Economist

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2014, the WBG committed $65.6 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $22.2 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally. 

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). IBRD and IDA are commonly known as the World Bank, which is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions, and – as of July 1, 2014 – has introduced fourteen Global Practices (GPs) as well as five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas (CCSAs) to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

GLOBAL PRACTICES & CROSS-CUTTING SOLUTIONS AREAS

The 14 GPs are: Agriculture; Education; Energy and Extractives; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance and Markets; Governance; Health, Nutrition and Population; Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management; Poverty; Social Protection and Labor; Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience; Trade and Competitiveness; Transport and ICT; and Water. The 5 CCSAs are: Climate Change; Fragility, Conflict and Violence; Gender; Jobs; and Public-Private Partnerships.  The new operating model is part of a broader internal reform aimed at delivering the best of the World Bank Group to our clients, so that together we can achieve the twin goals of (1) ending extreme poverty by 2030, and (2) promote shared prosperity for the bottom 40% of the population in every developing country.

GLOBAL PRACTICE FOR MACROECONOMICS and FISCAL MANAGEMENT

The Global Practice for Macroeconomics and Fiscal Management (MFM) comprises about 320 staff working across more than 100 countries.  The Practice houses the Bank’s country economists as well as professional staff with expertise in macroeconomics, fiscal policy, growth, and statistics.  About fifty percent of MFM professional staff is decentralized to the field working very closely with the CMUs and in proximity to clients.  MFM professionals most often work across sectors helping carry out key integrative functions.  In this context MFM professionals are responsible for the preparation and delivery of the majority of the Bank’s Development Policy Operations using both IDA and IBRD resources.  MFM professionals also lead or participate in a wide variety of AAA and client advisory work requiring an integrative functions that add to the core MFM expertise.  As such MFM staff often lead or participate in the preparation of Strategic Country Diagnostics, Country Economic Memorandums and cross sector Public Expenditure Reviews.  An important additional element of engagement in macroeconomic and fiscal policies is carried through work on debt management supported by the Debt Management Facility.  Knowledge and learning is a central part of MFM with work focused on 5 thematic areas: (a) macroeconomics; (b) fiscal policy; (c) growth; (d) economic management in resource rich environments; and (e) macroeconomic modelling & statistics.  

Background & General Description :

The Macroeconomic & Fiscal Management Global Practice (MFM GP) is seeking an Economist based in Accra, Ghana. The selected candidate will be an integral part of the Ghana country team and the global MFM GP, and will report to the MFM Practice Manager covering Ghana, currently based in Washington DC. Key responsibilities include: (i) preparing regular macroeconomic reports; (ii) conducting detailed analysis of selected policy areas; (iii) carrying out policy dialogue with the Government as needed; and (iv) working closely with the Program Leader and rest of the MFM team to ensure timely and high quality delivery of MFM products.

Job Title: Economist

Job Location: Accra, Greater Accra  

Job Description 

• Independently research and analyze a wide variety of specific economic, financial, country or sector topics and issues for lending, research, and/or policy related tasks
• Prepare country economic, sector, strategy or research reports involving the analysis, evaluation and, preparation of data, as well as the formulation of conclusions and recommendations
• Lead in the writing of routine reports and participate in drafting technical working papers for wider circulation
• Program and modify economic/financial models using existing software packages and develop software needed to implement and upgrade models, using a variety of complex languages
• Co-manage projects, trust funds, and grants and support data needs of sectoral staff
• Work independently, seeking guidance and instruction on new, unusual or complex assignments
• Under this position, the Economist will interact and at times lead discussion with a wide variety of groups including counterparts in government and in a variety of international and other partner organizations, academia; Bank counterparts within and across sectors, networks; and managers across the Bank Group

Qualification and Requirement 

• General Economic Knowledge and National Accounting Skills - Possesses a superior track record of working with national accounts, analyzing the strengths of weaknesses of existing data production processes -- including in data poor developing countries 
• 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 takes a leading role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders
• Integrative Skills – Had an integrated view of all facets of national accounts and macroeconomics
• Macroeconomic Skills and Country Economics Experience - Have a strong understanding of macroeconomic relationships, and the use of national accounts and balance of payments data systems from a data-consumer point of view
• Written and Verbal Communication - Delivers information effectively in support of team or workgroup
• Lead and Innovate- Develops innovative solutions
• Deliver Results for Clients- Proactively addresses clients’ stated and unstated needs
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries- Collaborates across boundaries, listens well to the views of collaborators and remains open-minded. Develops consensual solutions that bring diverse partners together
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge- Creates, shared and disseminated knowledge across WBG to strengthen solutions for internal and/or external clients
• Make Smart Decisions- Has a pro-active solution oriented that brings together a wide range of information to develop, implement and monitor solutions

Other Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a Master’s degree in economics, with five years of experience  Strong technical and operational skills as evidenced in a proven track record in delivery of Bank operations, such as ESWs or Development Policy Lending (DPLs)
• Proven sense of initiative, results orientation, and leadership qualities, as well as effective teamwork skills
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to speak persuasively and to present ideas clearly and concisely with senior policy officials 
• Strong integrative capacities; i.e., ability to situate IDA activities within a coherent strategic framework
• Excellent communication and presentation skills -- both verbal and written. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly on complex topics to a wide variety of audiences
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiations skills and ability to work flexibly, creatively and to multitask as the need arises
• A high degree of self-motivation, positive attitude and drive
• Strong commitment towards team work and knowledge sharing, especially across the World Bank Group