Senior Economist

Senior Economist

Job #:
req19817

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:
Social Protection

Grade:
GG

Term Duration:
4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
11/18/2022 (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
Regional context: South Asia

The South Asia Region (SAR) has the largest concentration of people in poverty of any region, home to 2 billion people with over 1 billion living under $2/day! It has had high growth of 6 percent average annual rate in the last 20 years, despite its poverty, conflict, and instability. The WBG is and will continue to be a key development partner in South Asia. The South Asia Region (SAR) strategy is based on three pillars which are promoting growth, enhancing social inclusion, and strengthening climate/environment.
The South Asia Region: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/sar

Unit Context: South Asia Social Protection and Jobs (HSASP)

In a world filled with risk and potential, social protection and labor policies and programs help people and families find jobs, improve productivity, cope with shocks, invest in the health and education of their children, as well as the protection for the aging population!

Social protection programs, which comprise social assistance (such as cash transfers, school feeding, targeted food assistance and subsidies), social insurance (such as old-age, survivorship, disability pensions, and unemployment insurance), and social services for vulnerable groups are a powerful tool to reduce poverty and enhance households' resilience. They can have a direct, positive impact on poor families by building human capital and strengthening their productive inclusion. Programs to support the creation of and access to jobs including in overseas labor markets, are also critical for reducing poverty and promoting prosperity, and of growing importance as South Asian economies undergo structural transformation. All countries, regardless of income, face challenges creating and sustaining adequate job opportunities for their citizens. At the same time, social protection and jobs programs supported by the World Bank are evolving to better confront global phenomena such as climate change, both in terms impacts and policies.

We support social protection and jobs programs in developing countries as a central part of our mission to end extreme poverty and foster shared prosperity. The Social Protection & Jobs (SP&J) Global Practice of the World Bank delivers operational approaches and evidence-based solutions to help individuals, households, and families manage risk, cope with chronic/transitional poverty, and access better livelihoods and jobs.

The World Bank's SPJ program in SAR is focused on building the analytical and operational base to support our clients through:

1.Strategy, analysis, financing and design of programs delivering social safety nets/social assistance in the form of cash transfers, public works programs, and fee waivers.

2.Advisory and analytical services on design and delivery of contributory transfers (including old-age pensions, unemployment insurance, disability and survivor benefits), and their fiscal sustainability (including budget support for transitions).

3.Analysis, design, and delivery of labor market, productive economic inclusion, and youth employment programs, as well as policy advice on labor market regulations and interventions, and migration.

4.Strategy, analysis, financing and design of integrated social protection delivery systems (e.g., payments, identification, registries, systems assessments) as underpinnings of effective social programs that can help cope with climatic shocks or underpin fiscal reforms.

This vacancy is for a highly motivated individual to join the HSASP Washington DC team as a Senior Social Protection Economist to engage in our analytical agenda either at the regional or country level. The selected candidate will also contribute or lead operational engagements as they will emerge in the coming years. The position is at level GG.
Job duties & responsibilities:

The Senior Social Protection Economist will report to the HSASP Practice Manager and will be responsible for the following tasks and duties in the South Asia Region, and potentially other regions as well:
• Lead and/or contribute SPJ and/or Human Capital-related operations under preparation or implementation as required, as well as contributing to the preparation and implementation support of such lending operations.• Lead and/or contribute to policy dialogue with government counterparts - including at the national and sub-national levels - and with other relevant stakeholders.• Lead and/or contribute to high-quality analytical and advisory services tasks related to different aspects of social protection and jobs, human capital, household survey data analytics, and related topics in the South Asian context.• Help the team with building and maintaining partnerships and networks within the Bank (in SPJ as well as other sectors) and with external development partners and think-tanks.• Make valuable contributions to analytical and advisory services tasks related to SP systems strengthening, addressing public SP challenges, linking SP to broader human development topics, and/or related topics in the South Asia context.• Support the monitoring and evaluation of projects, and reporting and coordination relationships with development partners.• Participate in and make valuable contributions to technical assistance work to support relevant capacity-building activities including workshops, seminars, etc.• Respond to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties.

Selection Criteria
• Minimum of Masters level qualification in economics, social science or related sector (PhD preferred)• Minimum of 8 years of directly relevant experience in social protection and jobs.• Experience and substantive skills in design and development of social protection and labor policies and programs at the state and national levels• Experience in World Bank operations as demonstrated through TTL-ship and/or being core team member for lending operations and policy financing.• Demonstrated ability to conduct and lead high quality analytical activities for impact on policy dialogue, country engagement, and operations.• Demonstrated international experience, including within low capacity and fragile environments• Proven experience working with clients to build capacity and engage in dialogue on issues related to social protection, labor, and service delivery.• Experience working with multiple development partners to harmonize support for government-led programming.• Proven ability for collaboration in a multicultural environment.• Experience working on WBG funded projects and familiarity with WBG operations, policies, and procedures is an advantage.• Excellent oral and written communications skills are essential with ability to prepare documents on complex subjects, speak and write persuasively, and present ideas clearly and concisely.

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.