Principal - Competition Economist

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
London - United Kingdom
S: N/A

Purpose of Job

The Principal Economist, Competition Economist is a member of the Sector Economics and Policy (SEP) pillar in the Economics, Policy and Governance department (EPG) in VP Policy and Partnership and plays a core role in implementing the Bank's mandate to promote transition in the EBRD's countries of operations (COOs) with a focus on competition policy. Working in close cooperation with the Banking department and other Bank groups (Credit, ESD, E2C2, OGC, OCE) he/she designs, assesses and monitors projects that achieve high transition impact mainly in industry, commerce and agribusiness (ICA) sectors and engages in related policy dialogue activities. This could specifically include projects in regulated sectors, such as telecommunications, pharmaceutical industries and healthcare. The Principal Economist contributes to Country Diagnostic Studies and provides sector-wide assessments of "transition qualities" and "reform challenges" in each of the COOs in the regions they cover, which are used to identify operational priorities in sector and country strategies and to focus sector policy dialogue.

Accountabilities & Responsibilities

• Provides expert economics input to drive forward specific sector or other relevant policies such as competition or innovation, through strategy papers and policy engagement activities in the EBRD COOs;
• In line with the Bank's Transition mandate, designs, appraises and monitors individual investment projects and TCs for their impact on transition and monitors the sector portfolio for transition performance, through engagement with Banking project teams and due diligence visits to the region;
• As part of the Bank's Scorecard, accountable in their area of sector responsibility for transition ratings and monitoring of transition impact benchmarks, covering both projects for OpsCom, SBIC, etc., transition-related TCs and the regular review of the EBRD transition quality indicators and Assessment of Transition Qualities (ATQs);
• He/she contributes to the Country Diagnostics Studies and may also be responsible for the delivery of specific sector policy or other relevant objectives such as competition or innovation policies;
• Responsible for associated input into management briefing for Board and other Committee meetings, including DAQ responses and, on occasion, bespoke papers, presentations or other inputs for such Committees;
• Responsible for input in their area of expertise to briefing notes and presentations for the VP Policy and Partnerships senior management (or alternate's) contributions to ExCom, SP Com and RiskCom deliberations;
• Monitors and assesses reform progress in the assigned sector or transition quality of the Bank's countries of operation; identifies potential improvements and engages in policy dialogue discussions at technical level;
• On occasion represents the Bank at sector level or on other relevant topic such as competition or innovation and contributes technical input to relevant fora (conferences, dialogues with IFI counterparts, government officials, think tanks, etc.) to develop and spread best practices and key findings;
• Supports the sector analyst by giving them analytical tasks and guiding their outputs, in conjunction with management by the Associate Director, Lead Sector Economist.
• Champion and role model the Bank's Behavioural Competencies and Corporate Behaviours, ensuring adherence within the team(s) so that the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct are exhibited at all times

Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• A postgraduate degree in economics or related field from a leading university; a PhD in economics and a strong focus on microeconomics (e.g. industrial organisation, competition policy) would be an advantage
• Sound sector knowledge in industry, commerce and agribusiness and work experience, gained for example through full-time employment in a relevant governmental institution, consultancy/company, think tank or academia; an experience in innovation or competition policies, or regulated sectors such as ICT and pharma/healthcare, would be an advantage.
• Proven analytical and quantitative skills;
• Ability to operate in a multicultural environment and build effective working relationships with internal/external clients and colleagues
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English at the standard required for a professional publication, official documents and official representation.
• Familiarity with the EBRD region of operations and work or study experience in the region is helpful
• Knowledge of one or more languages of the region is an advantage.

Diversity is one of the Bank's core values which are at the heart of everything it does. A diverse workforce with the right knowledge and skills enables connection with our clients, brings pioneering ideas, energy and innovation. The EBRD staff is characterised by its rich diversity of nationalities, cultures and opinions and we aim to sustain and build on this strength. As such, the EBRD seeks to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities and works in an inclusive environment. The EBRD encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of the EBRD member countries to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities.

Job summary