Senior Economist

Background / General description:

The Africa Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Department (AFTP2) is seeking to hire a highly motivated GG level Senior Economist to be posted in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Africa Region of the World Bank covers 47 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.  As reflected in the Africa Action Plan, Bank support aims at: strengthening the results framework for achieving impact at the country level; building capable states and improving governance; supporting the drivers of growth; ensuring that the benefits from growth are shared broadly; and leveraging IDA assistance by strengthening partnerships.  To this end, the Region has an active and diverse work program encompassing significant IDA operations, HIPC debt relief, a diverse program of analytical work, and a large portfolio of almost 400 projects under supervision.  The Region has been at the forefront of work on PRSPs and accompanying PRSCs; and post-conflict countries.  Bank support to clients in the area of natural resources management is expanding rapidly as only 5 countries in Africa are not involved in the exploration or production of natural resources. Over 1,400 staff work in the Region; and more than 50 percent are based in the 37 country offices.  The core values guiding our work are passion for our mission of sustainable poverty reduction, putting the needs of the client at the center of all our activities, trust and respect as a common currency, intellectual rigor and curiosity, honesty and integrity, teamwork, and openness to learning and the courage to admit we do not always have the answer.

The Africa Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Group (AFR PREM) plays a key role in implementing the Africa strategy. It has particularly significant responsibilities in strengthening efforts to: support shared growth; build sustainable and effective institutions; and deepen results orientation. The Senior Economist would be part of AFTP2 sector unit, the home of PREM staff providing lending and non-lending services in support of growth and poverty reduction in seven East African countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia). The unit supports the country programs managed by three Country Directors who are located in country offices along with about three-quarters of the PREM team. The work program of the Unit is expanding as a result of increased demand in country programs for both analytical and operational work in the areas of economic policy, governance, poverty, and statistical capacity building.

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:

• Task manage analytical products or contribute inputs to them, working with local research teams and helping them to engage with senior country officials, other in-country stakeholders and development partners in policy dialogue on a range of issues: poverty, inequality, labor, and crisis impacts;
• Provide cutting-edge technical support to country counterparts on household survey design, poverty and inequality measurement and monitoring, and other elements of capacity building for poverty analysis in country. This will include developing, testing and taking to scale the use of innovative IT solutions for poverty monitoring/social accountability;
• Share/disseminate good technical practice and sound poverty analysis to country counterparts and other stakeholders, in country;
• Foster and engage in dialogue with country team colleagues and country counterparts on poverty and inequality measurement and monitoring, analytical findings related to poverty, inequality, and labor, and on strengthening of poverty reduction programs and policy, in particular social protection work;
• Contribute to increased integration of poverty analysis–or poverty focus– in PREM and other sector products;
• Work with colleagues on the poverty team and other parts of the Bank in sharing knowledge and experience as well as participate in regional poverty and inequality work;
• The selected candidate would focus on a subset of the countries covered by AFTP2 including at least Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan, as well as engage in regional analytical tasks in the area of poverty dynamics.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced degree in economics (PhD preferred) and at least 8 years of relevant experience;
• Knowledge and experience with poverty measurement and analysis, and poverty mapping, is essential;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English;
• Strong analytical background and experience in microeconomic analysis, including empirical analysis of large micro datasets;
• Experience in the collection of household survey data, and experience in advising national statistical agencies in methodology of survey work;
• Record of delivering analytical products with policy relevance for developing countries;
• Established track record in leading tasks, working with limited supervision and meeting deadlines;
• Ability to work well with clients, including a track record of policy dialogue and capacity-building among clients; and
• Ability to work well in a team environment and across sector and country boundaries

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)
• Team Leadership - Leads teams to achieve objectives, providing the needed direction and structure, and resolving problems of both a technical and interpersonal nature. 
• 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. 

Interested candidates are invited to apply to vacancy # 132042 on www.worldbank.org/careers.    This vacancy closes on September 21, 2013.  Only online applications submitted through our careers site will be admitted. 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.