World Bank Job Opportunities – Senior Education Specialist / Economist
Job Title: Senior Education Specialist / Economist
Organization: World Bank Group (WBG)
Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda
Reports to: Practice Manager for GED13
About World Bank:
The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. The World Bank provides low-interest loans, zero to low-interest credits, and grants to developing countries. These support a wide array of investments in such areas as education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management. Some of our projects are co-financed with governments, other multilateral institutions, commercial banks, export credit agencies, and private sector investors.
Job Summary: The Senior Education Specialist / Economist will lead (and support) policy dialogue with the client on key issues in education and skills development, provide daily implementation support to the government on the lending operations, as well as lead the preparation of new lending programs. He/she will also be expected to lead or/co-lead analytical work to inform policy discussions.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
- Policy Dialogue and Building Client Capacity. Lead and contribute to policy dialogue with the government of Uganda on a range of sector issues at different levels of education. Identify and nurture opportunities for participating in the broader policy dialogue in the country, especially insofar as they impact on education or where the education sector can make a contribution. Build client capacity to use findings of policy research/analytical work for developing new policies and undertaking sector reforms. Provide technical advice on key issues and strategic directions for the country’s education sector development, by bringing relevant international experience and research to assist in developing local solutions.
- Operations. Lead and/or contribute to the development of new lending operations, both in education and multi-sectoral, tapping into the Bank’s full range of instruments (including investment project financing, results-based financing, etc.); mobilize global experience and evidence and tailor them to the local context; review and prepare operational documents, coordinating across practices and project components with other team members; and provide day to day operational support and advise the government on technical and operational aspects of project implementation for ongoing projects.
- Analytical Work and Non-Lending Services. Lead and/or contribute to the design, preparation, and dissemination of analytical products (e.g. sector assessment, policy notes, impact evaluation, public expenditure reviews, country systems diagnostics, case studies, etc.); provide input on a range of issues (e.g., education finance, management and governance, teacher policies, school performance assessments, skills development, etc.) that respond to critical policy questions identified by the client and have an impact on policy and operational design. Work on cross-sectoral teams to contribute to products such as public expenditure reviews, service delivery surveys, and impact evaluations.Contribute to the country diagnostics and other core analytical work.
- Leadership: Work closely with the Practice Manager and education team and the CMU to identify new business in the education sector, including innovative financing approaches, technical advisory services, fee-based services and other services, as required.
- Partnerships: Lead and/or contribute to partnership activities on a regular basis, with multilateral and bilateral development partners, UN agencies, non-profit organizations, academia, and civil society. Contribute to alignment and coordination around country-led priorities.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The applicant for the World Bank Group Senior Education Specialist / Economist job placement should hold a Master’s Degree from a recognized university in economics, education policy, or related discipline.
- At least eight years of relevant work experience in education; and demonstrated expert-level knowledge of and experience in leading education projects and analytical work
- Analytical/technical skills: Strong analytical and economics skills (e.g., education, labor economics), and a solid understanding of public finance issues.
- Operational skills. Strong operational skills and experience in the design and implementation of World Bank-financed programs and projects (e.g., PfoRs, IPf with DLIs) to address key education issues; knowledge of Bank operational policies and procedures; and ability to find practical solutions to operational issues.
- Strong client orientation. Ability to conduct high-level policy dialogue with sophisticated clients, including Ministry of Education and Sport, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, and other stakeholders.
- Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills. Proven ability to work effectively and collaboratively across and within practice boundaries, inspire commitment to excellence and teamwork, and to liaise tactfully as a member of a multicultural team.
- High levels of energy, initiative, and flexibility. Proactive attitude to challenges and flexibility in quickly adjusting to changing work program requirements. Ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to internal and external client requests, and set realistic priorities for self and others.
- Language: Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. The candidate will be expected to write concisely and expediently; present technical information to clients; and represent the WBG education team among donors and the client.
Competencies
- Education knowledge and experience: Possesses strong analytical and technical skills, including an understanding of key core education issues with regard to quality, relevance, and equity at all levels. Has familiarity with analytical resources, data sets, indicators, tools for data analysis, and the use of evidence for education policy.
- General economic knowledge and analytical skills: Possesses a demonstrated track record of working with economic and sectoral data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs; understands underlying statistical concepts.
- Knowledge and experience in development arena: Understands policy making processes; distills operationally relevant recommendations/lessons for clients; understanding of political economy issues as well as a good grasp of governance issues .
- Policy dialogue skills: Identifies and assesses policy issues and plays an active role in the dialogue with the government and/or other stakeholders; possesses political judgment, diplomatic acumen, and negotiating skills; applies cross-country development knowledge to discussions with clients and development partners.
- Integrative skills: Demonstrates strong integrative thinking and ability to support project teams in developing an integrated point of view around development challenges.
- Analytical Services and Advisory (ASA) policy, strategic and technical analysis for country/sector Issues: Provides inputs to key ASA documents by analyzing relevant issues, soliciting input from others, and using data and facts to support conclusions and/or position.
- Written and verbal communication: Delivers information effectively.
- Client orientation: 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.
- Drive for results: Takes personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization skills to do so.
- Teamwork (collaboration) and inclusion: Collaborates with other team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view.
- Knowledge, learning, and communication: Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner.
- Business judgment and analytical decision making: Analyzes facts and data to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others’ work.
NB: Poverty has no borders, neither does excellence. We succeed because of our differences and we continuously search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe.
How to Apply:
All suitably qualified and interested candidates who wish to join the World Bank in the aforementioned capacity are encouraged to send their applications Online by reviewing details at the web link below and clicking Apply Now on getting a broader insight of vacancy.
Deadline: 16th August 2020
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