E T Consultant

Contract

This is a World Bank Group grade: EC2 contract. More about World Bank Group grade: EC2 contracts.

E T Consultant

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.

Background and General Description

Located within the Development Economics Vice Presidency (DEC VPU), the Global Indicators Group (DECIG) produces primary data and analysis on private sector development, with emphasis on regulations, institutions, and policies that promote job creation, economic productivity, and gender equality. The data products aim for reliability, relevance, and comparability, within and across economies. The goal of the data, reports, and papers produced by the Global Indicators Group is to encourage and guide social and economic reforms that promote an efficient and fair business environment. The work also feeds into research produced by academia, international organizations, and think tanks, as well as policy advocacy conducted by civil society and non-governmental organizations.

DECIG produces cross-country comparable measures on a range of policy issues through the following programs: (a) Business Ready (B-Ready), the World Bank’s corporate flagship measuring the business and investment climates in about 180 economies worldwide annually; (b) Enterprise Surveys, the world’s most comprehensive comparable firm-level data for developing and developed economies; (c) Subnational Business Ready, which assesses the business and investment climate at subnational and regional levels within a country; and (d) Women, Business and the Law, the flagship assessing the global progress toward gender equality in 190 economies worldwide annually.

DECBE is the DECIG unit in charge of producing the B-Ready data and report. B-Ready will provide a quantitative assessment of the business environment for private sector development, published annually and covering most economies worldwide. The B-Ready data and the summary report will aim to advocate for policy reform, inform specific policy advice, and provide data for development policy research. Through its focus on private sector development, B-Ready will effectively contribute to meeting the twin goals of the World Bank Group (WBG) of eliminating poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

B-Ready will focus on ten topics that are organized following the life cycle of the firm and its participation in the market while opening, operating (or expanding), and closing (or reorganizing) a business. The main topics include Business Entry, Business Location, Utility Connections, Labor, Financial Services, International Trade, Taxation, Dispute Resolution, Market Competition, and Business Insolvency. Within each topic, considerations relevant to the business environment regarding aspects of the adoption of digital technology, environmental sustainability, and gender will be captured. Based on the data collected, B-Ready will generate scores for each topic area and potentially a set of aggregate scores. B-Ready will collect both de jure information and de facto measures. While de jure data will be collected from expert consultations, de facto data will be collected from both expert consultations and firm surveys. The latter is a major innovation and represents a significant increase in data available to WBG teams, development practitioners, and researchers around the world. Data collection and reporting process will be governed by the highest possible standards of integrity, including sound data gathering processes, robust data safeguards, clear approval protocols, transparency and public availability of granular data, and replicability of results.

DECBE is looking for two highly motivated Extended Term Consultants (ETCs) to be based in Washington DC to work with the Data Analysis (DA) team primarily on programming do-files in Stata and coding questionnaires in Survey Solutions. To learn more about WBG employment practices please visit: https://www.worldbank.org/en/about/careers.

The position requires strong dataset management skills and experience working with large and multiple datasets, excellent command of Stata, ability to work in a fast-paced and multicultural environment, as well as excellent organizational skills. Proficiency in R or Python a plus. Familiarity with the WBG impact evaluation department’s (DIME) best practice guidance on Stata coding and data reproducibility, as published on its website is required (https://dimewiki.worldbank.org/Main_Page).

RESPONSIBILITIES

The consultant is expected to carry out various tasks in Stata, including:

1.Conducting data checks to ensure data accuracy, including:

·Checks on the completeness and accuracy (i.e. ranges, computation of missing values, etc.) of each Stata dataset;

·Appropriate variable naming conventions in line with Survey Solutions online expert questionnaire;

·Other checks to be determined.

2.Support the coding of questionnaires in Survey Solutions, while ensuring a uniform approach to questionnaire design.

3.Preparation of Stata do-files for the computation of economy indicators and scores, using expert data and adhering to the standards defined by DIME on data reproducibility and Stata coding:

·Generate indicators and their respective scores based on instructions in the Methodological Handbook and its annexes (published on the B-READY website) and in collaboration with topic teams;

·Generate Stata data outputs, analyses, graphs, tables and excel outputs based on demand;

·Other steps to be determined.

4.Preparation of Stata do-files for the generation of indicators using firm-level data. Such do-file should:

·Apply survey design characteristics and generate respective indicator (mean) for each stratum, including its standard error and the number of observations available to compute the mean;

·Recompute weights as necessary;

·Use the naming convention of the respective expert survey questionnaire for each of the indicators and apply subs for their standard deviation and number of observations;

5.Support and contribute to research on the B-Ready topics, including working papers and blogs.

The consultant is expected to lead or assist in the production of some of these do-files, including the extension of help to select team members to ensure harmonization where do-files need to be prepared for each of the different questionnaires. All do-files need to adhere to the DIME coding conventions, including, among others, the application of a global path to enable different users to run the do-files, short description of each computational step, and transparent tracking of managing, documenting and archiving any data processing step. Do-files should be coded as efficiently as possible, using automated coding as much as feasible.

Selection Criteria

1.A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in the programming of Stata do-files, including application of local and global macros;

2.At least a Master’s degree in economics or another social science, with extensive coursework in statistics and/or econometrics;

3.Demonstrated ability to work with large and multiple datasets;

4.Demonstrated ability to work under firm deadlines;

5.Demonstrated ability to work in teams; and

6.Excellency in R or Python is a plus.

A long list of candidates will be invited to perform a Stata test administered by the DIME unit, unless the test has already been taken in the last 12 months. If candidates have taken such test in the last 12 months, they should include the test date and test score in their application (CV or cover letter). Test results will be considered as input for shortlisting candidates for the interview.

The World Bank Group values diversity and encourages all qualified candidates who are nationals of World Bank Group member countries to apply, regardless of gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. Sub-Saharan African nationals, Caribbean nationals, and female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

2.At least a Master’s degree in economics or another social science, with extensive coursework in statistics and/or econometrics;

3.Demonstrated ability to work with large and multiple datasets;

5.Demonstrated ability to work in teams; and

This internal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-term and extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requested not to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will not be considered.

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 at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three 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 third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.