Senior Economist

Background / General description:

* Staff should be aware that under Staff Rule 5.01, the minimum time in assignment shall be for two years for staff in positions at grades GA-GE, three years for staff in positions at grades GF-GG and four years for staff in positions at grades GH or higher in regional vice-presidential units, unless otherwise agreed with the staff member's manager.

** The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of race, gender, nationality, culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

The Office of the Chief Economist for the Latin American and Caribbean Region of the World Bank (LCRCE) is seeking a Senior Economist with strong analytical skills and flexibility to undertake policy-applied research on economic development issues, with emphasis on labor markets, households or firm behavior and their connection to trade, technological change, and growth.

The Office of the Chief Economist for the Latin American and the Caribbean Region is in charge of:

Leading and managing region-wide analytical work and conferences, and organizing and managing the yearly flagship publication and the Regional Studies program.
Contributing with the Regional Management Team to defining the strategic orientation and focus of policy dialogue, analytical work and operations in the region.
Contributing to the Country Units' policy dialogue in cross-cutting economic development issues.
Providing quality enhancement services to analytical and advisory activities (AAA) and lending operations initiated in the region.
Representing the Bank in regional academic and policy gatherings.
Representing the region within the Bank and in other academic and policy discussions in OECD countries on issues related to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contributing to the main publications of the Bank with the regional perspective.
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 Senior Economist reports to the Chief Economist and Deputy Chief Economist for Latin America and the Caribbean. He/she will contribute to all the activities of the unit in his/her areas of expertise. His/her work will focus on strategic, analytical and policy matters of relevance for the economic and social development of Latin American and the Caribbean, particularly labor market issues. His/her functions are to:

Initiate, design, lead, manage, supervise and/or coordinate team work as part of the analytical and advisory activities of the Regional Chief Economist Office, including the Regional Studies and Conference Program, with emphasis on labor markets and related development issues.
Author or co-author papers of publishable quality in refereed journals, in line with the work program of the Regional Chief Economist Office.
Provide senior advice and quality enhancement services (as commentator or peer reviewer) to analytical and advisory activities as well as to lending operations in the region.
Work closely with other sector and country units in the Latin American and the Caribbean Region and elsewhere in the Bank, especially with Sector and Country Lead Economists as well as with Sector Lead Specialists, towards developing a policy-relevant research agenda, and disseminating its results.
At the request of the Regional Chief Economist or the Deputy Chief Economist, participate in the elaboration and/or discussion of relevant Bank-wide reports and publications initiated by other regional and anchor units in the Bank, especially by the Development Economics Research Group (DECRG), such as the World Development Report, Global Development Horizons, and Global Economic Prospects.
Support the Regional Vice President's Office, at the request of the Regional Chief Economist, with technical and policy briefs, speaking notes, representation in meetings, etc.
Provide input and support (by being a team member or team leader) to selected analytical or operational work of strategic relevance for the region that is undertaken outside of the Regional Chief Economist Office, as agreed to with the Regional Chief Economist and senior regional management, and in collaboration with Lead, Country or Sector Economists.
Participate on behalf of the Region and at the request of the Regional Chief Economist in conferences, seminars and workshops, especially to present and disseminate analytical work developed along the above lines.

Selection Criteria:

Masters in Economics (Ph. D Preferred) with at least 8 years of relevant work experience.
Demonstrated analytical and technical skills in policy-applied research, with emphasis on labor markets, household survey data, or firm dynamics as evidenced by a solid publication record in peer reviewed journals.
Capacity to provide strategic vision and motivate action in line with it.
Solid understanding and experience with quantitative methods in economics and their applications.
Flexibility to undertake analysis in a variety of economic development areas beyond the candidate's main area of expertise.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Superior interpersonal skills, with the capacity to build consensus and influence without formal authority and across organizational boundaries.
Strong commitment to team work and knowledge sharing.
Demonstrated ability to lead and work in multidisciplinary teams on complex intellectual projects.
Ability to coach, mentor, and develop more junior staff.
Ability to bridge between academics, policy makers, and practitioners, and to translate rigorous analysis into sound policy recommendations.
Energy, collegiality, and a natural appetite to expand the Bank's contribution to the development process.
Fluency in English. Fluency in Spanish or Portuguese is highly desirable.
In addition to the above, the successful candidate must demonstrate the following competencies:
General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills - Possesses Cross-country knowledge in economic specialty and demonstrates ability to link the macro, institutional, and micro-level behaviors; able to support findings/policy recommendations with credible analysis and tools.
Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
Technical and Quantitative Skills as an Applied Development Microeconomist - Able to lead/participate in projects related to poverty and inequality reduction, poverty and welfare measurement, national development strategies, monitoring, information and evaluation systems, impact evaluation, and related areas.
Written and Verbal Communication - Demonstrates the ability to influence and persuade others to accept ideas and suggestions (such as counterparts in government, international partner organizations, academia, and Bank colleagues, senior staff and managers)
Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.
Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
Note: Applicants should include, as part of their application, a list of publications and other written work of which they are the primary author.