E T Consultant - Public Sector Specialist at World Bank

Regional context

Western and Central Africa (AFW) is a vast region with diverse cultures, beliefs, languages, and lifestyles. Stretching from the westernmost point of Africa, across the equator, and partly along the Atlantic Ocean till the Republic of Congo in the South, it encompasses 22 countries that spread across semi-arid areas in the Sahel, large coastal areas on the Atlantic Ocean and along the Gulf of Guinea and tropical forest covering many countries from Guinea to the Republic of Congo, through Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon and Gabon. Read more: https://www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/western-and-central-africa.

Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions (EFI) Practice Group

The EFI Practice Group supports countries to build the economic and institutional foundations for inclusive and sustainable growth and, thereby, make progress towards achieving the World Bank Group’s twin goals of reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. Our Practice Group includes the WBG Global Practices of Finance Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI); Governance (GOV), Macroeconomics Trade and Investment (MTI); and Poverty and Equity (POV).

Governance Global Practice

The Governance Global Practice helps countries build capable, effective, transparent, accountable, and inclusive institutions that deliver citizen-centric services, facilitate private-sector growth and build trust in government.

Further information:

Senior Financial Management Specialist, EAWG2, Nigeria

The EAWG2 Team covers the Governance Global Practice program in three Country Management Units (CMUs):

(i) Nigeria;

(ii) Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone; and

(iii) Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Republic of Congo.

The position is focused on supporting the Government of Nigeria to undertake critical public sector reforms across the federal system of government. The position requires strong hands-on advisory and operational contributions to reforms in a variety of public sector functions including public financial management, civil service performance and public administration in areas of domestic resource mobilization and basic service delivery, and through the full range of Bank instruments.

You will be under the supervision of the Governance Practice Manager for the EAWG2 Unit and will work in coordination with other EAWG2 team members based in HQ and the field, as well as with members of the Country Team from the Country Management Unit and different sectors

Duties and Accountabilities

The  Extended Term Consultant will be based in Abuja (Nigeria) and will work on a variety of public sector reforms through analytical, advisory and operational work. This will include, but will not be limited to:

• Contribute to operational design and implementation support for lending operations in areas of public financial management, domestic resource mobilization, and governance aspects of basic service delivery.
• Provide intense hands-on support to clients to support effective project procurements and capacity building activities.
• Contribute to high quality just in time comparative research and policy notes to support effective solutions for our clients.
• Contribute to high quality analytical and advisory work on areas related to fiscal transparency and accountability, GovTech, governance aspects of climate change, public service management and public expenditure reviews.
• Contribute to corporate tasks such as the preparation of country briefs, country policy and institutional assessments, and inputs to thematic notes.
• Participate as a team member in operations led by other sectors, including education and health to ensure strong engagement with governance issues.
• Contribute to CMU initiatives to strengthen operational engagements across the portfolio including by preparing guidance for task teams and supporting the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in preparing and managing World Bank projects.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., economics, accounting, political economy, public administration).

• 5 years of relevant professional experience with solid operational experience on public sector reform.

• Has completed OCC course and TF accreditation; or, in case of external hire, must complete both within probationary period.

• Demonstrates solid experience with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods related to governance work.

• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the project management concepts, as well as of instruments and processes related to project preparation and implementation.

• Demonstrates solid knowledge and operational experience in two or more of the following areas: public expenditure policy and management; public investment management; public service delivery; public financial management; GovTech and ICT; public administration management; revenue policy and management including tax administration; governance and climate.

• Demonstrates understanding of the policy making process in Nigeria with regard to public financial management and public administration. 

• Has solid ability to communicate and defend, orally and in writing, challenges and positions to colleagues and management.

• Fluency in English is required.

The successful candidate will be a professional with solid operational experience on public sector reform, preferably at a multilateral lending institution. Specifically, the successful candidate will be selected based on the following competencies:

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

• 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.

• Public Administration - Understands the overall dimensions and structures of the mechanics of government and its public administration, including domestic resource mobilization (especially tax policy and administration); public financial management, and service delivery).