Economist – Poverty Reduction
Washington DC, United States
Washington DC, United States
JOB DETAIL
Description
Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. Visit www.worldbank.org.
Poverty Global Practice
The Poverty and Equity Global Practice, part of the Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions vice-presidency, plays a key role in supporting the World Bank Group’s goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. It generates knowledge and dialogue and supports operational solutions, focusing on poverty monitoring and statistical capacity building, markets and institutions, fiscal and social policy, and resilience to shocks and sustainability. The practice is organized into seven regionally-oriented units—EAP, ECA, LAC, MNA, SAR and two in AFR—each managed by a Practice Manager. The development and flow of global knowledge within the practice is facilitated through five cross-cutting thematic lines, each of which is led by a thematic Global Lead Economist. These are: (1) data for policy analysis; (2) markets and institutions for poverty reduction and shared prosperity; (3) fiscal and social policy for poverty reduction and shared prosperity; (4) welfare implications of fragility and conflict risks; and (5) welfare implications of climate change. Every member of the practice is affiliated with, participates in and contributes to the work of at least one of the thematic lines. In addition, the practice takes the lead in two corporate priority areas: (a) Data for Goals; and (b) Systematic Country Diagnostics.
Algeria and Libya Poverty and Equity Programs
The poverty programs in Algeria and Libya aim to produce solid evidence to be used by policy makers, the World Bank, and other stakeholders to strengthen the poverty and equity impacts of policies and reforms and increase the inclusiveness of economic growth. The poverty work is structured around three main set of activities: (i) Analytical work on poverty, inequality, and labor markets; (ii) statistical capacity dialogue with the statistics office; and (iii) operational engagement with the country team to bring a distributional lens to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the World Bank portfolio.
Duties and Accountabilities
We are looking for an Economist to be based in Washington DC to lead the Algeria and Libya program. Like all members of the Poverty GP, the selected candidate will also be encouraged to support the global knowledge base of the practice. In particular, the candidate will have the following duties:
- Proactively engage with other global practices and the Country Management Unit (CMU) to enhance the poverty and shared prosperity focus of the various World Bank programs in Algeria and Libya.
- Play an active role in the engagement (including technical assistance, capacity building and policy dialogue) with senior government officials and development partners, encouraging them to adopt an evidence-based approach to policymaking.
- Conduct micro-econometric analysis and prepare analytical papers on issues related to poverty, inequality, labor markets, and on the welfare consequences of policies and reforms.
- Provide technical assistance to survey data collection (phone surveys; household surveys), statistical modernization of the Algeria and Libya statistics offices.
- Collaborate with operational teams, particularly on aspects of targeting and enhancing operational efficiency through improved monitoring.
- Willingness to travel frequently to Algeria and Libya and spend a significant amount of time at the country office to advance the dialogue with counterparts and the poverty engagement with the county office.
Selection Criteria
We are looking for a technically competent micro-economist with a demonstrated track record in country dialogue, sound analytical work, excellent judgment, and experience in working closely with clients to tailor analytical and/or statistical advisory services and operations. Candidates with strong client engagement skills, demonstrated effectiveness in working collaboratively with teams from multiple practices will be given special preference. Prior exposure to and experience with labor market diagnostics, fiscal incidence analysis, survey implementation, gender analysis, and working with statistical agencies on the development and implementation of statistical strengthening plans are highly desired.
Minimum Education/Experience
- Master’s degree (PhD preferred) in (empirical) economics, public policy, statistics, or other related field, with a strong quantitative background and at least 5 years of relevant professional experience.
Other Selection Criteria
- Demonstrated ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with government clients and development partners.
- Program management skills and experience – someone with hands on delivery skills.
- Strong analytical skills and experience of policy influencing/engagement.
- Strong track record of leading or substantially contributing to reports in fields related to poverty, inequality, labor markets and statistics.
- Experience implementing statistical capacity building programs or dialogue on statistics with National Statistics Offices.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.
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