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. Visit www.worldbank.org.
REGIONAL CONTEXT:
The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. Three of our client countries are IDA only and another two are IDA blend countries. The remaining 25 are IBRD eligible. Although ten of our clients have joined the European Union and seven of these have graduated from IBRD, most continue to remain active recipients of knowledge and/or financing through the WBG’s lending services. ECA has a strong lending pipeline as well as a large and growing portfolio of Reimbursable Advisory Services. Knowledge is critical to the World Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region in both lending and advisory services.
A predominantly middle- and high-income region, ECA continues to be at the forefront in confronting the numerous development challenges that countries face in the evolving global economy. The region is at the vanguard of building regional connectivity while having to manage the changing structure of the labor market. At the same time, digital technologies are changing the nature of work, populations are aging, and large migration flows have generated social tensions that have contributed to increased political polarization. These emerging trends threaten to reverse the region’s achievements in regional integration, poverty reduction and shared prosperity.
The ECA region is also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. It has a large potential to strengthen climate change resilience and improve energy efficiency, thereby reducing its contribution to climate change. Other important challenges affecting parts of the region include frozen conflicts and domestic political instability.
In February 2020, the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak interrupted the incipient recovery and the impact on growth remains highly uncertain and in a downside scenario of prolonged shutdowns, output in ECA could contract. The pandemic also poses medium-term risks, particularly if global value chain linkages are lost or if extended school closures have a significant impact on learning, dropout rates, and human capital development.
The near- and medium-term impacts of the COVID-19 crisis serve to re-emphasize the critical importance of ECA’s medium-term strategic agenda on raising productivity and boosting resilience. This focuses on three priority areas:
• Boosting human capital to raise productivity;• Building solid foundations and resilience for growth; and,• Enabling markets to achieve high productivity in the private sector.
SOUTH CAUCASUS CONTEXT
The South Caucasus Country Unit (ECCSC) includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia; three middle-income countries with active Bank Group programs in place. The size of the overall portfolio is 29 projects for about $2.29 billion. The unit is decentralized, with the Country Director based in the Regional Office in Tbilisi, Georgia. Three Program Leaders are also based in Tbilisi, Georgia and a Country Program Coordinator is based in Washington DC.
The ECCSC countries have unique development challenges, resource base, and political economy. The economic and political space is fragmented, largely due to three frozen conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia and Turkey, and Georgia and Russia. Closed borders between these countries limit the potential for expansion of trade, enhances the perception of investor risk, and deters private investment. The governance climate also varies, with significant governance challenges in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Although Georgia has made remarkable strides in the fight against corruption in public services, challenges in strengthening institutions remain. The economic structure of the three countries is also varied, with Azerbaijan having a strong dependence on its oil and gas resources. Georgia has significant growth potential from hydropower, transit, and tourism, while Armenia depends on its minerals, agriculture, tourism, and food processing sectors.
For information on the World Bank program in Georgia, see: https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/georgia
Duties and Accountabilities:
• The Operations Analyst will provide substantive operational, research, statistical and other analytic support to the Georgia program, and as needed, to the wider CMU. The Analyst will carry out substantive research and analytical tasks on a wide range of operational and country issues. He/she will review and interpret information/data, identifies issues, and recommend actions and solutions.• He/she will work closely with the Country Program Coordinator and the ECCSC Operations team to monitor program implementation and deliverables, portfolio monitoring and quality assurance for the Georgia portfolio. This will also include the preparation of quarterly portfolio monitoring reports, and active weekly follow up on lending and ASA portfolio outliers. This will include close interaction with Program Leaders and as needed with individual Task Team Leaders. • The Operation Analyst will lead the preparation of bi-annual Joint Portfolio Performance Reviews with the Government of Georgia. This will include preparation of background material, including presentation for the Country Director, and a follow up action matrix. • He/she will contribute substantively to the formulation and implementation of the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) and other Country Strategy products, including CPF Performance Learning Reviews and Completion Learning Reviews. This will entail close interaction with the client as well as internal clients (task team leads and other staff in the Global Practices.) Periodically tracks progress on achieving the CPF results. • Works closely with the Country Program Coordinator on inputs into work program agreements, MOUs mid-year and retrospective and mid-year reviews; on a monthly basis, monitor progress towards the MOU targets.• The Operation Analyst will be an important member of the quality assurance team in the CMU. He/she will coordinate inputs from the CMU (PLs, CPC and others) on lending documents, including Concept Notes, deliverables, Implementations Support Reviews, Implementation Completion Reviews, and others.• Works with the CMU, task teams and the client in identifying portfolio implementation bottlenecks and the definition of measures for portfolio improvement; • Prepares briefing material on country program/sector and project issues and follows up on portfolio issues.• Prepares, under guidance of the Regional Director and with guidance from the Country Program Coordinator, reports to management (e.g., Spring and Annual Meeting Briefs) or minutes of events and meetings.
The work implies frequent interaction with Country/Task Teams, Government officials and staff in a variety of international and other partner organizations.
Selection Criteria
• Masters degree in relevant field/discipline (Economics, Business Studies, Political Science, Finance, International Relations, or similar field related to development).• Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience with development agencies, government, or other comparable institutions; including experience in a relevant Bank sector/discipline (e.g. public sector management, financial analysis, etc.).• Ability to perform a broad range of portfolio management tasks in the work unit, e.g., monitoring the implementation of projects under execution; monitoring the progress of country strategy; regularly preparing and reviewing progress reports, identifying, and following up on issues, participation in supervision missions• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills and proven ability to apply these in carrying out complex research and operational tasks, identifying issues, presenting finding and recommendations and contributing to resolution of sector and country issues. • Knowledge of and experience in applying World Bank operational processes and procedures would be an advantage. • Demonstrate initiative, flexibility, creativity and willingness to perform a diversity of tasks within a rapidly changing and demanding environment on short deadlines; • Capacity to work simultaneously on a variety of issues and tasks, independently adjusting to priorities and achieving results with agreed objectives and deadlines.• Outstanding inter-personal skills with proven ability to work cooperatively in multi-cultural environment with a multi-disciplinary team;• Excellent written and communication skills, both in oral presentations and in writing sections of papers, briefs, independent reports, etc.; and,• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential.
COS Competencieshttps://worldbankgroup.sharepoint.com/sites/hr/Documents/Career%20Management/Professional%20Family%20Mapping/COS_PFM_Criteria.pdf
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.
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