Research Economist, ECMR2 at the African Development Bank Group (AfDB)

 African Development Bank Group (AfDB) - Established in 1964, the African Development Bank is the premier pan-African development institution, promoting economic growth and social progress across the continent. There are 80 member states, including 54 in Africa (Regional Member Countries). The Bank’s development agenda is delivering the financial and technical support for transformative projects that will significantly reduce poverty through inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Research Economist, ECMR2

Reference: ADB/19/224
Location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Grade: PL3/PL4
Position N°: 50083098 / 50083074 / 50071253

The Complex
The Chief Economist/Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management is the Bank’s spokesperson on economic matters and the Vice President for the ‘Economics Governance and Knowledge Management Complex’. The Chief Economist/Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management is responsible for:

• Providing leadership and visibility for the Bank on economic, finance, financial governance and socio economic development issues; and coordinate the generation of analytical works to inform operational policy;
• Systematically emphasize the critical role of knowledge, experience, lessons learnt and their tangible impact on sustainable, inclusive transformation of African economies. The Chief Economist/Vice-President for Economic Governance and Knowledge Management will inspire, generate and provide direct support to the President and Senior Management of the Bank on a broad range of technical and management issues within the broad remit of economic, finance, public financial governance, management and social economics.

The Hiring Department/Division

• The Macroeconomics Policy, Forecasting and Research Department is dedicated to the generation of high quality knowledge in the area of development in Africa. It provides technical support to operations and regional member countries through rigorous analytical work; engages in impactful policy dialogue with decision-making bodies within and outside of the Bank; and most importantly enhance the operational effectiveness of the Bank in achieving the High 5s. The activities of the department are structured around the Macroeconomic Policy, Debt Sustainability and Forecasting on one side, and the Microeconomics, Institutional and Development Impact on the other.
• The Microeconomic, Institutional and Development Impact Division focuses on microeconomic issues related to development finance, infrastructure development, private sector development, industrial organizations, governance, competitiveness & investment climate, agriculture, institutions, and regional integration to support the High 5s. In addition, the Microeconomic, Institutional and Development Impact Division is the institutional anchor of the ex-ante Additionality and Development Outcome Assessment and Outcome (ADOA) Assessments of the Bank’s operations, as such it is a key element of the Bank Results Framework.

The Position

• The Research Economist is part of the ECMR.1/2 team and expected to undertake research micro and/or macroeconomic research work relevant to the Bank’s High 5 agenda and perform ADOA assessments of the Bank’s lending operations.

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the Division Manager, the  Research Economist will:

• Participate in Ex-ante Additionality and Development Outcome Assessment of Bank’s lending operations
• Lead, provide inputs and assist the team in the delivery of ex-ante Additionality and Development Outcome Assessments of the African Development Bank’s lending to Non sovereign and Regional Operations and any other type of operation, as required by the management.
• Contribute to any revisions of the Additionality and Development Outcome Assessment framework on the basis of implementation experience, lessons from other Development Finance institutions and best practices.

Lead and participate in both macroeconomic and microeconomic research activities in the areas supporting the Bank’s High 5s: (High   priority areas: Light Up and Power Africa (Energy), Feed Africa (Agriculture and Nutrition), Industrialize Africa (Industrialization), Integrate Africa (Regional Integration) and Improve the quality of life for Africans (Sustainable socio-economic development). This includes also strengthening knowledge generation in the area of inclusive and green growth:

• Initiate and/or lead research projects on macroeconomic issues using established and proven methods.
• Provide senior management and regional member countries with comparative research analyses, socioeconomic data and macroeconomic projections.
• Lead the preparation of flagship publications and knowledge products such as the African Economic Outlook and African Development Report.

Provide inputs into the production of the Bank’s flagship publications:

• Lead and contribute to the preparation of flagship reports or assigned chapters, write assigned sections and ensure follow up (peer reviews) until their publication;
• Assist and lead on the dissemination of the findings of reports.

Provide technical and analytical inputs into the work of Operations Complexes:

• Provide input into Country Strategy Papers;
• Lead or participate in Economic Sector Work;
• Participate in the peer review process of project, program and policy documents, including documents submitted to the Operations Committee and the Board.

Contribute to the Bank’s “Working Papers Series " and the Bank’s "African Development Review":

• Publish research papers and review submitted articles to the African Development Review and Working Paper Series.
• Provide inputs to collaborative research and knowledge management activities carried out jointly with regional and international organizations, research and capacity building institutions in Africa, development research centers and universities.
• Review operation documents and participate in review meetings.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Supervisor or Management.
• Assist in the management of the division’s HR and financial affairs and mentor more junior staff

Selection Criteria

• Have at least a Master's degree in Economics, Finance or relevant field. PhD is a strong advantage.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years (for PL3 position) and a minimum of six (6) years (for PL4 position), of professional experience combining research and operational involvement in the design and Evaluation of operations relevant to the High 5s areas including the following: infrastructure including energy, agriculture, private sector development, industrial organizations and social sectors, project analysis and/or monitoring and evaluation.
• Publication record in international peer reviewed journals, working papers, book chapters, reports, etc.
• Proven ability in development policy research and analysis of economic conditions that are of relevance for the High 5s.
• Ability to design, supervise and conduct research projects/programs,
• Ability to understand and identify development outcomes expected from real sector projects,
• Proven skills in drafting and preparation of policy memoranda, speeches and notes for use in decision-making processes.
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language;
• Competence in the use of leading econometrics software packages (Stata, SPSS, etc.) and in Microsoft Suites (Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Access).

Application Closing Date
21st December, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Note

• This position is classified international status and attracts international terms and conditions of employment.
• To apply for this position, you need to be national of one of AfDB member countries.
• Applicants who fully meet the Bank's requirements and are considered for interview will be contacted.
• Only online applications submitted with a comprehensive Curriculum Vitae (CV) and copies of the required degrees will be considered.