E T Consultant

Contract

This is a World Bank Group grade: EC3 contract. More about World Bank Group grade: EC3 contracts.

E T Consultant

Description

Would you like 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:

This is a Country Office position in Bhutan subject to local recruitment under the Bhutan Work Force Compensation Plan. 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.

The World Bank (WB) country program for Bhutan provides financial support as well as advisory services and analytical work across a broad range of sectors, with a heavy concentration in Macro-Fiscal, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Human Development, Climate Change Biodiversity and Disaster Risk Management and Governance related interventions. World Bank assistance is channeled through government agencies for agreed development priorities. The country partnership framework covers FY21-24 and is well aligned with the priorities set in the Government's 12th Five Year Plan.

Bhutan has a relatively small but well performing portfolio with 4 IDA-funded projects under implementation and commitments of $102 million. The WB also manages a Trust Fund portfolio for Bhutan; currently there are 5 projects financed by Trust Funds with commitments valued at about $26 million.

Context:

The Bhutan Country Team (CT) is composed of WB staff drawn from the Thimphu office and offices around the world. The Country Director (CD) is the head of the CT, and CT members have various professional affiliations within the WB organizational structure. The Country Management Unit (CMU) is responsible for the overall country relationship with the Government, decisions relating to the lending strategy and portfolio management. Technical staff are mapped to the Global Practices (GPs) and are responsible for the technical dialogue related to advisory services, analytical studies, and individual projects (pipeline and under implementation).

The CMU portfolio management team comprises a Resident Representative (RR), a Senior Operations Officer, a Financial Management Specialist and administrative support staff based in Thimphu; the Senior Operations Officer works under the guidance of the RR. The CMU and the Department of Macroeconomic Affairs (Ministry of Finance) jointly conduct tripartite portfolio reviews every six months with the Bank's technical staff, the line-ministry officials, and the implementing agencies. These reviews focus on selected projects as well as on cross cutting issues. In addition to the six-monthly reviews, the CMU portfolio team engages with the Global Practice (GP) technical teams at the individual project level throughout the year, and in particular during regularly scheduled missions, in order to focus on implementation issues, disbursement performance and achievement of agreed results. The Bhutan CMU would like to hire an Extended Term Consultant (ETC) who will work as a Senior Operations Officer.

Duties and Accountabilities:

As part of the Country Management Unit (CMU), the ETC will:

A. Support the Resident Representative in portfolio management for Bhutan. This includes meeting with project teams to discuss project status and strategy; commenting on operational documents such as the Project Concept Notes (PCNs), Project Appraisal Documents (PADs), Implementation Status and Results Reports (ISRs) and Implementation Completion Report (ICR); advising on Resident Representative intervention on project and portfolio issues, disbursement issues and seeking advice from the Resident Representative; coordinating with the Program Leaders and the HQ-based Senior Operations Officer in reviewing implementation readiness of projects under preparation, including advice on project design, results-M&E, risk management; reviewing operational packages; advising the Resident Representative on management letters, project extensions, cancellations and restructuring; working with Government on generic portfolio issues; and leading the semi-annual Country Portfolio Performance Review in close collaboration with the Country Team and the Ministry of Finance. B. Maintain daily contact and relationship with key government counterparts; ensure that the country team follows the government internal procedures and processes for World Bank programs; and assist the country team in resolving difficult operational issues. C. Contribute to donor coordination by developing and maintaining contacts with key stakeholders and development partners, and interfacing with donors on harmonization of policies and procedures. D. Support the Country Director and the Resident Representative in the interactions with Government and stakeholders and contribute substantially to the development, implementation and monitoring of the country strategy. The ETC will develop and maintain close working relations with the Washington-based Country Anchor Unit, the CMU and GP staff as well as colleagues of the Development Effectiveness, Operational Services and Legal team supporting the region.

This job is for someone who is very strong in operational work, likes new challenges, has strong inter-personal skills, and thrives in a rapidly changing environment.

Selection Criteria

1.Minimum of Master’s degree in a relevant discipline and 8 years of relevant experience. 2.Good understanding and experience in: (i) Bank operations, policy and processes with a demonstrated ability to enhance quality as a part of project preparation and supervision; and (ii) cross-sectoral operational issues, procurement, financial management, environment, social, and monitoring & evaluation aspects of projects. Or similar experience in an international organization. 3.Demonstrated familiarity with government policies, processes and procedures related to World Bank assistance; good understanding of internal workings and government structures; and extensive contacts within the government. 4.Demonstrated ability to juggle numerous competing demands and priorities, respond quickly to country and management requests, and set priorities for self and others. Strong record of problem solving and innovation, and the ability to adapt to new challenges and to meet tight deadlines. 5.Excellent coordination and inter-personal skills, and a demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with clients, development partners and teams. Ability to balance flexibility, patience and good listening skills together with firmness and clarity of message, while operating in a culturally sensitive environment. 6.Excellent written and verbal communications skills in English and Dzongkha.

Competencies:

•Project Management - Demonstrates in depth knowledge and understanding of the project management concepts, as they relate to the implementation of complex, multi-functional projects in varied geographical and economic conditions •Bank Instruments, Policies, Procedures, and Systems - Recognized by peers and/or managers for providing high quality, pragmatic advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments and financing mechanisms. •Portfolio Management – Ensures close monitoring of program implementation; flags portfolio implementation issues and advises effective approaches to resolve them. •Analytical and Technical Skills, Operational Strategy Development & Advice - Recognized by peers and/or managers for ability to identify and pro-actively solve operational issues and problems. •Lead and Innovate - Develops innovative solutions with others. •Deliver Results for Clients – Focused on results and identifies mission-driven solutions that meet client satisfaction. •Collaborate Within Teams and Across Boundaries - Initiates collaboration across boundaries and broadly across WBG and promotes diverse ideas for better results and impact. •Create, Apply and Share Knowledge - Creates, applies and shares knowledge from across and outside WBG to strengthen internal and/or external client solutions. •Make Smart Decisions - Recommends and takes decisive action. •Country Strategy - Recognized proficiency in playing a central role in and making substantive contributions to the strategy formulation process and related products. •Country Program Management - Contributes to the preparation, including the story line, of the CMU's annual reporting, budgeting, and business planning, focusing in particular on the Region's performance indicators. •Country Operations Knowledge and Application - Ability to provide high-quality advice to teams on the appropriate use of Bank policies, procedures and instruments. •Stakeholder Engagement - Ability to advance and make substantive contributions to the country dialogue. •Country Team Management - Ability to coordinate mechanisms to ensure CMU responsiveness to country team members, including an ability to respond substantively to challenging queries and efficient and effective procedures for routine workflow. •Corporate Insight (Organizational Agility) - Ability to represent effectively the country program during interactions with the Board, donors, and shareholders.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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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.