and the competitive industries agenda by leading key knowledge initiatives, supporting regional operations / regional TTLs and Sector Managers, engaging in communication activities (e.g. PSD blog, articles, publications), in order to better service client countries and regional units and ensure thought leadership in the private sector development space. • Interact and partner with a wide variety of multi-sectoral staff and Managers in the World Bank Group, partner organizations, and external consultants. • Provide quality assurance for the preparation of policy notes / papers / briefs / presentations which analyze cross-cutting policy issues and implementation challenges in the CIIP space, and provide options and recommendations to client countries.  • Contribute in the development of the Bank’s Private Sector Development Strategy, particularly in ensuring that the strategy reflects specific challenges faced by the different regions and includes a sufficient focus on applicable development solutions.  • Actively contribute to knowledge sharing across the CIIP community, including through the provision of strategic inputs to the development of broad-based training/skills enhancement programs and delivery of “master classes” to advanced private sector professionals. • Professionally interacts with staff within the regional units, the FPD Global Practice groups, as well as with senior government officials, counterparts in international organizations and partner entities. • Pioneers new state-of-the-art techniques and applications in private sector development.

 Selection Criteria:

Competencies • Sector/Network Representation - Demonstrates ability to coordinate, participate in, and act as a catalyst for, strategic cross-sector dialogues within the network, across the country, among Bank colleagues and other development institutions, government, and other organizations.  • CMU/Sector Integration - Able to act as a facilitator for the sector teams and country units, as well as with clients, promoting integrated development solutions.  • Management and Quality - Able to effectively handle various managerial and administrative functions for the SMU and CMU, such as human resource management, staffing, budget management, administrative tasks, reporting, quality control, and mentoring.  • Project Design for Impact and Sustainability - IL - Gauges appropriately the time/resources required to undertake a specific reform,design a policy / program, or improve efficiency of key procedures/systems.  • Sector Dialogue - IL - Able to lead a broad dialogue with the client, including high-level officials, based on an understanding of the client's objectives and constraints.  • Operational Project Management - Demonstrates expert knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies; ability to manage complex, multi-functional, cross-regional projects/programs including managing relationships with stakeholders & counterparties.  • Operational Policies Application to the Project Cycle (fiduciary, disbursement, safeguard and GAC policies) - IL - Possesses a thorough understanding of fiduciary, disbursement, safeguard and GAC policies; able to identify key issues, conduct objective evaluation of non compliance, and devise recommendations to Bank management.  • Team Leadership - Demonstrates inspirational leadership combined with practical delivery of large-scale Bank initiatives; sought out to mentor other team leaders.  • Knowledge of Relevant Operational Policy and Associated Good Practices - DPL - Has an advanced understanding of all aspects of OP 8.60 and associated Good Practice Notes, including fiduciary aspects, disbursement arrangements, and risk assessment.  • Knowledge of Relevant Bank Procedures and Associated Guidance - DPL - Has an advanced understanding of all aspects of BP 8.60 and associated Good Practice Notes, including fiduciary aspects, disbursement arrangements, and risk assessment.  • ESW/TA Policy, Strategic and Technical Analysis for Country/Sector Issues - Leads through AAA work the analysis of key development issues; demonstrated ability to draw policy options underpinned by solid analytic basis and that are attuned to specific country circumstances.  • One FPD - FPD Knowledge & Experience - Demonstrates expert knowledge of financial and private sector development issues; leads strategic discussions dialogues with stakeholders and counterparties.  • Competitive Industries Knowledge and Experience - Demonstrates expert knowledge of the main issues of Competitive Industry; demonstrates significant private sector/competitive industry experience and leads policy dialogue with country clients  • 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.  • Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Demonstrates command of all forms of communication and presents in a clear, objective and engaging manner in high-level settings; ensures knowledge is captured and shared in a variety of ways.  • 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. Other Selection Criteria: Candidates must have the following technical qualifications: • Advanced degree in economics, business, technology policy, urban planning, architecture, or related discipline; minimum 12 years of relevant work experience. • At least 12 years of relevant professional experience, working in city or metropolitan administrations and/or organizations providing support to those administrations.  The selection committee will be looking particularly for demonstrated success and positive outcomes in those engagements, and for a key role played by the candidate • Knowledge of one or more further disciplines outside the core technical discipline.  Technical knowledge of spatial economics, urban economics, business administration, public sector management, change management, strategic planning will be preferred. • Experience in more than one region of work, in order to bring global knowledge. • Strong verbal and written communication skills. • Fluency in English is essential, and capacity in other widely-used languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish) is desired.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.  Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Candidates must have the following technical qualifications: • Advanced degree in economics, business, trade, or related discipline; minimum 12 years of relevant work experience. • At least 12 years of relevant professional experience, working in trade, industry, economic policy and planning ministries - or organizations providing support to those administrations.  The selection committee will be looking particularly for demonstrated success and positive outcomes in those engagements, and for a key role played by the candidate. • Recognized thought leadership in the core technical discipline, plus additional CIIP related disciplines (e.g. city competitiveness, public sector reforms, growth poles, zones). Well plugged-in, and with easy access to major thought leaders in the field - both academics and renowned practitioners.                      Demonstrated capacity to work as an integrator across sector boundaries and accomplished TTL in SDN or FPD • Experience in more than one region of work, in order to bring global knowledge. • Strong verbal and written communication skills. • Fluency in English is essential, and capacity in other widely-used languages (e.g., Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish) is desired.

Candidates should demonstrate excellence in the following qualitative characteristics: • Ability to generate new business. • Ability to deliver on time and in quality, through high standards, good organization and/or soft skills. • Ability to recognize and learn from failure as well as success • Ability to work with, and manage and lead, diverse team members and clients. • Knowledge of developing country conditions and challenges related to executing a trade competitiveness style agenda, plus ideas to overcome those constraints. • Ability to coach, mentor, and develop junior staff on their team and on the client’s team.

To see full Job Description please visit www.worldbank.org/careers .

Interested candidates are invited to apply to vacancy # 130480 on www.worldbank.org/careers.   

 This vacancy closes on 12 Mar 2013.  Only online applications submitted through our careers site will be admitted.