Job: Senior Agriculture Economist

Location: Juba, South Sudan 
Deadline: Sunday, 20 October 2013 

Description

Background / General description:

The World Bank is committed to helping developing countries make progress on reducing poverty, increase shared prosperity, and promote environmental sustainability. Agriculture is key to achieving these goals through its contribution to improving incomes and employment, food and nutrition security and the provision of environmental services.

In our renewed Action Plan for Agriculture, the World Bank will continue to focus on:

(i) increasing smallholder agricultural productivity, and it's resilience through support to improved land and water management in irrigated and rain-fed areas;

(ii) linking farmers to markets and strengthening value chains through support to improved infrastructure, information technology, postharvest handling etc;

(iii) facilitating rural nonfarm income by improving the rural investment climate and skills development;

(iv) reducing risk, vulnerability and gender inequality through support to risk management mechanisms among others; and

(v)enhancing environmental services and sustainability.

Key priorities for Bank support to Africa include raising agricultural productivity and improving market access through more emphasis on, among others, irrigation, research and extension, input availability and distribution, private investment, the improved governance of agricultural land, better integration of value chains, and improved rural roads and other infrastructure.

Within the Africa Region, responsibility for Agriculture, Rural Development and Irrigation in East and Southern Africa lies within Cluster AFTA3 in the Sustainable Development Department. AFTA3 seeks to recruit a local Senior Agriculture Economist/Agriculturalist to support the Bank's work in the Republic of South Sudan. Key priorities will be to support the Government of South Sudan in the implementation of the Emergency Food Crisis Response Project, which aims to support adoption of improved technologies for food production by participating farmers in selected counties in South Sudan; support ongoing analytical work in the sector; and participate in the development of a new agriculture sector program in South Sudan.

In light of the challenging responsibilities and difficult conditions in South Sudan, the desirable individual must be a competent and experienced practitioner, highly adaptable, possess strong policy dialogue and analytical skills, and have a thorough understanding and knowledge of agriculture and rural development in South Sudan and/or 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:

The selected candidate will report to AFTA3 Sector Manager based in Washington DC. Specific tasks will include the following:

• Support the implementation of the EFCRP, assist with the preparation of future agriculture and rural development programs, and lend support to other relevant projects and programs in the country.
• Participate in dialogue with relevant national and international agencies, non-governmental organizations and their project support teams to coordinate the World Bank's on-going and future activities in the agricultural sector.
• Make significant contribution to developing and implementing country and sector strategy; generate 'think pieces' highlighting policy issues and possible remedial options in the Agriculture sector.
• Lead/co-lead missions for Agriculture projects/programs in South Sudan by resolving possible divergent views within team members.
• Produce major/complex reports which require the successful coordination and integration of input from multi-disciplinary SMU and CMU staff.
• Work independently under general direction of Sector Manager and guide/mentor more junior staff.

Selection Criteria:

In addition to the above, the successful candidate must demonstrate the following:

Selection Criteria and Competencies:

• 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.
• Integrative Skills: Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations.
• Agriculture Policy, Strategy and Institutions: Solid understanding of agriculture policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations.
• 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.
• Agricultural Economics: Deep understanding of most of the economic concepts used in agriculture, with significant experience.
• Agricultural Sciences: Deep experience applying knowledge (soil, water, crops, livestock, inputs, biotech, disease control, etc.) to policy-related decisions and advice.
• Agricultural Systems - Production to Consumption: Broad understanding of agricultural value chain and depth in one or more subtopics: research, input supply, on-farm production, organizing and coordinating, processing, distribution, etc.
• Client Orientation: Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Drive for Results: Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables.
• 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.
• Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
• Knowledge of Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations (FCS) Context: Applies to operations and analytical tasks a substantive understanding of fragility, conflict and violence, including polarization of state-society relations, diminished client capacity, relevance of partnerships, etc.
• FCS Behavioral Skills: Demonstrates the mind-set needed for success in FCS settings: adaptability, resilience, determination, sound judgment, etc.
• FCS Operational Skills: Coordinates a pragmatic approach to FCS operations. Looks for ways to help the client achieve early results while maintaining a strategic approach, and identifies practical ways to implement longer-term/ reform measures.

Other Selection Criteria:

• At least a Master's degree in a relevant field/discipline (Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agriculture, or similar field relevant to agriculture and rural development).
• Record of achieving high-quality, substantive results, working in a relatively independent manner.
• Ability to dialogue effectively with senior government officials, donor representatives and civil society and other stakeholders (including the private sector).
• Strong client orientation, interpersonal and diplomatic skills, as well as effective communication skills, including ability to speak articulately and persuasively, and to write clearly, precisely and concisely.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently, and to work in a high-pressure work environment.
• At least eight (8) years of relevant experience in agricultural or rural development, some of which should be from South Sudan or from within the region.

More Info and Application