Short Term Consultant Position at the World Bank

We would like to share a job opening within our team, the Enterprise Analysis Unit at the World Bank (Development Economics Vice Presidency). The team is responsible for the production of the Enterprise Surveys, a key source of cross-country comparable firm-level data, and for conducting research on firm performance and the business environment, with a special focus on informality, regulation, gender inclusion and labor issues (all from the perspective of the private sector).

 

We are looking for PhD students who could work a minimum of 2-3 days per week, based in our Washington DC office.

 

Background/General Description
The Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC) of the World Bank Group seeks to
increase understanding of development policies and programs by providing intellectual
leadership and analytical services to the World Bank Group and the overall development
community. Within this Vice Presidency, the Enterprise Analysis Unit (DECEA) is responsible
for the Enterprise Surveys (ES), a unique source of firm-level data that link conditions of the
business environment with firm performance. Several aspects of the business environment are
measured. Some are external to the firm (physical infrastructure, regulations, taxes, finance,
corruption, crime, informality, competition), and some are internal (labor force composition,
skills, innovation, investment, management practices, training). DECEA has collected firm-level
data on more than 135,000 establishments in 139 countries (www.enterprisesurveys.org).
DECEA is in a position to expand its design, implementation and monitoring of the Enterprise
Surveys. It is also strengthening its capacity to conduct in-house research, using ES data, as well
as other sources, to analyze issues of firm performance and the business environment. The Unit
is looking to hire a highly motivated Short Term Consultant (STC) who will help fulfill this
mission of relevant research, fieldwork implementation, data management, analysis and
dissemination.
Ideally, the candidate will be a current graduate student in Economics or a related field. Secondor third-year Ph.D. students are preferred. Candidates are expected to work on a regular basis (2-
3 days a week) in the Washington, D.C. office.

Duties and Accountabilities
The consultant will:

• Assist with data collection and preparation work, including tasks related to survey design,
  sampling, and survey weighting;
• Assist in the Enterprise Surveys fieldwork supervision and data management, including
  cleaning and standardization of datasets and data quality control;
• Contribute to the content of standard country documents that summarize Enterprise
  Survey data into graphs, bar charts, and other visual methods to display data;
• Contribute to the management and development of website statistics and indicators based
  on Enterprise Surveys;
• Conduct analytical research as required by the DECEA’s work program. In particular, contribute to the DECEA’s existing knowledge products and help design new knowledge products for the Unit. While topics could change with time, currently the areas of interest in the unit are informality, regulation, gender inclusion and labor issues (all from a
  perspective of the private sector/firm.) Candidates with interest in these areas are
  encouraged to apply.

  Reporting
  The consultant will report to Jorge Luis Rodriguez Meza, Program Manager and administratively to Rose Gachina, Senior Program Assistant.

  Expected start and location
  The consultant is expected to start as soon as possible, though this schedule is flexible. The
  consultant will work primarily in Washington, D.C., on a regular schedule, and is expected to be present in the office a minimum of 2 days per week.
  Initial duration and schedule can be negotiated. Typically, DECEA consultants are PhD students who work 20 hours per week with an initial short-term appointment that can be extended for 1-2 years.
  Candidates should be aware of the visa requirements to be able to work for the World Bank.
  In case a G4 visa is required, candidates should keep in mind that registration with the State Department is only possible for appointments of at least 90 calendar days and with a full-time schedule (at least 35 hours of work per week). Registration allows the G4 visa holder to obtain local driver’s licenses, obtain work authorization cards for eligible dependents, and renew the G4 visa inside the U.S. Without registration, the G4 visa holder cannot reside in the U.S. beyond 90 consecutive calendar days.

  Selection Criteria
  • Advanced degree in Economics, Statistics, or a related discipline;
  • Demonstrated analytical skills and experience;
  • Experience working with large datasets, particularly with firm-level data, as well as panel data, experience working with the datasets produced under the Global Indicators and Analysis department (such as Enterprise Surveys and Doing Business) is a plus;
  • Excellent working knowledge of Stata and other statistical software, and strong skills in Excel;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (fluency in Spanish, Arabic,
  Russian, Portuguese, and/or French is highly preferred); and
  • Well-developed interpersonal and team working skills; ability to operate effectively as a unit team member; initiative, persistence and positive attitude.

  How to apply
  Interested candidates should send their CV to Valeria Perotti (vperotti@worldbank.org) and
  David Francis (dfrancis@worldbank.org).