Job: Senior Public Sector Specialist

Location: Washington
Deadline: Tuesday, 12 November 2013

Background / General description:

The World Bank Group serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from middle income clients to IDA countries, from large countries to small Caribbean states. The Latin America region emphasizes strong client orientation and responsiveness; innovation and high quality; results; teamwork and collaboration across sectors; and a dedication to attracting and developing a diverse and talented staff.

Sector Context:

The Latin America and the Caribbean Region Public Sector Unit (LCSPS) is a sector group within PREM in Latin America and the Caribbean region (LCSPR). LCSPR is divided into three sector groups: Economic Policy, Poverty and Gender, and Public Sector. The overall mission of LCSPR is to assist LCR countries in developing and implementing strategies to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development through our lending, advice and analytical work. The Public Sector Group contributes to the pursuit of LCSPR's mission by addressing the challenge of improved public sector management and governance.

LCSPS's key activities are:

• Promotion of efficient public expenditure and revenue management.
• Modernizing governmental organizations and institutions.
• Strengthening accountability, transparency and civic engagement.
• Supporting effective intergovernmental finance and decentralization arrangements.
• Supporting legal and judicial reform (including on crime and security issues).
• Assisting in the reduction of corruption.

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 3 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The Public Sector Unit (LCSPS) is seeking a Senior Public Sector Specialist to be based in Washington DC. The candidate would be the leading expert for a dynamic and highly visible work program, developing guidance and strategic documents, leading the development and provision of implementation support to Bank-financed projects, as well as delivering timely and high quality analytical products under the direction of the Sector Manager. Specifically, the selected candidate's responsibilities will include:

• Play key role in implementation of sector strategy; advise borrowers and colleagues on technical matters, supervise the work of consultants and technical specialists to ensure consistency and conformity to Bank standards; evaluate studies and sector-related project documentation.
• Employ appropriate methodologies for handling simple and complex procurement tasks and/or issues.
• Generate 'think pieces' and 'good practices'; handle complex technical, institutional and program implementation issues in the sectors; lead the development of proposals; lead the interface with member governments and agencies in resolving implementation issues.
• Contribute to sector policy; make recommendations on strategies and policy options for member governments.
• Lead missions and supervise major projects in the sector as a technical expert; interact with clients at the policy level, organize and manage policy development and evaluation papers in collaboration with sector agencies and donors.
• Produces major/complex reports.
• Lead in the sharing of good practices, 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.
• Work independently under general direction of unit manager, and guide and mentor more junior staff.

In addition the candidate will be expected to:

• Advise country and sector teams on how to address public management issues in country assistance strategies, policy loans, operations, analytic work and advisory services to client countries, helping them to match the strategy, reforms, and types of operations to the risks and challenges that public management poses for growth and poverty reduction in the country.
• Contribute to LCSPS work in public financial management, performance based budgeting and efficiency of result oriented public institutions.
• Develop knowledge concerning performance improvement of the public sector and creatively apply that knowledge via the different instruments the bank provides for its client countries.
• Understand clients' needs and developmental challenges and identifies entry points for interventions in his/her areas of expertise.
• Identify the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and find solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables
• Anticipate needs and requests in the field and conduct independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners.
• Establish strategic partnerships with other development organizations and bilateral aid agencies and facilitate access to international experiences to clients in the Region.
• Mainstream institutional development activities into Bank operations and assist clients in strengthening institutions at national and subnational levels.
• Lead operational and analytic and advisory work at the national and subnational levels, and provide hands-on technical assistance and share 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.
• Identify opportunities for new lending and 'Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS)' activities, and negotiate these with government counterparts and relevant country teams to ensure a growing pipeline of activities.
• Maintain client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provide evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge.
• Work with staff and other Networks to help coordinate Bank lending and analytic work on tax policy and administration, customs administration, public management, including performance informed budgeting, coordinating with other development partners to support sustainable reforms and use of country systems in donor operations.

Selection Criteria:

• Advanced degree in Economics, public administration, public policy, or similar fields and a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in development agencies and/or other organizations including governments,
• Demonstrated ability to engage in a dialogue with high level public officials in different settings -as mission leader, organizing conferences and policy-dialogue events on public sector and governance issues, from conceptualization to logistics.
• Ability to lead production of projects and/or major studies on areas key to public sector and translate technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications that contribute to country and sector strategies.
• Excellent analytical skills, including qualitative and/or quantitative and ability to gather inputs, assess risk, consider impact and articulate benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.
• Proven leadership in ensuring a diverse team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse and innovative ideas and approaches.
• Proactivity, client-orientation, risk-taking, and initiative.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, teamwork and track record of working across sectors.
• Demonstrated experience preferably in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Excellent English and Spanish written and oral communication skills are required; good knowledge of Portuguese or French is a plus.

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.
• 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.
• General Governance and Public Sector Knowledge and Experience - Has the ability to lead production of projects and/or major studies on areas key to public sector.
• 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)
• 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.

More Info and Application