Inter-American Development Bank

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Caribbean Country Department (CCB) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is seeking a highly-motivated individual, with well proven leadership and analytical credentials, to fill the position of Regional Economic Advisor (REA) in Washington D.C. As a part of the Vice-Presidency for Countries, the department’s main functions are to monitor macroeconomic developments in the region, lead the policy dialogue with borrowing countries, determine the Bank’s financial exposure in the region and formulate country strategies.

The REA will report to the General Manager in the Caribbean Country Department and will have the opportunity to shape the policy dialogue of the Caribbean region with economic research, analysis and policy advice.

Key Responsibilities
• Assesses cutting edge research to determine what issues IDB should pursue in its research agenda, strategy formulation and operational program.
• Guides operation design through the inclusion of best practices, empirical evidence and economic theory.
• Helps the IDB gain a broader view of economic issues in order to promote innovation, creative thinking and intellectual curiosity.
• Builds networks with international organizations, academic institutions, government officials and professional bodies to exchange information, promote research initiatives and expand the influence of the IDB.
• Leads economic policy dialogue and broad discussions on substantive development issues with senior policy makers, influencing policy discussion through advanced knowledge of sector and/or economic issues.
• Technically responsible for the Country Development Challenges (CDC) document that identifies, the key development challenges of the group of countries and becomes analytical input to the Overview Paper and Country strategies.
• Leads a team of economists to perform advanced macroeconomic analysis in the region, using state of the art techniques.
• Develops and oversees a knowledge program, and ensures output is of high quality and is properly aligned to management objectives.
• Develops plans for the effective dissemination of the department’s analytical research, identifying target audiences and appropriate communication media to reinforce IDB positioning in the region.
• Works collaboratively with colleagues within the organization, to coordinate the economic programs and initiatives of the IDB so that they will be unified and have strategic development impact.
• Identifies needs and interests of clients and donors and brings those into alignment with the IDB’s economic strategy and goals.
• Is a member of the Department’s management team and provides advice to the General Manager on macroeconomic and other strategic matters both external and internal to the Bank.
• Engages with clients to reduce the data deficit in the Caribbean.

Technical Competencies (Expert)
• Economic Analysis and Research: Demonstrates a command of statistics, econometrics and economic theory, and the ability to design, conduct and evaluate economic research.
• Strategy Programming: Informs, formulates, and evaluates country and/or sector strategies, and acts to sustain and reinforce their implementation.
• Results Management: Critically analyzes and validates the economic data, assumptions, and design underlying IDB projects and programs, and ensures their efficient and successful coordination, implementation and evaluation.
• Knowledge Management and Dissemination: Effectively disseminates research findings and provides advice on economic trends and development needs.
• Relationship Management: Develops ongoing relationships with government counterparts, internal stakeholders, academia, and relevant third parties to better inform IDB priorities and the formulation of sound economic strategy and approaches. Mentors and coaches subordinates in the economists' team.
• Country/Sector Knowledge: Understands the main development challenges and policies of countries and/or sectors and the implications for IDB country and/or sector strategies and programs.
• Alignment and Coordination: Aligns efforts across the matrix organization to promote a unified and service oriented approach to clients.

Core Competencies (Mastery)
• Innovation and Creativity: Develops imaginative ideas and solutions through creativity, experimentation and critical thinking.
• Communication and Influence: Communicates effectively and leverages relationships and strategies to influence others.
• Client Focus: Understands client needs and provides services that meet their expectations for quality and performance; meets the Bank’s expectations for ethical behavior.
• Developing People and Teams to Deliver Results: Builds talent and capability inside the organization through coaching, mentoring, training, developmental assignments and knowledge sharing.
• Promoting Diversity and Inclusion: Improve and ensure a diverse environment and actively work to build, coach, and empower teams with diverse background (e.g. gender, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, background, perspective).
• Education: Ph.D. in Economics
Experience: At least 10 years of senior level experience, either in private or public institution, in high level economic policy formulation. At least 5 years should be in Latin America or the Caribbean. Candidate should have experience supervising people, directly and remotely. We encourage candidates with experience in the Caribbean to apply.
Publications: Solid publication track record in peer reviewed journals or books.
Languages: Fluency in English and Spanish.
Travel: Willingness to travel approximately 75 days per year