Agriculture Economist at World Bank

Description

• We are on a mission to change the world; do you want to join us where it matters the most? Invest in your personal and professional development and acquire the skills that are vital for a global career in international development. 
• A role in an FCS (Fragile and Conflict Affected Situations) location will be a truly impactful experience!

Agriculture Global Practice

• Agriculture is an essential pathway to meeting the World Bank Group’s (WBG) twin goals—eliminating extreme poverty by 2030 and promoting shared prosperity. Food production must increase by at least 35 percent to meet the needs of the rising global population.
• Thus, ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity cannot be achieved without more and better investment in agriculture, food security, and nutrition. Meeting today’s challenges on the food and agriculture agenda will require major strides in agricultural innovation and climate smart agriculture, efficiency in food production and distribution systems, promoting environmentally and socially sustainable production practices, strengthening agricultural policy and institutions, supporting agribusiness value chains, and joint private- and public- sector action.
• Our unit in the Agriculture Global Practice of the World Bank covers 13 countries in West Africa, including Nigeria. The unit comprises approximately 20 staff, two thirds of which are based in Country Offices in West Africa and the rest in Washington DC.
• The Nigeria program is the largest of our programs in West Africa and includes a range of investment projects and analytical work at national and sub-national level, reflecting the diverse development challenges that the country is facing.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• Contribute as core team member to the preparation and implementation of selected operations, assuring quality in all stages of the project cycle;
• Serve as the focal point for liaison with key counterparts and other partners for colleagues working with the Nigeria program;
• Identify opportunities for addressing agricultural issues in Nigeria as part of the World Bank’s Country Partnership Framework, country policy dialogue, sector investment operations, budget support operations, and other multi-sectoral projects;
• Stay abreast of relevant developments for Nigeria’s agri-food sector and effectively communicate them to the country team;  
• Remain current with relevant major pieces of analytical work in the profession. Participate in strategic analytical work in Nigeria;
• Represent the World Bank in fora involving the community of development partners;
• As necessary, represent the World Bank at events with sectoral focus that take place in the field;
• Develop strong client relations and partnership, including with the International Finance Corporation, on operational matters and policy dialogue;
• Maintain a high level and quality of engagement and dialogue with key stakeholders, including government, civil society, private sector and research/academic community on strategic and policy issues concerning the agri-food sector in Nigeria;

The selected candidate will report to the Agriculture GP’s Practice Manager (SAFA1). S/he will coordinate closely with the Nigeria Country Management Unit, and with the Sustainable Development Program Leader.

Selection Criteria

• Masters, MBA or PhD in Agricultural Economics, Economics, or in a relevant discipline;
• At least five years of experience on agricultural development issues (three years if PhD);
• Strong technical and analytical skills in the range of issue of relevance to agriculture;
• Team player able to function in a fast-paced, multi-sectoral and multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving and team skills with ability to find balanced, pragmatic and implementable solutions also in a multi-disciplinary context;
• High level of energy, ability to work under pressure, and willingness to travel and work under challenging conditions;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, including the ability to present complex issues to World Bank management and senior Government representatives, as well as to non-specialist audiences.

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.
• Agricultural economics - Deep understanding of concepts used in agricultural economics, with significant experience in their application.
• Agriculture Policy, Strategy and Institutions - Solid understanding of agriculture policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations.
• Project Design for Impact and Sustainability - Contributes to the design of projects and programs based on an understanding of the country and sector context.
• Sector Dialogue - Able to conduct a dialogue with the client including on complex issues, based on a solid understanding of the sector.
• 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.

N.B: The World Bank Group Core Competencies: https://bit.ly/2kbIA7O