Economist

The World Bank
Washington, DC - United States
S: Competitive

Background / General description:

THE ROLE OF THE WBG IN TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS

Trade and Competitiveness (T&C) is a joint World Bank and IFC Global Practice, built 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 of about 500 staff working in over 80 locations around the world. T&C's current portfolio comprises about 100 World Bank active and pipeline lending operations, totaling $6.8 billion in commitments; and over 400 advisory and analytical activities and projects, totaling $376 million 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. Under trade, the global practice supports trade policy and cooperation, trade facilitation and logistics, trade performance, and competition policy. T&C's offering under investment climate covers business environment, indicator based reforms, as well as investment policy and promotion. 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.

T&C also focuses on five cross-cutting topics: global value chains, connecting to markets and opportunities, catalyzing firm productivity, private sector development in fragile and conflict states, and promoting green competitiveness.

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:

Trade and regional integration can play a critical role in growth and economic diversification in Africa. Yet the potential of trade in both goods and services continues to be undermined by a range of tariff, regulatory and administrative barriers. The Trade Economist will be a key member of Trade and Competitiveness (T&C) Southern Africa team, working with team leaders on various operational assignments, including lending activities, analytical reports and advisory services. He or she will be expected to grow during the role to lead important components of activities including being a task team leader for some projects. The individual will both broaden and deepen the Bank's trade agenda and enable the Practice to respond effectively to demand from African clients for analytical advice and technical assistance on trade and regional integration.
Duties will include, but are not be limited to, the following:
• Contribute to a range of client engagement activities including analytical and policy reports, lending and TA/advisory projects across all elements of the project cycle including project preparation, implementation support, and monitoring and evaluation. This would include leading and or being the primary author of chapters in diagnostic trade studies, regional and sub-regional trade analyses and trade competitiveness studies

• Lead or contribute to policy dialogue on trade and regional integration issues including provision of technical assistance

• Provide analytical support to staff in country units in Southern Africa in designing and implementing trade projects, in finding trust fund resources, in sharing findings across the trade practice and in wider dissemination.

• Supervise consultants as and when required to support achievement of the objectives defined above

• The selected candidate will be expected to write analytical and policy reports and take responsibility for important components of TA/advisory and lending projects.


Selection Criteria:

The position requires a motivated and seasoned private sector specialist with strong analytical and interpersonal skills, a commitment to work in a multi-sectoral environment, strong experience in operational and/or analytic support to client governments in a developing country context.

Requirements :

• Master degree in relevant fields (economics, trade, industrial organization) required, along
with relevant professional experience (minimum of 5 years), including on trade and competitiveness
issues.
• Strong analytical skills (quantitative and qualitative) and proven ability to conduct independent
policy-relevant research, translate theory into practical applications, and adapt professional
knowledge and technical skills to analyze, diagnose and propose solutions to policy issues and
challenges
• Broad knowledge of trade issues and extensive and proven experience with applied policy related trade analysis
• Policy Dialogue Skills Experience – The candidate is expected to contribute to policy dialogue at the higher level of government
• Ability to work across sectors – The candidate is expected to work within multi-sector teams and should be able to understand, conceptualize, and operationalize linkages between different policies and/or programs;
• 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 – The candidate should demonstrate strong client engagements skills
• Experience of working in Africa would be desirable but not essential.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a team environment with multiple priorities and tight deadlines. Strong analytical and organizational skills
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and oral. Demonstrated ability to take leadership and communicate ideas effectively under pressure. Knowledge of French and or Portuguese is desired but not required
• Willingness to travel extensively to Africa when required

Job summary