Senior Economist

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

Background

THE WORLD BANK GROUP :

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2014, the WBG committed $65.6 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $22.2 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and – as of July 1, 2014 – has introduced fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

THE ROLE OF THE WBG IN TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS GLOBAL PRACTICE:

Recent decades have seen a massive expansion of global trade and investment, generating new opportunities for private sector job creation and growth, and transforming the development landscape for World Bank Group clients. The joint Trade and Competitiveness Global Practice — combining teams from the World Bank, IFC, and MIGA — provides a comprehensive array of solutions to support the efforts of client governments to integrate into the global economy and develop competitive private sectors. The Global Practice works to increase international trade and investment and boost competitiveness not as an end in itself, but as a means of achieving the World Bank Group goals of ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity. This involves working closely with public and private sectors, a wide range of global partners, and across the World Bank Group.
Trade and Competitiveness (T&C) brings together around 500 professionals in the field of trade, investment, innovation, and private sector development, with extensive policy expertise, sector-specific knowledge, and practical experience in implementation. With half of its staff global specialists, and the other half serving in the regions, T&C has a wide footprint across the globe. Offering an integrated package of solutions—including policy advice, technical assistance, financing, and capacity building—the practice brings global knowledge to designing and implementing of projects tailored to the specific needs of client countries, whether fast-growing emerging economies, middle income countries, or fragile or conflict-affected states.

INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Under innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E), T&C helps strengthening innovation and technology policies, and promoting entrepreneurship and SME development. The goal is to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in the private sector for sustainable growth, jobs and inclusion in our client countries. In order to do so, its mission is to assist stakeholders build innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems at the economy, industry and firm level, foster internal and external collaboration, and deliver a robust program of knowledge and learning. Specifically, I&E's strategic areas are:

• Innovation and Productivity - Enhancing firm capabilities and the innovation ecosystem to improve productivity and economic growth
• Entrepreneurship and SME growth - Developing entrepreneurial capabilities to enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem and facilitate firm growth
In addition, T&C offering in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship is enriched through joint work with other GPs, CCSAs, IFC, and MIGA.

Duties

The Senior Economist will work closely with the T&C Practice Manager for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. He/she will:
• Contribute significantly to the work program of the I&E unit
• Provide strategic cross support to regional units on lending operations and a broad range of analytical and advisory services
• Participate in existing and new global engagements in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship
• Support the definition of new strategic areas of intervention
• Play a key role in the implementation of innovation and entrepreneurship programs, advise borrowers and colleagues on I&E related topics, supervise the work of consultants and other economists to ensure consistency and conformity to Bank standards; evaluate assigned economic work program and related project documentation (e.g. substantial components of economic/sector/lending/ research work for important country/policy projects and issues).
• Actively contribute to the development and dissemination of analytical work and operationally-relevant products to strengthen the knowledge base of the WBG on policies and programs to foster innovation and entrepreneurship
• Play an active role as member of a global T&C Innovation and Entrepreneurship core team and ensure optimal client response, knowledge generation and dissemination of best practice on innovation and entrepreneurship policies across countries and regions.
• Contribute to country and sector strategy; and make recommendations on strategies and policy options for member countries.

Criteria

A competitive candidate for the Senior Economist position will possess the following:
• Advanced degree, preferably in economics with at least 10 years of related work experience, or a minimum of 12 years of experience if the candidate holds only a master's degree on economics, public policy or closely related field.
• In-depth knowledge innovation and entrepreneurship policy areas (innovation, productivity, entrepreneurship, SME growth, R&D policy) and capacity to influence policy discussions at the country level
• Ability to integrate innovation and entrepreneurship policies within broader multi-sectoral approaches
• Demonstrated track record with delivering high quality analytical work and lending operations (including development policy loans), including complex operations, and a track record of publications.
• Ability to understand and analyze complex policy problems and develop innovative approaches.
• Demonstrated experience with the design and implementation of policies and programs to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, in particular mechanisms for innovation and venture financing, technology transfer and commercialization, technology extension or SME support.
• Capacity to contribute to new innovative programs in the areas of innovation and/or entrepreneurship
• Fluency in English is essential, and capacity in other widely-used languages (e.g. Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish) is desired

Job summary