Senior Economist Development Impact Measurement

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Description

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IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities. Our mission is to leverage the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet. 

The Development Impact Measurement Department (CDI) is part of the Economics & Private Sector Development Vice Presidency (CED). It is responsible for developing methodologies and assessing the development impact of IFC investments. This includes implementing the ex-ante development impact framework (the Anticipated Impact Measurement and Monitoring system or AIMM); measuring development impact during the investment project life cycle; conducting ex-post empirical evaluations; and collaborating with and convening the global impact investing community. 

The Department is seeking to recruit a Senior Economist with strong econometric and statistical skills to help IFC develop, implement and estimate jobs created and supported by its operations, and enable IFC to report on the World Bank Group Scorecard metric on jobs. More and better Jobs is the key development impact metric for IFC’s Vision 2030 strategy. The selected candidate is expected to work with colleagues in the WBG and in IFC to ensure that IFC can refine its existing estimation approaches, adapt to new methodologies as defined by the World Bank Group, and ensure timely and accurate assessments of its job creation impacts. The candidate will support the CDI team and represent IFC in technical discussions with MDBs and DFIs on estimation of jobs. The department also seeks to build further on its impact evaluation program, to which the candidate will contribute. 

The Senior Economist will work closely with other Economists and Results Measurement Specialists in the Department under the general supervision of the manager for Impact Reporting & Evaluation. We are looking for a motivated and dynamic professional, with exceptional and hands-on econometric and modeling skills, and a track record of managing processes and working across teams. The position is based at IFC’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Duties and responsibilities

Specific duties and responsibilities include the following:

Estimation and Reporting:

• •  Lead the estimation of direct, indirect, and induced employment effects using input-output models at aggregate and granular levels including splits by sector, country, investment type, and other  relevant subgroups.
• •  Review and adapt the existing IFC’s jobs model to enable IFC to report on the “More and Better Jobs” indicator in the WBG scorecard.
• •  Calibrate the current models based on historical data, and conduct sensitivity analysis to check the predictive accuracy of the model and suggest improvements. Identify and quantify job multipliers, backward and forward linkages, and value-added contributions across sectors.
• •  Work with other economists to coordinate the estimations, lead quality control processes, and develop standardized reporting on the jobs estimates for IFC, including specifically for IDA-PSW and Blended-Finance Projects.
• •  Along with the CDI team, lead technical discussions on jobs methodologies with the World Bank Group and external partners, including the DFI community, donors etc.
• •  Develop methodology notes, guidance and toolkits for CDI economists working on estimations and training materials as needed.
• •  Prepare management briefs and other reporting materials as needed by CDI Management.

Supporting Impact Evaluations: 

• •  Participate in the design of new impact evaluations and support ongoing evaluations, as needed.
• •  Work with implementing partners and survey firms to ensure fidelity to impact evaluation protocols.
• •  Undertake data cleaning and analysis, and contributing to writing relevant impact evaluation reports, and other analytical outputs.
• •  Lead the delivery of training on impact evaluation for CDI and other IFC staff, project and implementing partner staff, and other primary stakeholders, in line with the projects’ objectives.

Selection Criteria

• Technical Skills:
• •  PhD in economics, Data Science, Statistics and 10+ years of relevant experience in supporting results measurement for private sector operations.
• •  Proven expertise in input-output modeling, CGE modeling, or related macroeconomic simulation tools, with a specific focus on employment and labor market analysis.
• •  Experience in labor market analysis and job estimation frameworks in the context of investments and value chain analysis.
• •  Demonstrated track record of working with both macro-economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs.
• •  Prior experience working with research institutions or development organizations and familiarity with modeling frameworks to assess the employment effects of private sector investment scenarios in emerging and developing economies.
• •  Ability to work with data environments with limited or imperfect data to generate robust insights.
• •  Experience in applied research including jobs modelling and impact evaluations (experimental/ quasi-experimental methods). Experience of working with private sector clients is a plus.
• •  Computer skills: Strong STATA skills (other packages such as R, Python, are a plus), and advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word).

Skills:

• •  Commitment to the WBG and IFC’s mission and values.
• •  Demonstrated ability to operate in a mature, collaborative manner in a matrixed, highly complex and global organization.
• •  Commitment to teamwork, knowledge-sharing, and ability to influence and network across organizational boundaries.
• •  Demonstrated ability to coordinate and motivate teams and group efforts across organizational boundaries.
• •  Fluent in English. Knowledge of additional languages spoken is preferred.
• •  Effective and persuasive oral and written communication skills.
• •  Understanding of DFI/MDB operations in the private sector is a strong plus.

Source:  https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/33373?c=worldbankgroup&sq=req33373

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