Job Title: Senior Economist
Job Family: Water and Sanitation
Job Type: Professional & Technical
Grade: GG
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Recruitment Type: International Hire
Language Requirement: English [Essential]
Closing Date: 09-Oct-2013
Background / General description:
Innovation and partnership bond the five institutions of the World Bank Group (WBG): the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA), which together form the World Bank; the International Finance Corporation (IFC); the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA); and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
The World Bank Group is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life.
To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the World Bank Group is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data.
The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) is an international partnership to help the poor gain sustained access to water supply and sanitation services. Administered by the World Bank with financial support from several bi- and multi-lateral and private donors, WSP is a decentralized partnership and operates through offices in Africa, East Asia, Latin America and South Asia.
A major thrust of the programs is to help its clients prepare for and implement actions towards meeting the water and sanitation (WSS) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In pursuing their mission, WSP staff provide advisory support to projects and policies, help identify and disseminate best practices and lessons from experience across countries, assist clients in the implementation of pilot projects to test out new ideas and facilitate informal networks of practitioners and sector stakeholders.
Additional information about WSP can be found on the program website (www.wsp.org).
WSP is administratively a part of the World Bank’s Transport, Water and Information & Communications Technology Department (TWI) in the Sustainable Development Network (SDN) Vice Presidency.
WSP’s FY11-15 Business Plan is based on a global strategy ‘FY2009-2018: Scaling Up Sustainable Services”, which articulates WSP’s proposed strategic response to identified sector challenges affecting the poor through capacity building, technical assistance and knowledge.
The Business Plan identifies six business areas where the program could have the best opportunity to affect large-scale change in sector performance: scaling up rural sanitation and hygiene; creating sustainable services through domestic private sector participation; supporting poor-inclusive WSS sector reform; targeting the urban poor and improving services in small towns; mitigating and adapting WSS delivery to climate change impacts; and delivering WSS services in fragile states.
These areas were identified through a process of embedding a results-based framework throughout WSP’s country, regional and global work programs.
In Africa , WSP currently operates offices in the following countries—Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Benin, Zambia, and with a fragile states program in DRC, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe.
The regional office is located in Nairobi, Kenya. The Regional Team Leader is accountable to the Program Manager in Washington DC. WSP’s business areas in Africa reflect the intersection between sector demands and expertise the Program can offer.
These business areas show where WSP’s strategic technical assistance and advisory services is focused to support reforms and influence sector investments in Africa. WSP currently focuses on scaling up rural sanitation and hygiene, creating sustainable services through domestic private sector participation, supporting poor-inclusive WSS sector reform, targeting the urban poor and improving services in small towns, and delivering WSS services in fragile states.
In its recognition of the vital role of economic and financial evidence to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and scale of sanitation and hygiene programs, the Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) conducts significant technical work to support governments and sector partners in decision making.
There continue to be many direct demands from clients and partners, and many WSP and AAA products within the water practice that require quality and relevant economics components. For example, in 2007 WSP launched the Economics of Sanitation Initiative (ESI), which has already been implemented in 35 countries to provide essential economic evidence to decision makers.
Under another program that has been running for over five years – the Domestic Private Service Provision (DPSP) – financial analyses and market assessments provide key evidence to decide the type and mechanism of support to be provided to the private sector.
New pipeline projects focus on the economics of fecal sludge management, global economics evidence reviews, different models of private sector participation, financing mechanisms and results-based financing (e.g. conditional cash transfers, vouchers, output-based aid). The growing portfolio of projects requires more capacity within WSP to deliver on these and future requests.
The selected candidate will report to Principal Regional Team Leader of TWIAF and will be located in one of the WSP focus countries in the region.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 2 year term appointment.Duties and Accountabilities:As a Senior Economist and member of the WSP-AFR team, the selected candidate will work towards to meet WSP’s program objectives by contributing technical expertise and know-how to support the generation of relevant economic and financial information in water, sanitation and hygiene, and supporting learning and communication of economic/financial issues to sector stakeholders.
The main responsibilities include
Lead and/or advise on key economic and analytic work which support WSP’s core business priorities, such as Economics of Sanitation, Country Status Overviews, Service Benchmarking, Targeting the Poor, and other analytical products.
Develop analytical tools that support regional colleagues in applying good practices in water sector projects and advisory work
Contribute to specific knowledge management or policy research initiatives on water economics. This includes developing analytical work and giving strategic direction on critical topics in the sector which are in demand by WBG, country clients and partners. The knowledge management or policy research initiatives will actively contribute to identifying own managed work program priorities in the water practice.
Enhance the water practice’s contribution to institution-wide corporate priorities. Provide inputs to World Bank strategy development and respond to corporate requirements when requested.
As appropriate, lead or support policy dialogue with client governments; identify priority areas and develop tailored products and respond to the emerging and evolving needs of the client countries.
Support regional and country staff to identify country priorities for analytical and advisory activities (AAAs); lead and deliver AAA tasks, including free standing economic and sector studies, economic analysis and impact evaluation of projects and programs, contribution to the core diagnostic studies such as the Country Economic Memorandum and Poverty Assessments, policy notes, public expenditure reviews and public sector reform issues. Produce ‘think pieces’ and ‘best practices’ studies; develop proposals for analytical tasks at the country and the regional levels;
Build strategic and productive relationships with key development partners including governmental and non-governmental organizations that are active in delivering SP&L program and services.
Work in different task teams, as the team leader or a senior member of the team; provide technical and operational guidance and support to junior team members.
Selection Criteria:
Advanced degree (at least Masters level) in economics, business administration or similar field; demonstrated strong technical knowledge and analytical skills; experience in applied economics in the areas of water, poverty, and institutional governance issues related to water sector.
Minimum of eight years of relevant experience with strong analytical and quantitative skills, methodological rigor and demonstrated problem-solving ability.
Demonstrated experience in coordinating and conceptualizing complex projects and processes, conducting policy dialogue and providing technical advisory services, and producing reports or studies.
Strong client orientation and proven record of strong client relations and demonstrated strong interpersonal skills. Ability to work in sensitive situations and challenging policy environments and with commitment to results on the ground. Proven record in providing prompt and quality response to client requests.
Demonstrated project management skills to function effectively in multi-disciplinary teams within a matrix management environment; general knowledge of World Bank policies and operational programs would be a plus. Appropriate level of information technology skills.
Other competencies (see below).
Competencies
General Economic Knowledge, Analytical and Quantitative Skills – Possesses a demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs; understands underlying statistical concepts. Strong econometric skills would be a plus.
Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena – Understands policy making process; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients.
Policy Dialogue Skills – Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders.
Integrative Skills – Working to develop an integrated view across all facets of the sector.
Client Orientation – Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.
Drive for Results – Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization to do so.
Teamwork and inclusion – Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
Knowledge, Learning and Communication – Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, ability to write concisely and effectively, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner.
Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making – Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others’ work.
Working Knowledge of French (preference)
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