Operations Analyst

Job #: req22674

Organization: World Bank

Sector: Operations

Grade: GE

Term Duration: 2 years 0 months

Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment

Location: San Jose,Costa Rica

Required Language(s): Spanish and English

Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 5/19/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 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

The World Bank Group’s vision and strategy:

The global development community is at an auspicious turning point in history. Thanks to the success of the past few decades and favorable economic growth, developing countries now have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation. This is the vision of the WBG: to eradicate extreme poverty by reducing the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to 3 percent by 2030 and promote shared prosperity by fostering the income growth of the bottom 40 percent in every country.

To achieve this vision, the WBG Board of Governors has approved a strategy for the organization. This strategy leverages, for the first time, the combined strength of the WBG institutions and their unique ability to partner with the public and private sectors to deliver customized development solutions backed by finance, world class knowledge and convening services. The strategy has three components: (1) maximizing development impact by engaging country clients in identifying and tackling the most difficult development challenges; (2) promoting scaled-up partnerships that are strategically aligned with the goals; and (3) crowding in public and private resources, expertise and ideas.

The architecture underpinning the strategy and instrumental to its success was the establishment of fourteen Global Practices and five Cross-Cutting Solution Areas that, in concert with the WBG Regions design solutions that address clients’ most pressing developmental challenges, and ultimately, enable the WBG to meet its twin goals of eliminating extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity

About the World Bank Group:

Established in 1944, the WBG is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for development solutions. In fiscal year 2018, the WBG committed $67 billion in loans, grants, equity investments and guarantees to its members and private businesses, of which $24 billion was concessional finance to its poorest members. It is governed by 188-member countries and delivers services out of 120 offices with nearly 15,000 staff located globally.

The WBG consists of five specialized institutions: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The World Bank is organized into six client-facing Regional Vice-Presidencies, several corporate functions and thirteen Global Practices to bring best-in-class knowledge and solutions to regional and country clients.

Regional Context:

The World Bank Group serves 30 client countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly-growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state. Despite immense resources, dynamic societies, and an average annual per capita income of about $4,000, deep inequalities persist in most LCR countries, with nearly a quarter of the Region’s people living in poverty. The Bank’s strategy in LCR is focused on five pillars: (a) stimulating growth and improving competitiveness; (b) reducing poverty and inequality; (c) making governments and institutions work for people; (d) providing a platform for tackling global issues (climate change, trade, disease, migration); and (e) reducing risk, whether from extreme weather events, climate change, crime and violence or other.

CMU and Country Office Context:

The Central America CMU (LC2 CMU) is based in Washington, D. C. and is responsible for overseeing the World Bank’s program in the six Central American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. The CMU bears the responsibility for ensuring the implementation of the Bank’s business model and the effective delivery of services through country strategy formulation and implementation, policy dialogue, portfolio management, and country relations.

Costa Rica is an upper middle-income country with an evolving Bank program, which includes investment and policy lending, technical assistance, and cooperation on global development issues. The Costa Rica country office is based in San José and has XX technical and support staff, overseen by a Country Manager based in San Salvador.

The Costa Rica Country Office is looking for an energetic and proactive team member for the position of Operations Analyst who possesses adaptability and flexibility in providing support to the country team and in taking on special assignments as the need arises. The Operations Analyst will work closely with the operations team and CMU staff under the supervision of the Country Manager and Operations Manager based in Panama. The position is for an initial term of two years.

Roles & Responsibility:

The Operations Analyst (OA) will join the Country Office team in San Jose, Costa Rica, to support the coordination of the programming and implementation of the Bank portfolio in Costa Rica. The selected candidate will contribute to the dialogue with country counterparts, participate in strategy development and implementation, monitor the implementation of the portfolio, and support technical teams in addressing operational issues. The OA will report to the Country Manager in Costa Rica and the Operations Manager in Panama and will engage in and contribute to office team initiatives in general as an integral member of the country office and broader country team.

The OA’s responsibilities will include: Country Program Management

•  Participation as team member in the preparation of Country Engagement products (Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD), Country Partnership Framework (CPF), Policy Notes, etc.) and other CMU initiatives;
•  Preparation of sections of CPF documents and country strategy submissions as inputs into other CMU materials;
•  Review and screening of relevant documents/reports for consistency with country strategies;
•  Analyses of portfolio trends, drivers and performance;
•  Production of portfolio and ASA monitoring tables as an input to the LC2 Dashboard;
•  Verification and regular updating of milestones by Task Team Leaders (TTLs) and proactive follow-up to ensure timeliness of activities;
•  Support to Country Manager in portfolio reviews;
•  Review of operational packages to ensure compliance with Bank policies and procedures;
•  Support to task teams by providing strategic input to the preparation of agendas, and joining key meetings and events to facilitate interaction and follow-up with government counterparts and Bank teams, as needed;
•  Support to task teams by providing advice on processing operational documents for management approval;

Reporting and Brief Preparation

•  Preparation of responses to ad hoc information requests from internal and external parties (e.g. cooperation agencies and other international organizations);
•  Keep a general brief up-to-date with information on projects, results, general overview of the portfolio that could be used to prepare other materials such as briefs for senior management, articles, interviews, etc.
•  Preparation, under guidance of more senior staff, of country reports to management (e.g. Annual Meeting Briefs) and external agencies (e.g., minutes of Consultative Groups).

Client and Stakeholder Relations

•  Contribute to Country Office outreach activities and products (e.g. presentations, reports, briefs, talking points) requiring operational input and/or operational follow up action;
•  Interact with client representatives on issues identified by the country office team;
•  Lead knowledge sharing with the country office staff on operational matters (policies, new guidelines); and
•  Act as a focal point for stakeholders for operational inquiries.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate should meet the following selection criteria:

•  Master’s Degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration, Social Sciences or other field related to development, and two or more years of work experience in a relevant discipline (e.g. public-sector management, financial analysis, etc.);
•  Proven analytical and problem-solving skills, and ability to apply these in carrying out complex research and operational tasks, identifying issues, presenting findings/ recommendations and contributing to resolution of sector and country issues;
•  Familiarity with national & international development issues;
•  Familiarity with project management, including knowledge and understanding of project management tools & methodologies;
•  Capacity to work simultaneously on a variety of issues and tasks, and ability to prioritize;
•  High degree of initiative, flexibility and ability to work independently with good track record of being able to work in a team;
•  Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with internal/external partners and promote collaboration in a multi-cultural environment;
•  Committed to provide great service to clients with an ability to deliver timely and high-quality products in his/her areas of responsibility;
•  Excellent oral and written communications skills in both Spanish and English;
•  Familiarity with international financial institution and/or multilateral/bilateral organization would be advantageous; and
•  Familiarity with operational issues and broad understanding of links to sectoral policies, are preferred.

Core Competencies:

Deliver Results for Clients: Contributes to delivery of results for clients on complex issues: Sets challenging goals that align with the WBG mission and is always looking to improve. Takes personal responsibility for producing high quality work, identifying and informing of risks, and delivering results for clients.

Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries: Keeps others fully informed to ensure integration and work consistency and displays a sense of mutuality and respect. Approaches conflicts as common problems to be solved. Seeks and listens to input from others to inform own decision making and openly shares information. Frames thinking/actions with a WBG corporate perspective in mind.

Lead and Innovate: Brings new and different insights: Applies critical thinking to current approaches, identifies areas for improvement, and tries new solutions that drive results. Considers own behavior in context of WBG’s values and mission and recognizes impact one has on others. Operates in ambiguity and changing needs and supports others to do the same.

Create, Apply and Share Knowledge: Actively contributes to and readily applies WBG’s body of knowledge for internal and/or external client solutions: Contributes to the department’s and WBG’s body of knowledge by applying lessons learned and expertise. Actively invests in own knowledge and seeks feedback. Builds personal and professional networks within and beyond the work group.

Make Smart Decisions: Leverages available data and makes timely decisions: Seeks and analyzes facts, data and lessons of past experience to support sound, logical decisions regarding own and others’ work. Applies cost/benefit analysis to meet work program objectives. Contributes to decision making by providing relevant risk-analysis. Shows initiative when necessary, and makes decisions in a timely manner within own area of responsibility.

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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC, including our values and inspiring stories.