Senior Private Sector Specialist – GG

Description

 

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank consists of two entities – the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). It is a global development cooperative owned by 189 member countries. As the largest development bank in the world, the World Bank provides loans, guarantees, risk management products, and advisory services to middle-income and creditworthy low-income countries, and coordinates responses to regional and global challenges. For more information, please visit www.worldbank.org.

 

The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Region

 

The World Bank Group works with countries in Europe and Central Asia to eliminate poverty and promote shared prosperity, through boosting human capital, enabling markets, facilitating green transitions, and building & strengthening institutions.

 

Boosting human capital for inclusive productivity in a world of changing work. This includes continuing to address near-term risks to human capital due to the COVID-19 crisis, including emergency health and social relief, while helping our clients to build adaptive and inclusive human capital through access to quality health, education, social protection services and jobs.

 

Enabling markets for the private sector to compete in the knowledge-intensive global economy. In addition to helping our clients reinvigorate private investment to support the crisis recovery, this means working to raise productivity and development of a competitive private sector through critical market reforms, public-private partnerships, financial sector diversification, productivity-enhancing digitization, and fintech to increase access to finance.

 

Facilitating green transitions to low-carbon, sustainable economies. We will help our clients with innovative engagements to support decarbonization, natural capital renewal, climate & disaster risk management, inclusive infrastructure, and just transitions.

 

Building and strengthening institutions to be open and responsive and to deliver quality services to people. In addition to continuing to work on long-standing issues as part of the crisis response and recovery, this means ensuring sound macro-financial policies & regulatory frameworks; debt management; strengthening institutions, governance & state effectiveness, including SOE reforms; and policy & institutional modernization to support infrastructure services.

 

Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice

 

The Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation (FCI) Global Practice combines expertise in the financial sector with expertise in private sector development to foster private-sector led growth and help create markets in client countries.  FCI’s core lines of business are: (a) Financial Stability & Integrity; (b) Financial Inclusion, Infrastructure & Access; (c) Firm Capabilities & Innovation; (d) Long-Term Finance; (e) Climate & Risk Management; (f) Markets and Technology; and (g) Investment and Competition. For more information, please visit https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/unit/fci

 

The FCI GP’s portfolio in Kosovo includes lending operations, advisory services and analytical work. The programs are focused on private sector competitiveness; innovation and entrepreneurship; MSME support programs; investment promotion; business and regulatory environment; investment climate; access to finance; financial sector deepening and diversification; supervision and regulation for bank and non-banking institutions; financial infrastructure; and green finance. 

 

The selected candidate will help implement the private (and financial sector programs), contribute to developing new programs, and support as requested the FCI GP’s regional activities. The candidate will need to demonstrate knowledge of and experience in broad private sector development topics and issues.  The successful candidate will work with colleagues in Kosovo, Washington D.C., Vienna and other parts of the GP. The staff will report to the Practice Manager, FCI based in Vienna, Austria and will collaborate closely with the Senior Private Sector Specialist and Senior Financial Sector Specialist overseeing the relevant topic areas, based in Washington D.C. and Vienna, Austria.    

 

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

 

• Contribute to or lead specific operational activities at all stages of the project cycle for advisory and lending operations, in Kosovo, including: (i) serving as the main in-country liaison with government counterparts for implementation support to ongoing projects; (ii) providing technical inputs to analytical work and briefing notes on the private sector and financial sector; (iii) co-lead or be part of multi-sectoral DPLs with other GPs; and (iv) contributing to the further development of the FCI GP’s portfolio by developing relationships with government counterparts and contributing to the design of new programs. 

• Regularly liaise with government counterparts to follow up with them on project-related activities and discuss potential issues and needs; and maintain direct relationships with local strategic partner organizations, donors and key stakeholders. 

• Conduct analytical work as may be directed and contribute to the development of operationally relevant private sector products. The candidate will be expected to contribute substantively to these tasks, working closely with international experts and other team members. 

• Advise task teams on the particulars of the country context for relevant issues. Coordinate and Participate as a member or lead of FCI missions (preparation, appraisal, supervision) and conduct discussions with Governments’ counterparts on selected problems and issues identified by task team leaders and other team members. Liaise with Country Office administrative team members to ensure smooth mission planning and execution.

• Dialogue Coordination: maintain close liaison with key Governments’ counterparts involved in private and financial sector issues.

• Donor Coordination: Support the partnership with the donor community and facilitate/participate in formal and informal meetings with key development partners, civil society and other stakeholders

• General technical support to the World Bank Kosovo office: under guidance from the Senior FCI Sector Specialists, work closely with the Program Leaders/Country Economists and CMUs to ensure the integration of relevant private sector and financial issues in country strategies, SCDs/CPFs and work programs and country policy dialogue and engagement. Support the FCI team in the preparation of briefing material on country program/sector and project issues and follow up on portfolio issues. Produce technical notes, briefings, presentations, etc. as requested by Management.

• IFC Coordination: Coordinate with the IFC as needed on relevant diagnostics, advisory work, and operational activities.

 

Selection Criteria

 

• Master’s degree or PhD in Economics, International Relations, Law, Finance, or similar.

• At least 10 years of relevant professional experience since completing university degree (i.e., bachelor’s).

• Strong experience in various private and financial sector development issues, from a regulatory/policy/development perspective, or in the private sector, or both.

• Proven ability in conceptualizing and developing high quality technical and analytical work related to private sector topics.

• Knowledge of the main government stakeholders, international partners, donors, CSOs, and other entities working on private sector development. 

• Proven ability to develop and nurture relationships with clients and other stakeholders. 

• Strong inter-personal and team skills.

• Excellent writing and presentation skills in English and Albanian.

 

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.

 

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