The EIB, the European Union’s bank, is seeking to recruit for its Secretariat General (SG), Economic Department (ECON), Economic Studies Division (ES) at its headquarters in Luxembourg, a (Associate) Economist.

This is a full-time position at grade 4/5 for which the EIB offers a permanent contract.

Panel interviews are anticipated from mid-September onwards.

Purpose

As an (Associate) Economist, you will apply economic analysis and knowledge to understand and report on investment, from a macroeconomic perspective as well as for specific assets or sectors. You will analyse the environment for investment in order to support the dialogue and design of policies aimed at supporting it, thereby contributing to strategic decision-making of the EIB.

Operating Network

The Economics Department provides impact-driven economic analysis to support the EIB in its operations, its global positioning and strategy and policy definition, both inside and outside the EU. It comprises three divisions – Economic Studies, Country and Financial Sector Analysis and Policy and Strategy and is part of the EIB’s Secretariat General, responsible for the EIB’s overall strategy formulation.

The Economic Studies Division is in charge of the EIB investment report and the EIB Investment Survey. It conducts economic research and analysis based on the EIB investment survey and other statistical sources to understand the factors impeding and supporting investment. The findings and conclusions are communicated through various channels, such as official publications, research papers and contributions to events and conferences.

Specific Post Environment

Working in a group of about 40 economists in the Department and reporting to the Head of Division, you will communicate directly with Department management and EIB front-line staff, and external counterparts. You will carry out structural economic analysis on topics with high relevance for EIB, mostly related to investment and investment finance. Topics such as productivity, innovation, digitalisation, competitiveness and robotization will be key components of your portfolio. In line with the matrix structure of the department, you will also contribute to the work of the two other divisions, for example monitoring the macroeconomic and financial situation in EU as well as non–EU countries and conducting impact assessment of the policies implemented.

Accountabilities

• Prepare economic and financial analysis on topics of critical importance to the EIB and impacting operational strategies and policies (e.g. investment, investment finance, innovation, digitalisation, robotization, R&D and patenting, determinants of productivity, competitiveness, etc);
• Contribute to the understanding and analysis of the transformations implied by digitalisation, robotization, artificial intelligence, as an economist. Cooperate with other team members in integrating these considerations into the various work-streams of the department, for example related to productivity, labour market and skills or competitiveness;
• Contribute to the EIB Investment Report, the EIB flagship publication on Investment in Europe and other research products of the Department, with original research, particularly contributing to the work stream on the digital and innovative economy;
• Work to further develop the EIB Investment Survey, contributing to survey developments, analytical work, presentation and EIB focused strategic analysis based on the survey;
• Identify clear links between economic analysis and policy and strategy priorities for the EIB, keeping in mind past achievements and future trends;
• Participate in the drafting of key policy papers and reports for senior management and general use;
• Participate in the design and organization of roundtables, conferences, seminars and events and support the dissemination of information inside and outside the bank.

Qualifications

• University degree (minimum an equivalent to a Bachelor). A PhD or Masters in Economics or other related field plus additional relevant academic or work experience is highly preferred.
• Minimum 3 years of solid experience in applied economic research (experience gained during PhD can be considered relevant);
• Broad knowledge of the most common areas of economics such as international trade, economic growth, foreign trade and industrial economics;
• Good understanding of the transformations induced by the transition towards a digital and innovative economy, in terms of macroeconomic environment, sectoral implications, impact on firms’ dynamics and competitiveness and demand for external finance;
• Good knowledge of applied quantitative methods, data analysis and estimation techniques; Capacity to code with some software such as STATA, R, EVIEWS, MATLAB or PYTHON or similar;
• Research experience with firm level data (ORBIS and/or surveys) would be an advantage;
• Excellent knowledge of English and/or French (*), with a good command of the other. Knowledge of other EU languages would be an advantage.

Competencies

Find out more about EIB core competencies here

(*) Unless stated explicitly as a required qualification, a good command of French is not a pre-requisite for hire. As both English and French are however official working languages of the EIB, proficiency in both languages is a pre-requisite for your future career development. Any language clause in your contract must be fulfilled in order for you to be eligible for a promotion (either via the annual appraisal cycle or via an internal selection process). Proficiency is understood to mean the attainment of level 5 of the Inter Institutional language courses, corresponding to B1.2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL). The Bank offers appropriate training support.

We are an equal opportunities employer, who believes that diversity is good for our people and our business. We encourage all suitably qualified and eligible candidates to apply regardless of their gender identity/expression, age, racial, ethnic and cultural background, religion and beliefs, sexual orientation/identity, disability or neurodiversity.

Applicants with specific needs are encouraged to request reasonable accommodations at any stage during the recruitment process. Please contact the EIB Recruitment team [email protected] who will ensure that your request is handled.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge the importance of maintaining the security and integrity of the Information of the EIB Group. In case of selection for the position you agree to comply with all measures (policies, controls, document classification and management) implemented by the EIB Group to prevent unauthorised disclosure of any information or any damage to the EIB Group reputation.

Deadline for applications: 1^st September 2023

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