Senior Economist - The World Bank - Washington, DC

Established in 1944, the WBG is the one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2014, the WBG committed $61.0 million in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $22.2 million was concessional financing to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff globally.

The vision of the World Bank Group (WBG) is the eradication of extreme poverty by reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to 3 percent by 2030, and the promotion of shared prosperity by fostering income growth of the bottom 40 percent in each country. To achieve that vision, in 2013 the WBG Board of Governors approved a strategy for the organization. The strategy leverages the combined strength of the WBG institutions and their ability to partner with the public and private sectors to deliver customized development solutions backed by finance, world class knowledge and convening services. It has three components: (1) maximizing development impact by engaging country clients in identifying and tackling the most difficult development challenges; (2) promoting scaled-up partnerships that are strategically aligned with the goals; and (3) crowding in public and private resources, expertise and ideas.

On July 1, 2014, the WBG launched the architecture underpinning the strategy and instrumental to its success: the new fourteen Global Practices and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas that, in concert with the WBG regions, will design solutions to address clients’ most pressing developmental challenges, and ultimately, enable the WBG to meet its twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The Education Practice along with Health Nutrition and Population (HNP), Social Protection, Labor and Jobs (SPLJ) are part of the Human Development Practice Group (HDPG).

EDUCATION GLOBAL PRACTICE CONTEXT

Education is central to achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals: it is a reliable route out of poverty because it has large and consistent returns to income for individuals and because it can drive economic growth. It is also a prime vehicle for promoting shared prosperity. The main challenge in the education sector is to achieve “learning for all, learning for lifeâ€â€”that is, to ensure that all children and young people acquire the knowledge and skills they need for their lives and livelihoods. The developing world has achieved great advances in education in the past two decades, most notably in enrolling and keeping children in school and in approaching gender equality. Yet these successes in expanding access to education have highlighted the major remaining challenges: how to remove the educational barriers faced by the poorest people and those living in fragile states, and how to improve the quality of education so that schooling leads to real learning. The WBG and the broader education development community are increasingly shifting focus to learning outcomes. Because traditional input-driven programs often fail to promote learning, the WBG’s education strategy highlights the need for a more comprehensive systems approach to education reform, investments, and service delivery. This approach is about increasing accountability and targeting results, as a complement to providing inputs. And it also requires strengthening the knowledge base on education, to highlight where systems are achieving results, where they are falling short, and what the most effective solutions are. These efforts are increasingly guided by the need to invest early; invest smartly; and invest for all. Through high-quality analytical work, collection and curation of evidence, and practical know-how in these three areas, the WBG is helping its partner countries accelerate their educational progress

The Education Global Practice is led by a Senior Director, who has overall responsibility for the practice. The Senior Director is assisted by the Director, who serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Practice. The Education Global Practice Management Team, which is the group that leads and manages the GP, consists of the Senior Director, the Director and seven Practice Managers.

REGIONAL/COUNTRY/GLOBAL UNIT CONTEXT

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region covers Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Jordan,

Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, the Gulf States, Syria, Tunisia, West Bank and Gaza (Palestinian territories) and Yemen.

These countries include low-income and middle-income countries that look for technical advice and financial support, and high income countries that request Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS). The MENA region has been undergoing major changes over the past several years and the World Bank is poised to support the countries in the region to achieve peace and stability for economic and social development. MENA countries have placed a renewed emphasis on education as a priority for development. The Bank’s MENA region has also placed education at the heart of its engagement as a critical part of its strategy in supporting countries rebuild trust between citizens and the state, promoting regional cooperation, building resilience in countries amidst the growing refugee challenges in the region, and supporting recovery and reconstruction. As a result the education portfolio has been growing.

Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region have taken great strides in education in the past few decades, but challenges remain, particularly in the areas of education quality, inequality, governance and accountability, and the relevance of skills for the labor market. The Education Global Practice (GEDDR) in MENA focuses on helping countries build the human and social capital required for economic growth and social development by providing analytical and knowledge products, technical and financial support, as well as advisory services through various instruments including credits (Low-income countries), loans (Middle Income Countries) and Reimbursable Advisory Services (High Income Countries). Specifically the unit supports countries in developing and implementing strategies to ensure quality education and learning at all levels of education from childhood to tertiary. Teams in the unit work closely with countries to improve their systems of delivery, promoting greater equity in education opportunities, fostering better management and accountability at the centralized and decentralized level as well as in schools. Different instruments are used to build the knowledge base, build capacity and ensure a focus on results. GEDDR in MENA works closely with other World Bank regional Education Global Practices, as well as other Global Practices in MENA.

We are seeking a Senior Economist to join our team. We have a growing pipeline of operations and analytical work and the candidate will be expected to lead policy dialogue and cutting edge analytical work as well as technical assistance. Tasks will include Public Expenditure Reviews, assessments in particular education areas or subsectors as well as complex operations using a results based approach and focusing on key reform areas to improve quality and relevance of education. Some of the key areas the region is focusing on include: Early Childhood Development (ECD), teacher policies, curriculum reform, skills development/TVET, and higher education. The candidate is expected to work with other relevant GPs and CCSAs as well as with IFC. The candidate will also contribute to the regional initiatives including the Education for Competitiveness (E4C) initiative and the regional approach to education and refugees. The candidate will also contribute to the design and implementation of a MENA region research program that aims to build the analytical underpinnings for education in the region to help inform policies and projects including a flagship report and a regional capacity building program.

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

The selected Senior Economist will be based in DC and report to the Practice Manager for Education in the MENA Region. S/he will be a highly motivated and dynamic professional, with very solid analytical, advisory and lending operational skills, excellent client engagement and team spirit skills and knowledge of key education issues.

S/he will be expected to produce independently important and complex policy reports and take responsibility over important components of TA/advisory and lending projects, as well as lead lending operations and policy work. He or she will be expected to lead client dialogue at the highest level.

The successful candidate will:

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Lead and contribute to cutting edge analytical work and operations in a diverse set of countries

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Foster strong working relationships with other GPs and CCSAs

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Lead policy dialogue with clients in low, middle, and high income countries and work closely with development partners

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Contribute to MENA regional initiatives on education and help develop new areas for regional work

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Lead/organize/participate in meetings with partners and clients at HQs and on missions.

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Lead/ contribute to business development in MENA countries.

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Mentor junior team members in the delivery of the program.

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Respond to ad-hoc and urgent requests from education GP management (such as preparing presentations, needed studies, etc.).

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Perform other tasks as needed include developing proposals, preparing new projects, events and conferences.

Criteria

General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills – Possesses a track record of intellectual leadership and ability to integrate economic-specific knowledge and specific micro/sector fields of expertise; provides quality assurance and assesses technical soundness of work/reports.

Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Influences the design and execution of major policy and/or research initiatives; conceives and promotes innovations in development policies, project design, organization and management to improve operational and sector work.

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.

Integrative Skills – Possesses in-depth understanding of Bank resources in all areas of work in the network, and proven fungibility.

Written and Verbal Communication – Demonstrates a strong command of all forms of communication and delivers messages in a consistently effective, timely and engaging manner.

Client Orientation – Translates insight into practice across disciplines, hierarchies, geographies and organizational units in service of clients.

Drive for Results – Ensures successful implementation and delivery of key programs and projects, ensuring that outputs positively impact results.

Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion – Creates a team climate of practical and innovative action, facilitating collaboration between competing interests and stakeholders.

Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making – Serves as a trusted advisor to others on their decisions, ensuring alignment across units and optimal impact on the organization as a whole.

Other Selection Criteria

Advanced degree preferably a PhD in Economics, or equivalent, and at least 7 years of experience in development.

Proven skills in managing and exploiting large datasets; undertaking econometric analysis in the social sectors, preferably related to education or labor markets; preparation of reports and literature review.

Demonstrated combination of analytical rigor and practical and solution oriented approaches, including ability to contextualize research findings and apply them to specific country contexts.

Excellent writing skills and ability to convey complex technical ideas to a non-specialist audience.

Knowledge and experience in education reform as well as in project management.

Strong client orientation and excellent interpersonal skills. Proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively across within and across sector boundaries, inspire commitment to excellence and teamwork, and to liaise tactfully as a member of a multicultural team.

High levels of energy, initiative, and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements.

Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to country and management requests, and set priorities for self and others.

Fluency in English. Working proficiency in Arabic and/or French highly desirable.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in race, gender, nationality, culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.