Economist

Position description

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Deputy Director, Country Policy and Programming Division of the Economics Department, the Economists continuously monitor economic, social and political developments affecting or involving the Bank’s BMCs for which he/she is responsible. In addition, the Economists analyse such developments and provide a continuing flow of reports, opinion and advice on the optimal allocation and use of resources (including finance and technical assistance) to address development and economic management issues from the points of view of the BMCs and the Bank.

The Economists are also responsible for economic research and related activities aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Bank’s operations and interventions in its BMCs. This involves identifying, initiating, undertaking, executing and/or commissioning of studies on priority areas of economic research and the dissemination of research output.

KEY RESPONSIBLITIES

The job will require the Economists to:

• Report on economic performance and prospects of assigned BMCs by monitoring and analysing social, economic, political, international and other developments;
• Prepare periodic reports, issue briefs, risk analyses, sectoral reviews and undertake country missions as required;
• Hold policy discussions with senior officials in the assigned countries and advise the officials on a range of macroeconomic policies as well as institutional policy and other measures to enhance economic performance;
• Undertake research geared at identifying and evaluating emerging policy issues for applicability and relevance to developing countries, in general, and BMCs, in particular;
• Update and modify country-specific macroeconomic models and undertake macroeconomic projections and with a view to examining issues of macroeconomic economic, fiscal and external debt sustainability and recommending approaches, solutions and reforms to evolving economic challenges;
• Recommend and keep under review an overall Bank-assistance programme for BMCs, comprising capital projects, policy-based loans, capacity development and policy advice to support the BMCs’ development objectives, through the co-ordination and preparation of strategic documents, such as Country Strategy Papers, briefs, and participation in Project Appraisal Missions;
• Coordinate the preparation of appraisal reports for the Bank’s policy-based lending;
• Assist in commissioning research on development issues and monitor research contracts to ensure that standards acceptable to CDB are maintained;
• Assist in the sourcing, compilation, maintenance, analysis and dissemination of social, economic and related statistics to assist the Bank in delivering its services to its BMCs and to the region, and in managing its internal operations effectively and efficiently;
• Assist in the identification and mitigation of risks in the execution of the responsibilities of the role.

Qualifications

The successful candidates will have the ability to undertake technical research and to provide sound analysis to guide decision-making. The Economists are expected to actively seek knowledge needed to complete assignments and share knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear, logical and organised manner.

Ideal candidates for this role must have:

• A Master’s degree in Economics, Public Finance, Public Policy or a related field;
• A minimum of five years’ relevant experience as a professional Economist;
• Sound knowledge of the socio-economic development issues, policies and strategies of the countries of the Caribbean;
• Demonstrated proficiency in quantitative modeling, econometrics and statistical techniques to support economic analysis and policy formulation will be an asset;
• Professional experience in the following sectors/areas will be an asset: macroeconomic forecasting, debt sustainability analysis, econometric analysis, trade.

COMPETENCIES

Function-Specific Competencies:

The Economists should have strong proficiency in the following competencies:

• Ability to demonstrate technical expertise in the formulation, design, conduct and management of economic research, macroeconomic policy-based programme design and/or the appraisal of Technical Assistance projects;
• Ability to organise, interpret and present information in a meaningful way to diverse audiences;
• Excellent representational skills that will enhance the profile of the Bank;
• Ability to effectively apply statistical and economic concepts to analysis and to provide input to project teams’ preparation of loan/grant financing proposals;
• Ability to collaborate with other team members and contribute productively to the team’s work and output through peer review;
• Superior client orientation and inter-personal skills with the proven ability to work cooperatively with multi-disciplinary teams both within and external to the Bank.

Application instructions

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