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Form of workET Consultant (Fiscal Economist)
Job #:req25214Organization:World BankSector:EconomicsGrade:EC2Term Duration: 1 year 0 monthsRecruitment Type:Local RecruitmentLocation:Washington, DC,United StatesRequired Language(s):EnglishPreferred Language(s):Spanish and/or, FrenchClosing Date:12/7/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTCDescription
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 130 locations 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.
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2021, IBRD committed $30.5 billion to client countries, and IDA committed $36.0 billion on grant and highly concessional terms to the poorest countries.
The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into seven client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and eighteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.
The Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions Practice Group (EFI) is one of the World Bank Group's four Practice Groups. EFI's mandate is "Growth, Finance, and Institutions for all." Our approach is to leverage public and private sector expertise, together with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), to support a data-driven reform agenda. EFI supports clients in advancing evidence-based structural reforms to build the foundations for inclusive and sustainable growth.
EFI is composed of four Global Practices (GPs), the Prospects Group, and CGAP:
The Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) GP provides broad macroeconomic analysis in support of countries' economic programs, including the analysis of macro-financial risks, and macroeconomic modelling services to the rest of the WBG. MTI supports sound fiscal frameworks and fiscal risk management as well as better institutions and capacity on debt management to improve efficiency of public spending and bolster macroeconomic stability.
The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) GP, consisting of two directorates (the Finance directorate, and the Trade, Investment and Competitiveness (TIC) directorate) aims to support client countries to create an enabling environment in which financial stability, efficiency and firm-level solutions are provided in an integrated way to crowd in the private sector, support the creation of markets, and accelerate equitable growth.
The Governance GP (GOV) helps countries build capable, effective, accountable, transparent and inclusive institutions that deliver citizen-centric services, facilitate private-sector growth and build trust in government; and provides fiduciary support to all Bank operations.
The Poverty and Equity GP (POV) consists of micro, labor and development economists to build the evidence base, provide advice and operational support to ensure country policies and WBG interventions are inclusive.
The Prospects Group provides analysis on global economic and financial developments and their impact on emerging market and developing countries. It is responsible for the publication of the Global Economic Prospects report, the Commodity Markets Outlook and Global Monthly.
CGAP is a global partnership of more than 30 leading development organizations that works to advance the lives of poor people through financial inclusion.
MTI bringstogether about 530 professionals working across more than 100 countries. TheGlobal Practice houses the Bank's country economists and professional staffwith expertise in macroeconomics, fiscal policy, growth, and statistics. About fifty percent of MTI professional staffare decentralized to the field, working very closely with the CountryManagement Units (CMUs) and directly with clients. MTI is responsible for delivering timelypolicy advice to support the following lines of work: (i) designingmacro-fiscal frameworks that are aligned with the goals of reducing extremepoverty and boosting shared prosperity, as well as being grounded in economic,social and environmental sustainability; (ii) supporting fiscal and debt policysustainability; (iii) generating growthanalytics and policy recommendations to sustain and boost growth; and (iv)analyzing the impact of external shocks and climate change risks on growth andthe government fiscal position. MTI professionals are responsible for thepreparation and delivery of Development Policy Operations using both IDA andIBRD resources, and lead or participate in the preparation of Advisory Servicesand Analytics, Technical Assistance and integrative outputs such as Strategic CountryDiagnostics, Country Economic Memorandums and cross-sector Public Finance Reviews.Important additional engagements in macroeconomic and fiscal policies arecarried out through work on debt management (including through the DebtManagement Facility) and work on macro-fiscal climate issues (including insupport of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action). Knowledgeand learning is a central part of MTI with work focused on 5 thematic areas:(a) macroeconomics; (b) fiscal policy; (c) growth; (d) economic management inresource-rich environments; and (e) statistics.
Within MTI,the Fiscal Policy and Sustainable Growth Unit (EMFTX) provides effectivesupport for World Bank Group operations to strengthen countries' efforts inusing tax and expenditure policy, the management of fiscal risks and fiscalplanning for boosting equitable growth and underpinning macroeconomicstability. As a Global Unit, EMFTX provides technical advice, support andthought leadership on these issues to the wider GP's operational work in theRegions.
Thefiscal policy work covers overall fiscal policy design, public expenditure policies,and domestic revenue mobilization. This work includes:
Preparation of analytic work, guidelines, tools, and data that support the Bank's global engagement and the work by regional units on fiscal policy issues and quality of spending.
Development and management of the BOOST program, fiscal datasets and Public Finance Review (PFR) Platform.
Quality review and support to the Bank's operational work, such as PFRs and DPFs.
Fundraising and management of Fiscal Policy Umbrella trust funds.
Cross-support to regional teams on fiscal policy issues in PERs/PFRs, CEMs, CCDRs, DPOs etc.
Knowledge management on fiscal policy issues and fiscal policy work.
Knowledge sharing on fiscal policy issues by hosting a Fiscal Policy Community of Practice and organizing knowledge sharing events such as fiscal policy brown-bags and fiscal policy training sessions.
Providing inputs to and managing fiscal policy aspects of corporate initiatives such as CPIAs.
Collaborating with other international stakeholders, such as IMF and OECD, on fiscal policy issues.
POSITION
The Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice (MTI) is seeking to recruit a highly qualified candidate for theposition of Extended Term Consultant (ETC) to work in the MTI's unit for "Fiscal Policy and Sustainable Growth" (EMFTX). The position is based in Washington D.C., USA.
The Extended Term Consultant will work on fiscal policy and sustainable long-term growth issues, with a focus on building, managing and analyzing fiscal data for Public Finance Reviews, data analytics and data innovation. She/he will be an integral part of the MTI GP's wider work on fiscal policy and sustainable growth and will report to the Manager of MTI's Global Unit EMFTX.
Duties and Responsibilities
The Extended Term Consultant is expected to contribute to or lead work in the following areas:
Provide advice and support to country teams on fiscal data and policy issues, in the context of Public Finance Reviews (PFRs) Development Policy Operations (DPOs), and related analytics.
Collect, analyze, and manage fiscal data in support of Public Finance Reviews.
Further develop and enhance of the unit's Boost Program and Public Finance Review platform, including the preparation and update of guidance notes, databases, tools and expanding both country coverage and integration of revenue.
Develop, maintain, and share fiscal policy tools with MTI country economists.
Contribute to applied fiscal policy and macroeconomic research on the quality of public expenditure and fiscal policies for sustainable and inclusive growth.
Other tasks, including operational cross support for country work.
Selection Criteria
A M.A. in economics or a closely related discipline with a focus on international development is preferred.
At least 5 years of experience in working with budgetary and other fiscal data, using a range of data base and econometric software, applying advanced analytics skills to build and enable data analytics solutions. In-depth knowledge and significant exposure working with BOOST for collecting and analyzing fiscal data.
Strong analytical background with the ability to do high-level research, analyses, diagnoses, and propose solutions to complex problems.
Experience working on PERs/PFRs highly preferred.
Excellent English writing and speaking skills in a concise, well-structured style and proficiency in at least one language between Spanish or French to engage in extensive BOOST portfolios in regions requiring such proficiency.
Ability to interpret and curate raw data and proficiency in Excel and STATA
Strong communication skills to write and express complex economic ideas to different audiences, including the general public.
Creativity, initiative, and ability to work in teams.
Commitment to high quality product and respect for deadlines
Ability to work under pressure, work flexibly on various assignments, adjust to changing needs, and prioritize evolving tasks.
World Bank Group Core Competencies
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.
Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.
