Job: Economist

Location: Washington, DC
Deadline: Wednesday, 14 August 2013 

Description

Background / General description:

The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is the organizational unit in the World Bank Group (WBG) providing evaluation and feedback on the development effectiveness of Bank Group activities in client countries. IEG is independent of WBG management and reports directly to the Board of Executive Directors, with day-to-day oversight by the Board's Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE).

IEG's mission is to improve development results through excellence in evaluation. IEG is directly responsible for assessing programs and activities; making recommendations to help improve the Bank Group's development effectiveness; appraising the Bank Group's self-evaluation and development risk management systems; cooperating with the evaluation heads of other international financial institutions and development assistance agencies; and assisting developing countries to build effective monitoring and evaluation capacities, systems and associations. IEG also aims to improving Bank Group's work by identifying and disseminating the lessons learned from experience.

The role and visibility of IEG has grown in recent years and is expected to expand further as the Bank Group, and the broader development community, continue to stress the importance of development effectiveness, evaluation, and monitoring for results. The management of IEG is committed to ensuring the highest level of quality, relevance, professionalism, and integrity in IEG's evaluation activities and to attracting top-quality staff to that end.

IEG's Public Sector Evaluation Department (IEGPS) is responsible for leading the evaluation of World Bank programs, projects and analytic and advisory products as well as a large share of sector and thematic evaluations across the World Bank Group.

Specifically, IEG's Public Sector Evaluation Department is responsible for:

• Project, Program, and Analytical and Advisory Activity Evaluation: undertaking evaluations and validations of self-evaluations of investment projects, development policy operations, and analytical and advisory activities of the WBG that involve public sector clients and partners; this includes IBRD/IDA and trust fund financed projects, programs, analytical and advisory activities;
• Sector and Thematic Evaluation: evaluating the impact and effectiveness of sector and thematic strategies and programs of the WBG that have a public sector focus. This includes WB activities as well as joint WBG activities with focus on public sector policies and instruments; and
• Learning from Evaluation Results: disseminating the results and following up the recommendations of IEG evaluations to help improve the impact and effectiveness of WBG strategies and activities, and to foster evaluation capacity in the WBG, the development community, and WBG's member countries 
  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:

With limited oversight, the Economist will contribute directly to IEGPS evaluations. This work will include planning and conducting evaluations or portions of evaluations, overseeing contributions from consultants, contributing to budget and team oversight, and commenting on the work of others. The Economist will also contribute to IEGPS at the corporate level, suggesting strategic directions and evaluation topics. Under the direction of the Unit Manager, the Economist will have the following primary responsibilities:

1. Participate in large sector and thematic evaluations, assessing the development effectiveness of World Bank assistance in public sector interventions. Topics of ongoing evaluations in IEGPS include the poverty focus of Bank country programs, health systems strengthening, and learning from projects in real time. Examples of the Evaluation Officer's contribution include preparation background notes, field work, drafting and revision of chapters, oversight of the work of staff and consultants, and dissemination.

2. Conduct project-level evaluations, including Implementation Completion and Results Report (ICR) Reviews and Project Performance Assessment Reports (PPARs). The Evaluation Officer should have sufficient familiarity and experience with development policy operations to conduct rigorous and independent evaluations, and offer useful lessons for Bank operations.

3. Set and uphold high standards of quality for various evaluations, contributing as appropriate to departmental, group and cross-sectoral activities designed to help IEG pursue its mission, including corporate responsibilities to peer review, disseminate, and contribute in other forms to the development of IEG products.

Selection Criteria:

COMPETENCIES

• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical 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.
• 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 current sector.
• General Governance and Public Sector Knowledge and Experience - Has demonstrated analytic and operational skills in the area of public sector, and has practical experience working on production of projects and/or studies on areas key to public sector.
• Written and Verbal Communication - Delivers information effectively in support of team or workgroup
• 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 (Collaboration) 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, 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.
• http://competencies.worldbank.org/indicators2/F/6312/none

OTHER SELECTION CRITERIA

Solid academic background, with at least a Masters degree and 5 years of professional experience in development evaluation, development economics, public policy, or related field across regions and/or sectors.

• Superior analytical skills, as evidenced by a track record of involvement in policy analysis, program evaluation, and/or impact evaluation.
• Familiarity with quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods, with preference for candidates with demonstrated experience in application of these methods.
• Possessing an evaluative and independent mind-set, superior soundness of judgment, and the ability to conduct critical, evidence-based assessments.
• High degree of professional integrity, discretion, tact, and sensitivity in dealing with internal and external clients, colleagues and stakeholders at all levels. This implies and requires demonstrated maturity and sound judgment, attention to detail, and ability to convey complex messages succinctly and diplomatically.
• Familiarity with development issues and development operations, including concern for development results and the processes to achieve them.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically and synthesize complex issues (translated into effective oral and written briefs).
• Proven ability and flexibility to work simultaneously on a variety of tasks, meet deadlines, and provide quality outputs.
• Excellent English writing skills. Knowledge of French and/or Spanish desirable
• Strong interpersonal skills and willingness to work as part of a team and to reach out to partners and other stakeholders to help IEG achieve high-quality evaluation results. 
  Familiarity with evaluation methods and IEG products is not required for the position but is advantageous.
   
  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.

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