Local recruitment: Extended Term Consultant (Water and Sanitation)

The World Bank

Washington, D.C., USA 🇺🇸

Job #:req22168
Organization:World Bank
Sector:Water/Sanitation
Grade:EC1
Term Duration: 1 year 0 months
Recruitment Type:Local Recruitment
Location:Washington, DC,United States
Required Language(s):English
Preferred Language(s):
Closing Date:4/25/2023 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 and promoting shared prosperity. 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 Sustainable Development Practice Group 

The Sustainable Development (SD) Practice Group (PG) helps countries tackle their most complex challenges in the areas of Agriculture and Food, Climate Change, Environment, Natural Resources & Blue Economy, Environmental and Social Framework, Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience & Land, Social Sustainability and Inclusion, and Water.

Water Global Practice

Water touches every aspect of development and it links with nearly every Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). It drives economic growth, supports healthy ecosystems, and is essential and fundamental for life itself. Water availability and management impacts whether poor girls are educated, whether cities are healthy places to live, and whether growing industries or poor villages can withstand the impacts of floods or droughts. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/water 

Water is essential to life. Access to clean water and improved sanitation services are vital for human health and productivity and critical to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Existing literature documents the benefits of access to safe and stable sources of water on a range of economic and social outcomes. Research has examined the role of water in a wide variety of issues such as economic activity (Damania et al. 2017, 2019), migration (Zaveri et al. 2021), welfare (Sekhri, 2014), women’s work (Koolwal and Van de Walle, 2013), labor unrest (Almer et al., 2017), agricultural production, and poverty reduction (Duflo and Pande, 2007). At the same time, a growing strand of literature highlights how climate change, through its impacts on the availability of water, negatively affects economic and social development (World Bank, 2016). 

Although recent literature has advanced understanding of the importance of water for economic growth and social welfare, some key knowledge gaps remain. For example, more analysis is needed to understand the impacts of water access on labor-market outcomes and the different channelsthrough which these effects operate. There is inadequate understanding of the nature of interactions between global trade and water use, availability, scarcity, and quality. There is also a lack of understanding about how the per capita water footprint – both from consumption and production perspectives – has changed over time and across countries, and what the economic drivers and determinants of these changes are.

Knowledge plays an important role in meeting the challenge of sustainable development.  Thus, deepening understanding about the links between water and the economy is critical for informing investment decisions and shaping policy reforms – particularly in developing countries, where the inadequacy of water infrastructure is most pronounced. Efforts by the Bank to expand global knowledge on these issues can help to achieve its vision of serving as a thought leader on this critical agenda, and help shape new business lines around related, emerging agendas.

Against this background, the Water, Economy and Climate Change (WE&CC) Global Solutions Group (GSG) of the Water GP at the World Bank is spearheading a multi-year water economics research program to deliver cutting-edge knowledge of the role of water in economy, and to enhance understanding of how climate change-related impacts on water supply and demand affect the economy. The program aims to produce timely and relevant research papers, and to develop partnerships across sectors and within academia to create a critical mass of economists working on water economics in developing countries. The research papers produced under the program will inform the wider analytical program of the Water GP and serve as background material for a proposed flagship report on the water sector, focusing on the intertwined connections between water, climate change, and trade. 

The WE&CC GSG also provides support to Water GP regional teams to deliver Water Security Diagnostics (WSD) and Country Climate and Development Reports (CCDRs) in a comprehensive and timely manner. The main analytical tools used for these analyses include CLEAR Water Framework and Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM). The CLEAR Water Framework is based on a key set of questions and informed by cross-country benchmarking. GCAM is an integrated assessment model used to analyze water nexus issues. To support the application of the diagnostic tools, a centralized data dashboard has been created and regularly updated to act as a unified repository and a one-stop shop for indicators. The data portal organizes and curates existing sources of data and incorporates new data resources as they become available.  

Duties and Accountabilities

The main objective of the consultant is to support the implementation of the work program of the WE&CC GSG by providing research, analytical and organizational assistance. The consultant will report to the Global Lead of the WE&CC GSG and shall maintain close working relations with the other team members in the Global Unit of the Water GP. The main accountabilities of the consultant will include the following: 

1) Contributing to Water Security Diagnostics and CCDRs, for example by synthesizing information and reviewing literature, conducting independent data collection and analysis, collecting subnational data for GCAM analysis, and conducting cross-country benchmarking based on CLEAR Water data dashboard. 

2) Contributing to the regular update of Data Dashboard, such as data curation and management, creating geo-referenced indicators and managing the meta-data for geospatial data portal

3) Supporting analytical work and contributing to the drafting of research studies and policy notes

4) Assisting with other activities of the GSG, as needed.

Selection Criteria

• Education: Graduate-level training in economics or related fields with 5-10 years of relevant experiences
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills 
• Proven ability to manage large and complex databases and develop summary analysis, including summary tables and charts, and sound analytical and problem-solving skills including a knowledge of statistical applications and techniques.
• Strong skills and demonstrated experiences with managing and analyzing geospatial data
• Strong oral and communication skills in English
• Ability to deliver results effectively in support of the team.
• Highly motivated and results-oriented with initiative, persistence, and a positive attitude.
• Ability to take personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work under pressure and work flexibly on a range of assignments and adjust to and prioritize a variety of evolving tasks.

If the selected candidate is a current World Bank Group staff member with a Regular or Open-Ended appointment, s/he will retain his/her Regular or Open-Ended appointment.
Poverty has no borders. Neither does excellence. This is why we continually search for qualified individuals with diverse backgrounds from around the globe. We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce. 

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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. 

Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable for an additional one year, at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET Appointment of two years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their second-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.


POSITION TYPE

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EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

DEGREE REQUIRED

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