Private Sector Specialist

Private Sector Specialist

Job #:

req20822

Organization:

World Bank

Sector:

Private Sector Development

Grade:

GF

Term Duration:

2 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:

International Recruitment

Location:

Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):

English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:

2/3/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

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

The Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) seeks to increase understanding of development policies and programs by providing intellectual leadership and analytical services to the World Bank Group and the development community. DEC is the research and data arm of the World Bank Group. The Global Indicators Group (DECIG) through its Business Enabling Environment (BEE) flagship product will provide a quantitative assessment of the business environment for private sector development, published with annual frequency and covering most economies worldwide. BEE data and summary reports will aim to advocate for policy reform, inform specific policy advice and provide data for development policy research.

The Subnational team (DECSN) will apply the methodology developed by BEE and produce reports benchmarking locations within the same country or region. These reports will abstract from large differences across legal frameworks in different countries to capture local differences in business regulation and their enforcement. Projects are undertaken at the request of governments and are client or donor funded. Project implementation includes a strong engagement model with national and local governments to build capacity and motivate reforms through peer-to-peer learning.

Highly-motivated candidates are invited to join DECSN to contribute to the delivery of a two year engagement with the European Commission to pilot the BEE methodology at subnational level in 12 EU Member States. The position requires a mix of project management and strong analytical skills, as well as a demonstrated ability to engage in policy dialogue with client governments. The selected candidates will report to the DECSN manager and will work closely with colleagues from the global BEE team (DECBE) and staff across the World Bank Group at headquarters, as well as in the field.

Responsibilities

Duties will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Leading country/regional ASA projects using a range of WBG financing instruments; including developing and maintaining relationships with government officials, development partners and private sector stakeholders, ensuring timely and high-quality deliverables such as analytical reports on selected investment climate areas, capacity building activities, training, knowledge pieces and communication materials.

• Leading the data collection for one or more topics, through desk research, administrative data, expert consultation, or firm-level surveys, verifying questionnaire responses, data entry and coding.

• Building specific sets of BEE indicators at the subnational level, inspired by BEE topics such as Business Entry, Business Location, Utility Connections, Dispute Resolution or Business Insolvency.

• Drafting report chapters which include analytical content on business environment topics.

• Managing a team of analysts, hiring and supervising consultants and vendors as needed.

• Conducting policy dialogue with government officials and private sector stakeholders on selected policy and regulatory issues related to business regulatory governance.

• Acquiring and applying knowledge of WBG governance processes (both IFC and WB) as well as other operational policies and procedures, and supporting the program manager in business planning, managing the project portfolio, donor reporting, budgeting, and setting the strategy for the unit.

• Participating in dissemination activities including presentations to governments, private sector organizations and academia as well as communicating with the media.

• Helping coordinate mission travels and participating in high level meetings with client governments and stakeholders.

• Contributing to the conceptual development of additional indicators through literature review, brainstorming, and contributing to draft concept notes.

• Contributing to the department's research and dissemination agenda on private sector development through the drafting of report chapters, research notes, briefs, and other knowledge products.

• Contributing to product development, including identifying the conditions for success and the downstream link to other work to improve the business environment; linking the Subnational BEE work to operational work, Global Practices and Country Management Units.

Selection Criteria

• Master degree in economics, international relations, law, business administration or related field.

• At least five years of relevant professional experience in private sector development.

• Proven track record of managing projects and supervising diverse and interdisciplinary teams to deliver in-depth analysis of business regulatory issues and recommendations for policy reform.

• Track record of effectively engaging with government officials, journalists, and private sector stakeholders.

• Knowledge of BEE or experience leading primary data collection work-from questionnaire management to cross country data collection, supervision of coding and analysis-is a plus.

• Experience working both in a developing and OECD country context.

• Sound business judgment and initiative; proven ability to cultivate, manage, and maintain professional relationships with internal and external clients and partners.

• Ability to seek out, collate and synthesize inputs from across sectoral and thematic boundaries.

• Ability to identify opportunities for follow-on WBG engagements and bring in the relevant GP teams as to carry the engagement forward.

• High degree of self-motivation and proven ability to work independently under limited supervision and tight deadlines.

• Ability to multitask and work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, and to ensure high quality, timely response to client needs while ensuring that the engagement is well coordinated with the overall CMU and GPs policy dialogue on private sector development.

• Strong analytical skills; understanding of substantive issues in comparative institutional and regulatory analysis.

• Experience with expert surveys and firm-level survey design, data collection and analysis is an advantage.

• Ability to translate research findings into policy recommendations and support for operational Work

• Proper balance between attention to detail and focus on broader issues.

• Professional maturity to supervise and mentor consultants and more junior colleagues.

• Advanced skills in MS Excel. Knowledge of other data management software highly preferred.

• Excellent writing skills. Ability to translate complex issues into easily understood terminology.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English. Knowledge of additional languages, in particular languages of EU member states.

• Willingness to travel regularly.

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.