Senior Economist Job Vacancy at World Bank in Kenya

Job Title: Senior Economist

Duties and Accountabilities:

• Task manage analytical products or contribute inputs to them, working with local research teams and helping them to engage with senior country officials, other in-country stakeholders and development partners in policy dialogue on a range of issues: poverty, inequality, labor, and crisis impacts;
• Provide cutting-edge technical support to country counterparts on household survey design, poverty and inequality measurement and monitoring, and other elements of capacity building for poverty analysis in country. This will include developing, testing and taking to scale the use of innovative IT solutions for poverty monitoring/social accountability;
• Share/disseminate good technical practice and sound poverty analysis to country counterparts and other stakeholders, in country;
• Foster and engage in dialogue with country team colleagues and country counterparts on poverty and inequality measurement and monitoring, analytical findings related to poverty, inequality, and labor, and on strengthening of poverty reduction programs and policy, in particular social protection work;
• Contribute to increased integration of poverty analysis–or poverty focus– in PREM and other sector products;
• Work with colleagues on the poverty team and other parts of the Bank in sharing knowledge and experience as well as participate in regional poverty and inequality work.
• The selected candidate would focus on a subset of the countries covered by AFTP2 including at least Kenya, Sudan and South Sudan, as well as engage in regional analytical tasks in the area of poverty dynamics.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced degree in economics (PhD preferred) and at least 8 years of relevant experience
• Knowledge and experience with poverty measurement and analysis, and poverty mapping, is essential;
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English;
• Strong analytical background and experience in microeconomic analysis, including empirical analysis of large micro datasets;
• Experience in the collection of household survey data, and experience in advising national statistical agencies in methodology of survey work;
• Record of delivering analytical products with policy relevance for developing countries;
• Established track record in leading tasks, working with limited supervision and meeting deadlines;
• Ability to work well with clients, including a track record of policy dialogue and capacity-building among clients; and
• Ability to work well in a team environment and across sector and country boundaries

Competencies

• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills - Possesses Cross-country knowledge in economic specialty and demonstrates ability to link the macro, institutional, and micro-level behaviors; able to support findings/policy recommendations with credible analysis and tools.
• Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Technical and Quantitative Skills as an Applied Development Microeconomist - Able to lead/participate in projects related to poverty and inequality reduction, poverty and welfare measurement, national development strategies, monitoring, information and evaluation systems, impact evaluation, and related areas.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level.
• Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Written and Verbal Communication - Demonstrates the ability to influence and persuade others to accept ideas and suggestions (such as counterparts in government, international partner organizations, academia, and Bank colleagues, senior staff and managers)
• Team Leadership - Leads teams to achieve objectives, providing the needed direction and structure, and resolving problems of both a technical and interpersonal nature.
• Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches.
• Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels.

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

All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Closing Date: 21-Sep-2013