Director
Job #: req22798
Organization: World Bank
Sector: Economics
Grade: GI
Term Duration: 4 years 0 months
Recruitment Type: International Recruitment
Location: Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s): English
Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 6/7/2023 (11:59pm UTC)
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
Background / General description
The Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) is the organizational unit in the World Bank Group (WBG) providing evaluation and feedback on the development effectiveness of Bank Group activities in client countries. IEG is independent of WBG management and reports directly to the Board of Executive Directors, with day-to-day oversight by the Board’s Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE).
IEG’s mission is to improve development results through excellence in evaluation. IEG is directly responsible for assessing programs and activities; making recommendations to help improve the Bank Group’s development effectiveness; appraising the Bank Group’s self-evaluation and development risk management systems; cooperating with the evaluation heads of other international financial institutions and development assistance agencies; and assisting developing countries to build effective monitoring and evaluation capacities, systems, and associations. IEG also aims to improving Bank Group’s work by identifying and disseminating the lessons learned from experience.
IEG is led by the Director General, Evaluation (DGE), who reports directly to the Board of Executive Directors. The organizational structure ensures alignment with WBG priorities and global development challenges and comprises: – Office of the DGE;
– Human Development and Economic Management Department;
– Financial, Private Sector, and Sustainable Development Department; and
– Knowledge and Communications unit.
The Human Development and Economic Management Department consists of approximately 40 staff and has an administrative budget of approximately $13 million. It serves as the lead interface with Country Programs, OPCS and the Global Practices (GPs) and Global Teams focused on human development and economic management, as well as gender. It is responsible for delivering on an annual basis the Results and Performance Report of the World Bank Group (a flagship report that goes to the Board), about 5 major thematic and corporate evaluations, 20 project-level evaluations, 17 CLR reviews for the Board, a variety of learning engagements and about 95 ICR reviews of self-evaluations of WBG projects and programs.
In thematic terms, the four main areas of work are:
* Evaluations and validation reviews of Economic Management programs (e.g. macro and fiscal management, poverty reduction, shared prosperity, gender, governance and development policy finance)
* Country Program Evaluations either individually or in clusters by client group; and validating 100% of Country Learning Reviews that go to the Board.
* Evaluations and validation reviews of Human Development programs (e.g. health, education, social protection)
* Corporate evaluations (e.g. Program for Results, Self-Evaluation Systems, Citizens Engagement, Data for Development); and mainstreaming Partnerships in IEG evaluations.
Key relationships include supporting the DGE in interfacing with the Board and its Committee on Development Effectiveness; creating strong and constructive working relationships with director level counterparts in Operations, both in country offices and in the relevant Global Practices and Global Teams; interfacing with stakeholders in client countries, donors and NGOs; and maintaining strong contacts with professional evaluators in the MDBs and other development agencies.
Duties and Accountabilities
The Director reports to the Director General, Evaluation and assists her in carrying out the DGE Mandate. IEG’s independent evaluation work encompasses: (1) Evaluating operational programs and activities, and the strategies, policies, and procedures that relate to them with particular attention to the achievement of agreed objectives of the World Bank Group; (2) Assessing the quality and usefulness of WBG evaluation processes and products, participating in the formulation and continuous improvement of appropriate evaluation policies, practices, and instruments; and (3) Identifying and disseminating lessons and making recommendations drawn from evaluation findings to contribute to improved operational performance, accountability for results, and corporate transparency.
Together with the IEG Leadership Team and under the guidance of the DGE, the Director is accountable for the strategic directions and overall results of IEG. Key accountabilities include: Business Management
– Provide intellectual and technical leadership related to Human Development and Economic Management within the department and across IEG.
– Oversee the development of the department work program, ensuring alignment with IEG strategic priorities and its Results Framework.
– Oversee effective, efficient, and timely delivery of department work program, in line with approved work program.
– Oversee quality assurance of department work program, in line with IEG quality assurance standards and process, including ensuring appropriate methods and data are used, in collaboration with the IEG Methods Adviser, and providing feedback on products at appropriate stages of the process.
– Contribute to IEG-wide work and initiatives, including, as needed, supporting IEG Thematic Coordinators, the Management Action Record process, IEG’s Evaluation Capacity Development work, and IEG-wide learning and knowledge sharing.
People and Talent Management
– Provide leadership, direction, coaching, and feedback to develop a high performing and cohesive department leadership team.
– Nurture and develop talent, with a focus on career and professional development of department staff.
– Develop and implement appropriate department staffing strategies, recruitment, training and skills deployment, with a focus on diversity and effective implementation of IEG’s strategic workforce planning.
– Promote a culture of staff learning, effective teamwork, client engagement, and synergy and collaboration with other departments in IEG.
Resource Management
– Oversee and lead resource management across the department, supported by the unit managers who provide the day-to-day budget management with the RM specialist and TTLs, and in full compliance with IEG and WBG fiduciary standards and operating procedures.
– Set priorities and allocate budget within department, in line with institutional priorities and a view to maximizing the impact and value-add of IEG’s activities.
Relationship Management
– Contribute to strong working relationships with Executive Directors and Board Committees, in particular the Committee on Development Effectiveness.
– Engage with WBG leadership to shape IEG’s evaluative work to maximize its contribution to WBG effectiveness, coordinate the delivery of the IEG work program, share evaluation knowledge, and obtain feedback of IEG products and services.
– Serve as lead interface with departments in WBG responsible for Human Development and Economic Management, including ensuring representation of IEG on relevant GP Practice Boards as needed.
– Develop and maintain contacts with partner organizations and promote evaluation partnership with other donors and member countries in relevant areas.
– Represent DGE and IEG to external audiences as needed.
Knowledge and Learning
– Promote timely, cost-effective, and demand-driven learning and knowledge products and services in department to accelerate dissemination of best practices and lessons learned.
– Promote increased accessibility and usability of IEG knowledge, and innovative ways of using evaluation results in department to deepen the development effectiveness of WBG work, in collaboration with the Knowledge and Communications Department.
– Promote “user-centric” approaches in the design of evaluation and learning work in department to deepen engagement and improve critical “touch points” between IEG and its counterparts, in collaboration with the Knowledge and Communications Department.
– Encourage and facilitate staff learning and knowledge sharing within department and across IEG.
Selection Criteria
* Advanced degree in economics, social development, political science, evaluation, or another directly relevant area of expertise.
* Prior experience, both operational and policy-related, in key sectors of development; with a minimum of 15 years of relevant experience.
* Prior experience in successfully managing a diverse group of highly skilled professionals; capacity to motivate and develop teams.
* Strong analytical aptitude, with a substantial background in development evaluation or similar analytical work.
* Sound knowledge and understanding of WBG or other international organization operational strategies, processes, and instruments.
* Excellent communication, diplomatic and negotiating skills, with demonstrated strong personal maturity, balanced judgment, and a track record of building and maintaining partnerships with colleagues and clients.
* Excellent teamwork and interpersonal skills, and ability to operate collaboratively across organizational boundaries.
* Proactive, inclusive, and innovative, with an open and collegial work style and ability to listen and integrate ideas from diverse points of view.
* Ability to coach, mentor, develop and empower more junior staff, provide seasoned advice to more senior staff and managers, and work collaboratively with peers.
Job-Specific Competencies:
* Evaluation Leadership: High level of understanding of how to lead a large team of skilled evaluators in the design and delivery of complex evaluations, preferably in a multilateral development bank context. Understanding of relevant evaluation methods (qualitative and quantitative) and their application in practice in a MDB context, sufficient to provide intellectual leadership and quality assurance in IEG.
* Deep understanding of economic development, including direct experience of (at least some) relevant sectors covered by the post – economic management, policy and operations, gender, human development, country programs.
* Strong understanding gained through direct interaction with country teams of how the WBG country operational programs work, the SCD/CPF process and country results frameworks.
* Engaging on evaluations with operational teams: strong practical understanding of how to engage with operational teams effectively in the design and delivery of evaluations, protecting independence and credibility while promoting learning and ownership from operational staff.
World Bank Group Managerial Competencies
The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.