Economist, New Delhi, India

• Organization: World Bank
• Country: India
• City: New Delhi, India
• Office: The World Bank, New Delhi
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Closing date: Monday, 30 April 2018

• Grade
• Location New Delhi, India
• Recruitment Type Local Hire
• Language Requirement English [Essential]
• Closing Date 30-Apr-2018

Background / General description

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2017, the WBG committed $59 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $19 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188 member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org

THE ROLE OF THE GLOBAL PRACTICE FOR MACROECONOMICS, TRADE and INVESTMENT (MTI) IN THE WBG

On January 1, 2018, Economics, Finance and Institutions (EFI) Vice Presidency created the Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Global Practice. MTI is a joint IBRD and IFC team, comprised of some 450 staff, with almost half of MTI professional staff decentralized to the field working closely with the Country Management Units (CMUs) and in proximity to the clients.

MTI houses the Bank's country economists together with trade economists and specialists, debt and macro modeling experts, competition, business environment and investment policy experts who work together to support countries in their search for private sector led, inclusive growth. MTI offers integrated solutions to macroeconomic and private-sector focused structural reform programs. In doing so, MTI staff often serve integrative functions working closely with other GPs.

MTI staff work across a wide array of Bank instruments ranging from Development Policy Operations to IFC-funded advisory projects, combining the strength of Bank analysis and lending with longstanding IFC expertise in providing implementation support at the country level. MTI staff often lead or participate in the preparation of Strategic Country Diagnostics for both the public and private sectors, as well as other analytic tools such as Country Economic Memorandum and Country Private Sector Diagnostics.

Knowledge and learning is a central part of MTI's work focused on 9 thematic areas: (a) macroeconomics; (b) fiscal policy; (c) growth; (d) economic management in resource rich environments; (e) macroeconomic modelling & statistics; (f) trade and regional integration; (g) competition policy; (h) investment policy and promotion; and (i) business regulation.

COUNTRY CONTEXT

India is uniquely placed to help reduce global poverty and boost prosperity. India's economic and human development is one of the most significant global achievements of recent times. Between 2005 and 2010, India's share of global GDP increased from 1.8 percent to 2.7 percent, and 53 million people were lifted out of poverty. While India has made significant progress in reducing absolute poverty, it remains home to one third of the global poor and lags on many social indicators, especially those related to gender.

Continued rapid economic growth is a precondition for poverty reduction and shared prosperity. India is poised to become the world's fastest-growing large economy, but significant challenges remain. The overarching goal of the World Bank Group (WBG) India Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) for the period 2013-2017 is to help India accelerate poverty reduction and boost shared prosperity.

The CPS is structured around three pillars: (i) integration, (ii) transformation, and (iii) inclusion, with a special focus on low income states. The MTI GP contributes to the all pillars of the CPS by integrating the sectoral priorities and challenges into the country's macroeconomic framework and inclusive growth strategy, and by providing advice on sustainable and effective fiscal policy.

THE MTI PROGRAM AND THE POSITION

The MTI practice is looking for an outstanding locally-recruited economist for India, to be based in New Delhi. The MTI program in India is substantive and growing, and is anchored by the semi-annual India Development Update. It also includes analytical work on fiscal policy, technical assistance on debt management, as well as core work on macro-fiscal issues.

The economist will be expected to support the rest of the team in the implementation of the growing work program, including (i) intense macroeconomic monitoring, (ii) macro-fiscal and growth policy dialogue, (iii) lending activities, and (iv) cutting-edge policy-relevant analytical work. The economist will be expected to have gained substantive work experience as a macroeconomist as well as outstanding quantitative skills.

The selected candidate will report to the MTI Practice Manager covering South Asia, who is based in Bangkok, and will work under the supervision of the Lead and Senior Country Economists for India. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of race, gender, nationality, culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.

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 2 year term appointment.

Duties and Accountabilities

The selected candidate will be expected to

• Serve as the focal point within the country team on macroeconomic monitoring (including maintaining the macro model for India in coordination with the Senior Economist, and the rest of the team)
• Help to support the economic policy dialogue and the interactions with the authorities, including at the state level.
• Serve as a core contributor the macro-fiscal and growth work of the Bank in the country.
• Serve as team member in a broad range of analytical work including on macro-fiscal, growth and cross-cutting issues.
• Support others on the MTI India team in the delivery of the team's work program and lead the delivery of individual tasks as necessary
• Participate actively in the MTI Global Practice including by providing support to programs in a different country, if needed.
• Be active in at least one thematic area under the MTI Global Practice.

Selection Criteria

Selection Criteria We are looking for a motivated professional with:

• A minimum of a Master's degree in economics (PhD preferred), with at least 5 years of work experience (3 years, with a PhD) in positions with a focus on macro or fiscal policy and analysis.
• Strong technical skills on macro-fiscal and growth issues and a proven track record in delivering high quality and technically sophisticated analytical work.
• Strong integrative skills in order to support the country management unit in articulating its strategic thinking on economic growth and poverty reduction and to articulate a coherent policy dialogue with the authorities.
• A proven sense of initiative, results orientation, team work and leadership qualities, and ability to work effectively across sectors/GPs.
• A familiarity and knowledge of the Indian economy
• A knowledge of econometric and statistical analysis techniques and of related principles needed for macroeconomic and fiscal policy monitoring and analysis
• An ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments, showing a strong drive for results and ability to adjust to and prioritize among a variety of complex evolving tasks;
• Ability to lead analytical tasks under the supervision of more senior staff in the unit;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to develop effective relations within and outside the Bank, and to promote collaboration within the team to meet unit objectives;
• Strong written and verbal communications skills in English (and preferably, also Hindi), including the ability to speak persuasively and to present ideas clearly and concisely with senior authorities

COMPETENCIES

• General Economic Knowledge and Analytical Skills Has excellent quantitative skills and demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and synthesize complex results into user-friendly written outputs for team or stand-alone work. Has in excellent skills with spreadsheet and word processing software, as well as econometric software and other relevant applications, Also understands the underlying statistical concepts. Is familiar with the current debates, issues, and approaches in the global thinking on growth and poverty reduction.
• Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena Understands policy making process and the role of own sector of expertise in that process. Able to find relevant information/data and examine similar policy questions in multiple regions and to distill operationally relevant recommendations/lessons from this analysis for clients.
• Policy Dialogue Skills Identifies and assesses policy issues and communicates findings/points of view verbally and through reports and papers. Plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders as part of Bank teams.
• Integrative Skills Is working to develop a broader view across all facets of current sector. Understands core issues and knows where to get additional expertise when needed. Task team member in integrative products and provides analytical written inputs.
• Written and Verbal Communication Delivers information effectively in support of team or workgroup. Is able to synthesize, analyze, and effectively present material from a wide range of sources. Articulates ideas, verbally, and in writing, using the most effective means of delivery and appropriate verbal and graphical content. Can quickly draft and prepare articles and analytical and technical reports for the review of more senior colleagues. Uses charts, graphs and other data presentation techniques appropriately to communicate data, technical information, or complex concepts to non-specialists. Demonstrates respect and consideration when communicating with all cultures.
• Macroeconomic Skills and Country Economics Experience Is knowledgeable and experienced in the use of analytical tools to monitor the macro-economy. Demonstrates basic macroeconomic modeling skills and knowledge - understands how different accounts in an economy fit together and links among real, monetary, trade, debt and balance of payments accounts. Is familiar with economic policy issues, including budgets and debt analysis. Has basic understanding of government investment programs and cost benefit analysis. Has familiarity with structural reforms and linkages to key areas, such as fiscal policy/sustainability, management of economic volatility, trade analysis, and sources of growth analysis. Understands the micro foundations of growth as well as macroeconomic analysis covering both fiscal and monetary policy. Understands basic economic reports of a country so as to distil information needed to conduct economic and policy analyses in area of specialization.
• Lead and Innovate: Contributes new insights to understand situations and develops solutions to resolve complex problems. Adapts as circumstances require and manages impact of own behavior on others in context of WBG's values and mission. Identifies and pursues innovative approaches to resolve issues
• Deliver Results for Clients: Adds value by constantly looking for a better way to get more impactful results; sets challenging stretch goals for oneself. Immerses oneself in client experiences and perspective by asking probing questions to understand unmet needs. Demonstrates accountability for achieving results that have a development impact and financial, environmental and social sustainability. Identifies and proposes solutions to mitigate and manage risks.
• Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries: Appropriately involves others in decision making and communicates with key stakeholders. Approaches conflicts as common problems to be solved. Actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches displaying a sense of mutuality and respect. Integrates WBG perspective into work.
• Create, Apply and Share Knowledge Leverages department's expertise and body of knowledge across WBG to strengthen internal and/or external client solutions. Seeks to learn from more experienced staff to deepen or strengthen their professional knowledge and helps others to learn. Builds personal and professional networks inside and outside the department unit.
• Make Smart Decisions: Seeks diversity of information and inputs, researches possible solutions, and generates recommended options. Identifies and understands risks and proposes recommendations. Based on risk analysis makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility, considering the interests and concerns of stakeholders.