World Bank Group Recruitment: x41 Open Vacancies Available Based in Washington, DC,United States

Posted by:

Anga

|

On:

|

,Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org

Closing date: Varies
Location: Washington, DC,United States

Development Impact (DIME), a department of the World Bank’s Development Economics VPU, is looking for an Extended Term Consultant (ETC) who will work as a Research Assistant for Impact Evaluations (IEs) in the Digital Sector. Working in collaboration with various partners, the ETC’s work will primarily consist of project development, partner management/liaising, and management of selected analytical and research collaborations. The ETC will work closely with DIME’s sectoral lead to manage internal World Bank collaborations with the Digital VPU including the ID for Development (ID4D) and Government to Person Payments (G2Px) teams within the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) group. It will additionally include expanding the relationship with the regional and global teams in Digital on other research priorities such as device affordability, connectivity, digital skills/literacy, and high-impact use cases. The ETC may also be expected to manage donor and country office coordination with partners linked to their projects.

Required qualifications for the position include at least a masters degree in economics, political science or related social disciplines; good knowledge of impact evaluation methods, and at least 3 years of experience managing impact evaluation in developing countries. The Extended Term Consultancy will be a full-time position for one year, with the possibility of extension for up to two more years. The position will be based in Washington, DC with the possibility of travel to the countries where projects are taking place.

Background:

A department of the World Bank’s Development Economics Vice-Presidency, DIME’s purpose is to increase the use of impact evaluation (IE) in the design and implementation of public policy and to develop institutional capacity and motivation for evidence-based policy.

DIME’s work focuses on:

  • Evaluating programs at scale to answer policy-relevant questions;

  • Developing innovative data systems and data analytics tools for real-time decisions;

  • Using causal inference analysis to identify mechanisms to improve results;

  • Building capacity to strengthen country institutions for evidence-based policymaking.

DIME aims to overcome the challenge to identify true cause-and-effect relations in policy programs. By linking researchers to policymakers and feeding results back into policies, DIME fosters systematic use of evidence, which informs adoption, mid-course corrections, and scale-up of policies. Through workshops and clinics with operational staff and government clients, joint research teams, active field coordination, as well as research products such as seminars, papers, and policy briefs, DIME builds capacity while forming a wider community of practice.

DIME accompanies impact evaluations during their entire life-cycle. It starts with assessing demand, identifying research questions, as well as supporting project implementation, high quality data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results.

With a portfolio of more than 220 impact evaluations, DIME operates across all sectors in about 60 countries spanning the globe. The IEs test a variety of interventions and mechanisms to understand why policy succeeds or fails and how to improve policy design and implementation to obtain better results. By working proactively in collaboration with clients, DIME employs experimental methods to infer causality whenever possible (79% of the portfolio). 17% of DIME IEs utilize non-experimental methods, while 4% use a combination of the two.

DIME is structured into 5 World Bank units:

– DIME 1 “Economic Growth and Structural Transformation”

– DIME 2 “Gender, Economic Opportunity, and Fragility”

– DIME 3 “Governance and Institution Building”

– DIME 4 “Infrastructure and Climate Change”

– DIME 5 “Mind, Behavior and Development”

The ETC will contribute to a range of different activities:

ID4D and G2Px Partnerships

A key component of the ETC’s work program will be in co-management of partnership with the Digital VPU’s ID4D and G2Px teams. Collaboration with ID4D has centered on the establishment of “DPI-Labs” in selected countries. Currently there are three, in Ethiopia, the Philippines, and India. In each country, a launch workshop was held, including local policy-makers, local researchers, World Bank operations members, World Bank researchers, and international researchers. The aim of these labs is to create a community of research centered on each country’s expansion of digital public infrastructure, typically centered or built off of digital identification. Each of these three countries now have multiple research projects stemming from these initial events that require vetting and both logistical and technical support. Additional labs are being considered in coming years. The partnership with G2Px, who focus on government to person payment systems, is currently primarily in an advisory role as they vet different projects aimed at understanding linkages between digital government payments, financial inclusion, and other issues of inclusivity with a particular emphasis on gender but may expand over time. The ETC will be a key team member in these partnerships and contribute a range of management and technical advice to the different projects as needed and these activities are expected to take over half of the ETC’s time.

Broader Digital VPU and Cross-Cutting Engagements

Another area of anticipated expansion is through continued engagement with the Digital VPU through their Global Challenge Priority (GCP) targets. These will require elaboration of a research agenda on the different pillars of the GCP. These include Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) which include both the ID4D and G2Px initiatives, digital connectivity, device affordability, digital skills and literacy, and high value use cases. This will also include engaging with different project teams, assessing opportunities for partnerships and rigorous impact evaluations. Given the cross-cutting nature of the digital space, other projects, housed in other Global Practices with a substantial digital component could also be explored and, when funding is available, pursued. The ETC will have a key role in articulating these research agendas and engaging in project scoping conversations and/or missions as needed. Further, they will be core team members in planning for DIME-led impact evaluation workshops, preparing and disseminating key evidence from the sector, and facilitating project-level research design consultations.

Scope of Work/ Tasks and responsibilities

The ETC will work under the supervision and in close collaboration with DIME’s Digital sector lead. They will also work closely and in collaboration with counterparts in ID4D, G2Px, and other collaborating units within Digital and other relevant GPs. The projects will primarily consist of those activities mentioned above, but could shift depending on coverage and other divisional needs and with consultation and input from the ETC. The range of activities asked of the ETC will be varied and depend on the collaboration and stage of projects in the present portfolio. The key components of the ETCs responsibilities will fall into four categories:

  1. Internal Bank Partnership and Coordination
  • Participate in regular meetings and coordination with key partners.
  • Advise on potential projects.
  • Provide technical support directly to projects or to STCs as needed that may include:
  1. DIME Digital Initiative Leadership and ManagementHelp to define DIME Digital research agenda
  • Assess existing evidence and evidence gaps
  • Prepare dissemination and presentation materials in chosen research priority areas
  • Meet with relevant project teams for identification of new projects
  • Help with grant applications and reporting
  1. Direct Involvement on Selected Key EvaluationsManage dialogues with government or project team counterparts.
  • Work closely with the implementing organization to ensure compliance with randomization protocols and treatment assignments are administered according to the agreed up-on protocols and plans.
  • Attend training sessions (as relevant); take notes on discussions/participation.
  • Monitor implementation activities so that the evaluation team understands and has documented the details of implementation across study areas.
  • As requested, gather observational data on key contextual factors (e.g., data on other development organizations operating in study communities).
  • Take notes on problems with implementation issues and challenges that deviate from the study protocols and alert the evaluation team as soon as possible.
  1. Other Technical Skills/Contributions as Needed
  • Assist in the design and revision of quantitative survey questionnaires for baseline and follow-up data collection as well as survey manuals; and liaise with technical support staff for survey software as necessary.
  • Participate in training and sensitizing of enumerators and field-testing of questionnaires.
  • Run pilot survey exercises, provide feedback on field operations and survey instruments, and make and monitor improvements.
  • As requested, conduct data analysis of the baselines and support drafting of the baseline reports.
  • As requested, clean collected data with accompanying Stata do-files and documentation and contribute to reports, academic papers, and policy briefs.
  • Prepare written reports with feedback and analysis on key stages of projects.

Terms of contract and Intellectual Property

The ETC will report directly to DIME’s Digital lead in DIME’s infrastructure and climate change program. The World Bank shall, solely and exclusively, own all rights in and to any work created in connection with this agreement, including all data, documents, information, copyrights, patents, trademarks, trade secrets or other proprietary rights in and to the work. The ETC is not allowed to post or publish (electronically or in print) any project-related information without the explicit permission of the Impact Evaluation Team.

More information about DIME can be found at http://www.worldbank.org/dime.

Selection Criteria

  • Master’s degree in economics or a related field, including training in econometrics, microeconomics, and development economics.
  • At least 3 years of relevant experience.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills in English
  • Experience with partner engagement, project development/impact evaluation design.
  • Work experience on managing impact evaluations of aid and development interventions
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Well organized, detail-oriented, and able to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision.
  • Experience in providing research assistance and record of strong performance.
  • Demonstrated coordinate multiple teams of people, organizations and activities concurrently.
  • Experience in the analysis of quantitative survey data.
  • Experience using Stata or R.
  • Willingness to undertake regular and extended field visits and interact with different stakeholders.

Preferred:

  • French language competency
  • Previous experience with:
  • Designing original data collection protocols and large multi-topic survey instruments.
  • Panel survey data collection.
  • Paper and/or electronic data collection management.
  • Electronic data collection software.
  • Geo-spatial data collection and analysis.
  • Randomized impact evaluations.
  • Work experience in developing countries

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.  Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.  All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Visit the World Bank Group Careers Page

Also Read

The post World Bank Group Recruitment: x41 Open Vacancies Available Based in Washington, DC,United States appeared first on Scholarly Africa.

,

Description Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of …

The post World Bank Group Recruitment: x41 Open Vacancies Available Based in Washington, DC,United States appeared first on Scholarly Africa.

,ScholarlyAfrica.com is an online platform dedicated to connecting job seekers with international and global career opportunities, particularly focusing on roles within esteemed organizations such as the United Nations and various other international entities. The platform serves as a comprehensive resource for individuals aspiring to advance their careers in the global job market. In addition to job listings, ScholarlyAfrica.com offers valuable career tips, insights, and resources to help candidates enhance their applications, prepare for interviews, and navigate the complexities of international employment. By fostering a community of diverse professionals, the platform aims to empower users to seize opportunities and build impactful careers across borders.