Lead Economist

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

Background / General description:

World Bank. Innovation and partnership bond the five institutions of the World Bank Group (WBG): the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank Group is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data.

DECPG. The Development Prospects Group (DECPG) provides timely analysis of global economic and financial developments, and their impact on the member countries of the WBG. Internally, it informs and helps define policy positions of the WBG and provides technical support for WBG operations. Externally, DECPG is expected to influence global policy debates on major macroeconomic and development issues. In fulfilling this objective, DECPG leads the WBG's monitoring, analyzing, and forecasting work in global macroeconomics. It produces topical and policy-oriented analytical work, including the semi-annual WBG corporate flagship Global Economic Prospects report and the Commodity Markets Outlook report. In addition, DECPG produces a wide range of analytical studies that appear as working papers, policy notes, and research publications in scientific journals, conference volumes, and book chapters.

Lead Economist (GH) Position. The Development Prospects Group (DECPG) is looking for a highly competent professional to be the Lead Economist for a dynamic team of researchers with the following main tasks.
• Lead major reports of research on topical issues that are of high concern to policy makers in emerging market and developing economies.
These reports are founded on strong analytical content, using state-of-the-art time econometric techniques, and will require a deep familiarity with topical issues in the current global policy debate.
• Lead analytical chapters for the Global Economic Prospects (GEP), a World Bank corporate flagship report.
• Guide and contribute to research program on topics related to commodity markets.
• Provide analytically-founded support for Senior Management and other parts of the World Bank Group.

The successful candidate will be an integral member of the staff, working closely with the Director and senior staff.

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.

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:

Under the direction of the DECPG Management Team, the Lead Economist will work closely with DECPG staff in the following areas:

• Provide intellectual guidance and leadership for multi-topic reports on policy-relevant issues, well-grounded in macroeconomic theory and supported by cutting-edge econometric, mostly time-series, techniques. These reports will be produced on a tight timeline, in an easily accessible format for a wide range of readers.
• Provide high-quality analytical chapters for the Global Economic Prospects report and guide analytical work on commodity markets.
• Nurture a high-skilled, responsive team with the capability and flexibility to respond to changing thematic focus of the flagship reports as well as clients' needs, including those of the Director Senior Management.
• Continuously renew and upgrade DECPG's expertise and analysis in the area of economic modeling and macroeconomic analysis at the global, regional, and country levels.
• Collaborate with other DEC departments, the Regions, Global Practices, and various experts in order to play an active and leading role in DECPG's and the World Bank's analysis of economic and poverty trends, structural reforms, remittances and other capital flows, and various development outcomes.
• Work as a key member of DECPG's management team.


Selection Criteria:

• Master's degree with 12 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience (Ph.D. in Economics and a strong record of academic publications strongly preferred).
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with quantitative analysis and modelling techniques, in particular strong time-series econometric skills.
• Record of contributions to flagship publications and policy-oriented publications.
• Demonstrated ability to guide the analytical work of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

Competencies
• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills—Possesses a track record of intellectual leadership and ability to produce policy-relevant analytical work; provides quality assurance and assesses technical soundness of work/reports.
• Policy Dialogue Skills—Has a track record of conducting effective policy dialogue with country counterparts; communicates and defends difficult issues and positions to senior bank management and government officials.
• Research Temperament/Intellectual Curiosity—Has the curiosity, drive, and maturity to uncover complex and sometimes overlooked questions and perspectives.
• Economic Report Writing—Has track record of professional expertise and ability to deliver well-articulated policy-relevant products.
• Written and Verbal Communication—Demonstrates a strong command of all forms of communication and delivers messages in a consistently effective, timely and engaging manner.
• Lead and Innovate—Inspires and influences others to drive innovation.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries—Leads collaboration across WBG and with partners drawing on robust professional networks.
• Leadership within the Profession and Bank—Has a significant volume of professional publications (including articles, books, and book chapters, as well as refereed papers in top development, professional thematic, and policy journals)

Job summary