E T Consultant (Private Sector / Economist) at World Bank

Job No.: req12308
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Financial Sector
Grade: EC2
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment
Required Language(s): English

Description

• Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.

Western and Central Africa (AFW) Region

• We need the best and brightest talent focused on Sub-Saharan African countries in order to harness the potential and innovation happening across the continent. Africa is a continent on the move, with a young population and a growing market of nearly 1.2bn people. We are committed to making the Africa regional teams into leading innovation hubs.
• Yet, these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.
• In West and Central Africa, the World Bank is a leading partner with a growing portfolio of 350 projects totaling more than $38 billion in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation- all to support job creation, gender equality, poverty reduction, and better lives.
• Across the continent, the World Bank’s program has nearly doubled over the last 10 years. By 2030, about 87% of the world’s extreme poor are projected to live in Sub-Saharan Africa, so this is where our mission to end extreme poverty and to promote shared prosperity will be achieved.
• Are you ready to make an impact? We are looking for dedicated professionals to join our innovative and diverse team to improve people’s lives and help countries build back better after COVID. 

Regional Context
Western and Central Africa:

• Western and Central Africa is a region with diverse cultures, beliefs, languages, and lifestyles - marked by contrasts of stability and conflict; affluence and poverty. 
• Home to about half a billion people, it encompasses 22 countries stretching from the westernmost point of Africa across the equator and partly along the Atlantic Ocean to the Republic of Congo in the South.
• The sub-region is rich in resources and brimming of opportunities. It made impressive progress in regional cooperation and includes two monetary unions - the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) that cover 13 countries between them.       
• Yet these vast opportunities are tempered by persistent gaps in education, health, and skills, which have Africa only reaching forty percent of its estimated potential. Moreover, conflict, food insecurity, population growth, and the disruptive forces of climate change threaten to curtail or even reverse the progress that has been made over the past decades.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has brought back to the forefront the risks posed by weak health systems and poor surveillance.
• Many countries in the region that learned difficult lessons from the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014 are applying some of the lessons and using all existing instruments and expertise to curb the pandemic while prioritizing the poorest and most vulnerable people. 
• The World Bank Western and Central Africa Region, comprised of approximately 1,139 staff mostly based in about 22 country offices, is committed to helping countries to realize their considerable development potential and become more competitive in the global economy by focusing on the following priorities:
  • Creating Jobs and Transforming Economies: We are working with countries across Africa to stimulate job creation and economic transformation by leveraging all sources of finance, expertise, and solutions to promote investment.
  • Building up the Digital Economy: We are supporting Africa’s vision to ensure that every African individual, business, and government is connected by 2030.
  • Institutions more Efficient and Accountable: Our support is helping governments strengthen public policy processes, manage resources effectively, and reinforce fair and reliable delivery of public services.
  • Investing in People: We are at the forefront of helping African countries accelerate human capital gains and empower women by improving their access to education and skills acquisition, sexual and reproductive health services, and employment opportunities.
  • Supporting Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption:  In the face of increasing climate-related risks, we are working with African countries to advance efforts to adopt renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture, and green infrastructure.
  • Addressing the Drivers of Fragility, Conflict and Violence: Given the cross-border nature of conflicts in Africa, we are employing an approach that simultaneously focuses on the drivers of fragility while also supporting well-targeted regional initiatives to create opportunities for peace and shared prosperity.
  • Building Partnerships and Working across the African Continent: We are scaling up our work on regional integration, taking a holistic view of the continent that covers both North and Sub-Saharan Africa.
• The World Bank is a dedicated partner for Western and Central African countries, helping them deliver strong development outcomes for their people.
• A brighter future for the region is a better future for the world. 

Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions Practice Group:

• Equitable Growth, Finance, and Institutions (EFI) Practice Group (PG) supports economic policies and legal, regulatory and institutional reforms to enable equitable and sustainable growth and to reduce poverty.

The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Global Practice:

• The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice combines expertise in the financial sector with expertise in private sector development to foster private-sector-led growth and help create markets in client countries.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

• The ETC will serve as key team member by contributing directly to the overall quality of the projects (lending & non-lending).

Duties
Include, but are not limited to, the following main tasks:

• Support to Bank operations. Participate as team member of bank operations as needed, working to prepare project documentation, support to pipeline and existing operations.
• Providing analytical support. Including contribute to research, financial and data analysis, financial modeling, stakeholder consultation, conduct due diligence on financial and private sector issues, provide input to technical reports, contribute to diagnostics, strategic documents. Support on knowledge dissemination through power points, dissemination reports and other means.
• Support the Management of FCI Portfolio: Support project team to ensure quality, impact and coordination across projects. Regularly monitor and facilitate the meeting of deadlines on key deliverables for closing activities/projects (ICR), delivery of projects in the pipeline as well as regular Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs).
• Other tasks as requested by Practice Manager

Selection Criteria

• MA +3 years minimum of relevant professional experience in the areas of finance, business, management, economics, or related discipline.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of financial techniques, instruments, products, institutions, markets, strategies and policies in a developing country context
• Demonstrate Strong Analytical skills, familiarity with firm-level Data.
• Demonstrate strong project management skills, motivation and ability to learn fast and deliver.
• Track record of diligence, thoroughness, initiative, ability to help the team meet deadlines.
• Strong communication skills including report-writing and preparing presentations and technical notes.
• Demonstrate strong client orientation and drive for results.