Latest Jobs at World Bank Nigeria

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world.

We are not a bank in the ordinary sense but a unique partnership to reduce poverty and support development. We comprise two institutions managed by 188 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA). The IBRD aims to reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries, while IDA focuses exclusively on the world’s poorest countries. These institutions are part of a larger body known as the World Bank Group.
Established in 1944, the World Bank is headquartered in Washington, D.C. We have more than 9,000 employees in more than 100 offices worldwide.

Current Vacancy exists for a Senior Public Sector Specialist in our Abuja office in Nigeria:

Job #	121894
Job Title	Senior Public Sector Specialist
Job Family	Public Sector Management
Location	Abuja, Nigeria
Appointment	International Hire
Job Posted	07-Aug-2012
Closing Date	21-Aug-2012
Language Requirements	English [Essential]; French [Desired]

Background / General description
The Africa Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Group (AFR PREM) plays a key role in implementing the recently published Africa Region Strategy which identifies governance and public sector capacity as the foundational challenge for growth and development in the region. AFR PREM has particularly significant responsibilities in strengthening efforts to build sustainable and effective institutions that can help bring about shared growth and poverty reduction in the countries of the region.

In Nigeria, governance challenges and weak institutions for financial management and service delivery are major challenges. The World Bank and development partners have committed significant resources to support the Government of Nigeria in its efforts to strengthen institutions and improve governance. Policy dialogue and technical assistance engagements are aimed at the federal level as well as the state level. Starting fiscal year 2012, the Bank will be engaged in public sector institutional strengthening in 21 states through analytical work, lending operations and grant funded tasks.

In addition, governance and political economy is being mainstreamed into the Bank portfolio in all sectors to strengthen development impact.

To respond to increasing client demand AFR PREM is looking to recruit a dynamic and problem-solving individual as a Senior Public Sector/Governance Specialist to support the developing program of.

The selected candidate will be based in the World Bank’s Country Office in Abuja, Nigeria for a period of at least three years. Working as a member of the PREM Team and in close collaboration with the Lead Public Sector Governance Specialist, she/he will work directly with key federal and state government and non-government entities as well as with other development partners. Depending on the profile and language skills of the selected candidate she/he might be tasked to join teams in neighboring countries as well.

The candidate will ensure close collaboration with staff in the Human Development and Sustainable Development Networks and will foster multi-sector approaches to addressing systemic constraints in countries to public service delivery and effective management across sectors.

Note: If the selected candidate is a current Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment. All others will be offered a 3 year term appointment. 

Duties and Accountabilities
The selected candidate will report to the Cluster Leader and to the Sector Manager (SM), and will be expected to carry out the following duties:

Lead or support multi-sector teams to deliver the Bank’s analytical, lending, and grant operations pertaining to public sector reform, including political economy and governance diagnostic work. In so doing, the candidate will provide advice and support to other World Bank sector operations involving public sector management/governance challenges.

Manage the preparation and supervision of assigned tasks and deliverables and ensure effective response and delivery of programs requested by Country Management Unit as well as ensure the quality of the analytical and lending program.

Generate and exchange knowledge relating to concepts, techniques and lessons of experience pertaining to governance, public sector reform and capacity building, advise on governance issues for Country Assistance Strategy preparation, and facilitate multi-sectoral approaches to governance reforms.

Support the Cluster Leader in work program discussions and in supervising the quality and timeliness of work program deliverables for the Nigeria program. 

Selection Criteria
The successful candidate will be a highly seasoned professional with solid operational experience working on public sector management, governance and anti-corruption issues in developing countries with in-depth knowledge and experience in public financial management , with adequate knowledge and understanding of other areas of public sector management/governance (e.g. integrated financial management information systems, civil service reform, anti-corruption reforms, political economy analysis etc.).

Advanced degree in public policy and administration, economics, political science, finance, or other related field.  A strong record of peer reviewed publication on public sector reform would be a plus.

At least 8 years of relevant experience in public sector reform and capacity building.

Work experience in Africa would be preferred.

Demonstrated skills in addressing governance challenges in multiple sectors and in shaping country strategies. 

Experience in governance issues related to natural resource management a plus.

Experience with public financial management, procurement and human resource management reforms at sub-national level would be an advantage

Demonstrated skills and experience in project management. 

Strong interpersonal skills, proven team orientation, ability to multi-task and work across unit boundaries and a solid track record of mentoring junior staff.

Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain productive, professional relationships with government counterparts, donors and other stakeholders.

Excellent writing abilities, persuasive oral communication skills and ability to foster long-term, productive client relationships.

Fluency in English, including excellent writing skills, is required. Fluency in French would be an advantage.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background.  Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.  All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

COMPETENCIES
 
Knowledge and Experience in Development Arena - Translates technical and cross-country knowledge into practical applications and contributions to country and sector strategies; interacts with clients at the policy level. 

Policy Dialogue Skills - Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners. 

Integrative Skills - Understands relevant cross-sectoral areas how they are interrelated; able to undertake cross-sectoral work in lending and non-lending operations. 

General Governance and Public Sector Knowledge and Experience - Has the ability to lead production of projects and/or major studies on areas key to public sector. 

Written and Verbal Communication - Demonstrates the ability to influence and persuade others to accept ideas and suggestions (such as counterparts in government, international partner organizations, academia, and Bank colleagues, senior staff and managers).  

Public Administration - Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of public administration, human resource management and civil service reform. 

Public Finance - Has knowledge and demonstrated expertise of public expenditure policy and management, tax reform, and public investment. 

Operational Project Management - Demonstrates broad knowledge of project management tools & methodologies; identifies key risks and mitigation measures; interprets background analysis and proposed solutions. 

Team Leadership - Successfully puts together a team with complementary skills that ensures high-quality technical output and success of projects while being cost-conscious ESW/TA Policy, Strategic and Technical Analysis for Country/Sector Issues - Experienced in using key relevant sector/theme analytical tools and able to translate theoretical concepts into practical approaches for Bank AAA work.
 
Client Orientation - Maintains client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and provides evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge. 

Drive for Results - Identifies the needed resources to accomplish results involving multiple stakeholders and finds solutions to obstacles affecting key deliverables. 

Teamwork (Collaboration) and Inclusion - Shows leadership in ensuring the team stays organized and focused, and actively seeks and considers diverse ideas and approaches. 

Knowledge, Learning and Communication - Leads in the sharing of best practice, trends, knowledge and lessons learned across units and with clients and partners, articulating ideas verbally and in writing in a clear and compelling way across audiences of varied levels. 

Business Judgment and Analytical Decision Making - Gathers inputs, assesses risk, considers impact and articulates benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long term.

How to Apply
Visit World Bank Career page to Apply

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