Economist

Economist

Job #:

req22430

Organization:

World Bank

Sector:

Economics

Grade:

GF

Term Duration:

3 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:

International Recruitment

Location:

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):

English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:

5/12/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

WORLD BANK GROUP CONTEXT

Development data - data and statistics that improve our knowledge of development in all its forms - is at the heart of the work of the World Bank Group, in operations, in advisory work, and in research. The mission of the Development Data Group (DECDG) is to put data to work for development. DECDG aims to achieve this by improving the quality, accessibility and use of development data, for client countries, for staff, for academics, and more broadly for the general public, through technical expertise, partnership, and innovation.

DECDG provides technical expertise and helps mobilize resources for clients; it provides global public goods, including methods, standards, and tools for data work, and statistical indicators and datasets; and it delivers corporate services, supporting the Bank's Data Council, the internal use and management of development data, and the provision of specialized knowledge to other Bank teams. It works closely with internal and external partners and provides the Bank's interface to the international statistical and development data communities.

POSITION CONTEXT

DECDG houses the World Bank's main data team in support of the objectives to eradicate extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. The selected candidate will work in DECDG's Indicators & Services (DECIS) cluster.

This team manages various high-quality data outputs, including the World Development Indicators (WDI) database, and the World Bank's data catalogue - the institutional hub where the Bank's data assets are stored and shared with both internal and external users. This team has the broad responsibility for collecting and publishing reliable, high-quality statistics on demography, education, environment, finance and markets, gender, health, labor and employment, migration, poverty and inequality, and urbanization. The team is also responsible for developing and maintaining monitoring systems for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Corporate Scorecards, and IDA Results Measurement System.

The selected candidate will primarily work with the team that is responsible for monitoring global poverty. The work will focus on improving data, methods, documentation, and tools at the heart of the global poverty monitoring exercise and, in particular, support the further development of the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP), the World Bank's database and tool to monitor global poverty. PIP is the source of information on countries' trajectories towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the earlier Millennium Development Goals (through its predecessor PovcalNet). Besides the World Bank, the United Nations and most other international organizations, as well as national governments, journalists and civil society frequently use the website.

The SDGs' focus on 'ending poverty in all its forms' and the corresponding indicators place new demands on the reporting of international poverty statistics. Furthermore, the Atkinson Commission on Global Poverty has made 21 recommendations to improve the World Bank's poverty measurement. Incorporating these innovations into the global poverty measures will require new analytical and methodological work, as well as the continued development of the PIP website. The selected candidate is expected to contribute to both these aspects.

The selected candidate is also expected to contribute to managing poverty data in the WDI database, as well as to communicate poverty and inequality data in the WDI website with innovative data visualization-centered stories and blogs.

DUTIES AND ACCOUNTABILITIES:

We are looking for an Economist with strong data science skills to help us strengthen the methodology and data behind the World Bank's global poverty and inequality monitoring work. The specific duties will include:

• Contribute to the development, implementation, and documentation of the World Bank's global poverty monitoring methodology, and effectively communicate current practices and changes through publications, methodological notes, and research papers.

• Conduct analysis of global poverty and inequality, both at national and cross-country levels, including disaggregation and decomposition analysis by demographic and other factors, for internal and external publication and dissemination.

• Lead smaller research projects focused both on analysis of trends, and methodological and data innovations, with a particular focus on strengthening the harmonization of data and methods used, to sustain the academic credibility of the global poverty monitoring work. The implications of price differences within and between countries for the spatial distribution of poverty is of strong interest.

• Contribute to the gender statistics portfolio of the WDI and support the work on improving access and availability of gender data. Analyze the role of gender in explaining poverty and inequality trends around the world.

• Conduct analysis on the implications of climate and other environmental factors on poverty and inequality.

• Participate in the working groups that coordinate activities across various World Bank departments involved in the global poverty monitoring exercise.

• Support the maintenance and updating of the PIP database, as new data become available or methodological revisions become necessary.

• Prepare, process, and analyze data for presentation in the SDG Atlas, World Development Indicators, and the Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report. This covers both the poverty and inequality data, as well as environmental indicators.

• As needed, contribute to the wider work of the Data Group, including other subject areas such as gender and climate change.

• Contribute written work and analysis to publications, working papers and corporate request for on-demand analysis.

Selection Criteria

• Master's degree (or PhD) in economics, statistics, mathematics or equivalent with a strong quantitative background.

• At least five years of relevant professional experience (for candidates with a PhD, some professional experience with data collection or analysis linked to international development).

Technical Requirements

• Experience in statistics, econometrics, development economics, and public economics.

• Experience with analyzing household surveys for measurement of poverty and inequality using income and consumption, particularly with a focus on comparability of the measures over space or time

• Familiarity with international poverty and inequality databases, such as PIP, EU-SILC, and LIS, as well as the WDI.

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English with ability to translate complex research findings into policy relevant language. Evidence of these skills in the form of popular press blogs, co-authoring of technical notes and submission for peer-review of research papers is highly desired.

• Excellent working knowledge of modern statistics, scripting, and programming languages in Stata and R. Some experience with github is also required.

• Experience and knowledge of methods of data collection, analysis, and dissemination, especially as they relate to economic and social trends.

Soft Skills

• Ability to analyze, interpret and integrate data from varied sources into clear conclusions and recommendations.

• Strong writing and presentation skills, including data visualization.

• Ability to produce quality work with a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.

• Ability to take the initiative and work independently.

• Strong teamwork orientation, good interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to work effectively with a range of clients and colleagues.

• Enthusiasm for, and commitment to, development and data work.

Competencies

• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries - collaborates across organizational boundaries, internally and externally with a sense of mutuality and respect. Consistently engages others in open dialogue, brings out any conflicting viewpoints and incorporates viewpoints into solutions, giving credit where credit is due. Leverages expertise of all team members to ensure successful outcomes. Makes choices and sets priorities with a World Bank Group (WBG) corporate perspective in mind.

• Lead and Innovate - encourages and works with others to identify, incubate and implement relevant solutions. Identifies opportunities in changing circumstances and energizes others to continuously improve, using intentional strategies to boost morale, team spirit, and productivity in context of WBG's values and mission. Helps others to understand problems, client needs and the underlying context.

• Deliver Results for Clients - Develops and implements solutions that show understanding of how clients and/or own work achieves results that are financially, environmentally and socially sustainable. Shares new insights based on in-depth understanding of the client and recommends solutions for current and future needs of clients. Holds self and team accountable for risk management and outcomes.

• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge - ensures systematic sharing of good practice and learning from lessons from across WBG, clients, and partners. Is known across WBG in their subject area and is sought out by WBG colleagues to advise, peer review, or contribute to technical knowledge products of others. Builds networks across the WBG and as part of external professional groups/networks.

• Make Smart Decisions - applies critical thinking and seeks inputs and experience from others to recommend a course of action consistent with the WBG's strategy. Evaluates risk and anticipates the short- and long-term implications of decisions. Commits to a decision and takes action once a decision has been reached. Maintains a high degree of initiative, and can derive and implement clear courses of action, even when information is incomplete, incorrect, or the situation is otherwise ambiguous.

This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries).External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered

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.