Economist – Financial Management

The Country Economist will be part of the Burkina Faso MTI Country Team, which is comprised of a Lead Economist for the Country Management unit (covering Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad) and a Senior Economist for Burkina Faso, who will also be based on Ouagadougou. He/She will also be part of the Burkina Faso Country Management Team, comprised of colleagues from the different practice groups and other senior global practice staff to ensure cross-cutting solutions to the core (typically multi-practice) country engagements around which the Burkina Faso Country Partnership Framework and the country program is organized. Each core engagement utilizes different Bank instruments (ASA, policy dialogue, lending [DPO, PforR, IPF]).

Responsibilities:

• The Country Economist is expected to co-lead tasks, supported by the MTI team, to promote core country engagements on the following areas.
• Macro-fiscal stability and Inclusive growth
• Domestic revenue mobilization,
• Quality of public expenditures and Debt management
• Private investment and Economic growth and diversification
• Effectiveness, transparency and accountability of public institutions (in particular finance and fiscal institutions)

As part of the MTI Burkina Faso team, specific responsibilities of the Country Economist include the following:

• Lead the regular macroeconomic monitoring of Burkina Faso, which includes the Macro and Poverty Outlook (MPO), with the Poverty GP, provide weekly updates, and to develop an annual Economic Update;
• With the support of the Senior Country Economist, coordinate the policy dialogue on macroeconomic and fiscal policy and economic growth issues with the Burkina Faso authorities, with the IMF and economic departments of other development agencies and non-government stakeholders;
• To support and co-lead fiscal and debt ASAs including Public Expenditure Reviews (PER)/Public Finance Reviews (PFR) and Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA);
• To support and co-lead core country diagnostics such as Country Economic Memorandums (CEM) and other growth diagnostics, working with other GPs to integrate structural, sectoral and macroeconomic issues, as well a co-leading work on the Climate Change Development Report (CCDR) and associated engagements on climate change;
• To support Development Policy Operations, where applicable, or other types of lending operations focused on economic and fiscal reforms;
• Advise sector teams on the macroeconomic and fiscal implications of sector policies and investment decisions – for example on the oil and gas and power sectors – and provide cross-support where relevant;
• Provide analytical inputs for and advises the Country Management Unit (CMU) on country strategic engagement and economic policy issues, including participation in review meetings; and
• Actively develop new business that contributes to the development agenda of Burkina Faso.

Selection Criteria

• Minimum of a Master’s degree (Ph.D. preferred) in economics with at least 5 years of relevant professional experience including a track record of delivery of high quality analytical and advisory products.
• Strong analytical skills in macroeconomic and fiscal management and ability to conduct policy-relevant research.
• Experience in leading high impact development policy operations; sound knowledge of Bank lending tools and procedures.
• Integrative capacity including the ability to situate sectoral issues within a broader development framework.
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present complicated analyses to non-specialist audiences.
• Strong client-orientation and diplomatic skills combined with candor and courage of opinion.
• Ability to work flexibly on a range of assignments and adjust to a variety of complex evolving tasks to meet deadlines.
• Entrepreneurial capabilities that can be deployed in identifying and securing new business opportunities.
• High energy and demonstrated interest in achieving impact through analytical work and technical assistance for demanding and sophisticated clients. Previous experience in delivering high impact work in a country under economic transformation would be a plus.

Source: https://worldbankgroup.csod.com/ats/careersite/JobDetails.aspx?id=27695&site=1