Private Sector Development Specialists at the World Bank Group

The World Bank, a member of the World Bank Group, is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships in the public and private sectors.

In 2015, the World Bank Group launched a recruitment mission to attract Sub Saharan African professionals to its work force. The initiative was the first of its kind for the institution and resulted in numerous hires into business areas such as Education, Health, Development Economics, Information Technology Systems, Social Urban/Rural & Resilience and Governance. The World Bank Group continues its commitment to hiring Sub-Saharan African professionals and announces its latest recruitment mission to again attract highly qualified Sub-Saharan African professionals who are looking for an exciting career, where their effort will contribute to the institution's goal of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity.

Applications are invited for the position below:

Job Title: Private Sector Development Specialist

Location: Africa
Area: Development Economics

Job Summary

• The Development Economics Vice-Presidency (DEC) generates new knowledge for development. It feeds this knowledge both internally to inform Bank operations, working with Networks and Regions, and externally to the global development community. It is the leading provider globally of the public good of knowledge for development.
• The Global Indicators Group is housed in DEC. The Special Initiative Unit is part of the Global Indicators Group and produces quantitative indicators and analysis on regulations and regulatory processes that are critical for private sector companies when entering and operating in the market.
• Among those, Enabling the Business of Agriculture aims to promote smart regulations that ensure safety and quality control as well as efficient regulatory processes that support thriving agribusinesses. Particularly, the project identifies and analyzes legal barriers for the business of agriculture and quantifies transaction costs of dealing with government regulations. The ultimate goal of Enabling the Business of Agriculture is to provide governments with defined good practices that can inform policymaking and trigger reforms based on the examples of other countries.
• The project is in its third year of implementation and is currently collecting data in 62 countries. The project is implemented through a series of questionnaires administered to a number of key contributors in different sectors. Within each of the topic areas listed below, legal, regulatory and policy elements will be identified and measured.
• Eighteen indicators, covering six topics, have been developed to address various aspects relating to production inputs and market enablers that facilitate farmers, firms and producers to sell their goods and services. The indicators measured in this year’s report cover seed, fertilizer machinery, finance, transport, and markets. Four additional topics-land; water; livestock; and information and communication technology- are under development and will be included in next year’s report. Two overarching themes-environmental sustainability and gender-have also been explored so that the indicators being developed encourage inclusive and sustainable practices.
• Results are presented in a series of annual reports, a website database of agribusiness environment indicators, and country reports that feed into WBG operational and analytical work. Two highly motivated Private Sector Development (PSD) Specialists are invited to join the Enabling the Business of Agriculture team. The positions require a mix of operational and analytical skills, as well as the demonstrated ability to work harmoniously in a team and meet deadlines. The level and quality of these skills will be a determining factor in the selection for these positions, and references will be given serious consideration in this determination. The PSD Specialists will be based in Washington, DC and report to the Special Initiative Program Manager.
• 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 term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities
Duties will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Lead the development and implementation of indicators, including administering surveys to local experts, verifying survey responses, data entry, developing a scoring methodology, and conducting policy analysis of the data. Among the 12 EBA core topics, special attention will be devoted to markets, seeds, environmental sustainability and transport;
• Develop and maintain internal and external networks of stakeholders in the subject matter and related regulatory policy;
• Participate in relevant policy research and dialogue activities to stay abreast of and contribute to the business climate field;
• Contribute to overall project development and strategy, supporting the Program Manager in project design, project management, and donor relations as necessary;
• Write and substantively review content of reports and related presentations;
• Supervise the work of other consultants and experts contributing to the development of the indicators;
• Collaborate across the Agriculture Global Practice (GFAGE) and DECIG teams to ensure the topic comprehensively meets the regulatory and policy decision needs of policymakers and the private sector;
• Interact with internal (WBG) and external specialists in different fields relevant to the project topic areas, and harness their expertise to inform and refine project methodology;
• Carry out, oversee and/or draw in country background research to address topic indicators within each of the target economies;
• Participate in and support numerous project activities, including dissemination, presentations, background research, data organization, etc.;
• Support other Indicators Group projects as necessary.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in Economics, Public Administration, Law, or related field (minimum master's degree).
• At least five years of relevant experience in private sector development, academia or policymaking for law or economic development is required, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship and business startup and a clear demonstration of understanding of substantive issues in comparative institutional and regulatory analysis.
• Strong analytical skills and experience pertaining to business environment issues, including cross-border trade, seeds, environmental sustainability and transport.
• Strong understanding of issues pertaining to selected EBA focus areas, particularly trade and market access, seeds, environmental sustainability and transport issues, and the impact of policy and regulations on rural development.
• Knowledge of the Doing Business report and experience in cross country data collection and analysis is desirable.
• Strong analytical skills and experience pertaining to business environment issues.
• Demonstrated leadership capacity, with sound business judgment and initiative and ability to build effective working relations with internal and external WBG clients.
• Ability to translate research findings into policy recommendations and support for operational work.
• High degree of self-motivation and proven ability to work independently under limited supervision. Ability to multitask and work effectively in multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multicultural environments and build effective working relations with internal and external partners.
• Willingness to travel regularly.
• Experience working in a developing country context.
• Advanced skills in MS Excel and other data management and analysis software are highly preferred.
• Fluency in English required. Fluency in Spanish, Russian and other languages will be highly valuable.
• Well-developed interpersonal and team working skills; ability to operate effectively both as a task team leader and unit team member; methodical, proactive and positive attitude.
• Ability to deal sensitively in multicultural environments and build effective working relations with internal and external partners and collaborators, in the public and private sector, with academic advisors, and clients across the WBG.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment.

Competencies:

• Demonstrates broad knowledge of project management tools & methodologies; identifies key risks and mitigation measures; interprets background analysis and proposed solutions.
• Demonstrates broad knowledge of business regulation reform, and how it improves the quality of and reduces the burden of regulation; demonstrates technical expertise to contribute to the design of, and then lead business projects.
• 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.
• Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results, and has the personal organization to do so.
• Leads a small team and contributes productively to the team's work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
• Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner.
• Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others' work.

Recruitment Timeline
End of July - September 2016 - Review applications and update application status to candidates
August - September 2016 - Contact all shortlisted candidates and conduct interviews in Washington, D.C. and locations in Africa

Application Closing Date
7th August, 2016.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• Shortlisted candidates may be contacted as early as August 2016 for interviews which may be conducted in Washington, D.C. or locations in Africa. Interviews will be conducted through September 2016. Based on the availability of interviewers and candidates some interviews may be conducted virtually.
• Candidates who have previously submitted applications through the Recruitment Drive for African Nationals in 2015 must submit a new application to be considered for opportunities in this year's campaign. We apologize that we are unable to consider previously submitted applications.