Hybrid Lead Agribusiness Specialist at World Bank Group

Lead Agribusiness Specialist

Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help solve the world’s greatest development and sustainability challenges. Established in 1944, the World Bank Group (WBG) 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, promoting transformative policies, and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.

The Global Department for Agriculture and Food (AGF) Global Engagement Unit supports a global vision of delivering a triple bottom line of a healthy economy, healthy people, and a healthy planet. It has a broad mandate to manage and promote the AGF Global Department’s global and corporate responsibilities. To serve this mandate, the unit is responsible for managing global programs, coordinating with global partners and across regions to ensure the global nature of solutions the Bank brings to the agriculture and food agenda in specific countries, facilitating knowledge and technical support to operational teams, and providing corporate and high-quality client services across the full range of IBRD and IDA countries. It also engages in high-priority, strategic analytical work, policy dialogue, and engagements at the global and regional levels with an increasing focus on One World Bank Group solutions.

The AGF Global Engagement Unit provides thought leadership and knowledge exchange via strategic analytical work, partnerships strengthening across key international institutions, and policy engagement in major global climate and food systems fora; supports moving from a global vision to action at the country level, through building countries’ capacity to plan, mitigate, and adapt to the impacts of climate change on agriculture and food systems; and builds the Bank teams’ capacity to design and implement projects and ASAs. The AGF Global Engagement Unit has an active work program on agribusiness development and jobs in food systems, support to farmers’ integration in value chains, and mobilizing private sector capital and investments.

The AGF Global Engagement Unit seeks to engage the services of a dynamic Lead Agribusiness Specialist to strengthen efforts to promote sustainable agribusiness development and jobs in food systems, in World Bank AGF investments, analytical work and policy dialogue using innovative and rigorous economic analysis, modeling, and behavioral insights.

Duties & Accountabilities

The Lead Agribusiness Specialist will play three principal roles. Firstly, to support the regional teams in the agriculture and food sector on the design of their financing interventions, notably investments projects, while building capacity in agribusiness, agrifinance and jobs within the Department’s staff. Secondly, to generate knowledge and provide thought leadership, especially to fill important and identified knowledge gaps. And finally, to generate innovations that are likely to have a long-term impact on knowledge, project designs and delivery of policy change. He/she will:

• Provide strategic, policy, analytical and operational advice on the design and implementation of the World Bank’s commercial agricultural projects, ASA work and Technical Assistance to client countries. This will require a detailed understanding of World Bank project design alternatives and instruments, delivery mechanisms across regions as well as innovations being developed by others within the broader development community.
• Provide targeted support for operations where there are significant opportunities to accelerate progress towards achieving the World Bank’s twin goals through a lens of generating more and better jobs, including through access to agri-finance and market integration.
• Liaise, and coordinate with relevant World Bank departments, Regional Practice Directors, Regional Practice Managers and with other World Bank Group institutions, including FCI, IFC and MIGA.
• Contribute to relevant Bank strategies, relevant corporate priorities, initiatives and actions plans and prepare briefings for and responses to queries from senior Bank management. Ensure the integration of the agribusiness and agricultural commercialization and marketing issues into the broader Planet Vertical.
• Provide intellectual leadership and input into select economic and development analytical work to ensure that work is focused on known knowledge gaps and on work which is relevant to the regions and can lead to public investments.
• Take overall responsibility for the development of global goods in agribusiness, agricultural commercialization and marketing.
• The Lead Agribusiness Specialist will also; i) co-lead the current GEF 7 FOLUR Program and support inputs to the emerging GEF9 program; ii) co-Lead the AquaInvest Platform and associated knowledge and innovation requirements; iii) lead the agribusiness component activities within the FoodSystems 2030 Trust Fund; and iv) function as a Steering Committee member for the AgResults Program.     

Selection Criteria

• At least 12 years combined work experience in both agribusiness and agriculture supply chain issues (input markets, on-farm production, etc.) for a candidate with a PhD in Economics, Agricultural Economics, or related discipline; or 15 years combined work experience for a candidate with Masters in these same disciplines;
• Proven track record in: (1) knowledge generation and/or knowledge management; (2) policy development and dialogue at ministerial level; and (3) advising or working directly with the private sector in agribusiness;
• Broad knowledge in both private sector-led agribusiness development and agriculture supply chain issues. S/He should be regarded as a lead thinker and implementer in the agribusiness space;
• Demonstrated experience with cross sector collaboration in both operations and knowledge management;
• Ability to maintain client relationships in the face of conflicting demands or directions and to provide evidence-based advice and solutions based on sound diagnosis and knowledge;
• Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to work well with clients, donors, staff and colleagues from other units. Ability to express issues clearly and diplomatically, with a view to achieving a shared solution in cases of dispute;
• Strong operational knowledge of the Bank’s project cycle, from preparation to completion, in investment operations, financial intermediary loans, policy based lending or analytical and advisory services; knowledge of IFC advisory services would be a plus;
• Excellent presentation skills and public speaking;
• Excellent spoken and written English; strong spoken and reading language skills in one other of: French, Spanish, or Arabic would be a plus;
• 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 Knowledge, Learning and Communication 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 skills to assess risk, consider impact and articulate benefits of decisions for internal and external stakeholders over the long-term.

WBG COMPETENCIES

• Agriculture Policy, Strategy, and Institutions. Deep understanding of agriculture policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations and linkages of agriculture with other areas of development.

• Policy Dialogue Skills. Translates broad policy objectives into concrete development proposals. Anticipates needs and requests in the field and conducts independent policy discussions with representatives of the government and non-government partners; Provides highly practical advice to management and teams on complex strategic and operational deliverables and outputs and outcomes; Has a track record of conducting effective policy dialogue with country counterparts in complex and challenging situations; Demonstrates strong ability to defend policies’ rationale and impacts to senior WBG management and government officials; Actively promotes dialogue with relevant counterparts, the donor community, the private sector, government officials, as well as with civil society.

• Integrative Skills. Demonstrates ability to lead work on integrating divergent views in a coherent project/program/strategy, including across sectors and WBG; Advises project/country teams how to integrate corporate/regional priorities into specific project/strategy; Brings together multidisciplinary perspectives for effective solutions; Ensures that the project team integrates corporate commitments (e.g., MFD, climate change, gender) in its approach.
knowledge and Experience in Development Arena. Demonstrates complete understanding of policy making process and the role of own sector of expertise in that process and its interrelations with other sectors; Is able to explain and defend development initiatives and policies’ rationale and impacts to senior WBG management and government officials; Influences the design and execution of major policy and/or research initiatives; Conceives and promotes innovations in development policies, project design, offerings, organization and management to improve operational and sector work.

• Communications and Influencing Skills. Demonstrates a strong command of all forms of communication and delivers messages in a consistently effective, timely and engaging manner; Facilitates and organizes intra- and inter-sectoral teams, international experts to debate and exchange ideas on key issues; Has ability to communicate and defend ideas orally and in writing in a clear and compelling way.

• Technical knowledge and analytical skills. Recognized expert internally and externally in the economics of agriculture and food systems, capable of serving as a lead in representing the WBG internationally; Demonstrated ability to lead large and complex analytical tasks, has extensive cross-country knowledge in economic specialty linked to agriculture and food systems, strong ability to link the macro, institutional, and microlevel behaviors; Strong ability to support findings/policy recommendations with credible economic analysis and tools; Recognized expert in food and agriculture policies, strategies, markets, institutions and regulations.

• Team Leadership. Strong leadership skills to form, guide, and lead teams WBG-wide, yielding high-quality knowledge or lending products, with solid experience on one or more complex multi-sectoral or innovative operations; Flexibility to be both a leader for the task as well as for the members in the team; Strong commitment to collaboration, knowledge sharing, and participatory decision making, motivating teams to deliver on time and within budget; Strong leadership skills that provide a model for others, thus enhancing the team-leadership skills of team members; Recognized mentorship ability, giving more junior team members opportunities for leadership and mentoring them to ensure success; Inspires and influences others to drive innovation; Has demonstrated ability to mentor and enhance capacity of colleagues in the agriculture and other Global Practices within SD.

The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in race, gender, nationality, culture, and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. Women and SSA/CR candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Candidates with open-term appointments will retain their employment status if selected for this position. All others will be offered a 4-year term appointment. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of Urgency – Anticipating and quickly reacting to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful Risk Taking – Taking informed and thoughtful risks and making courageous decisions to push boundaries for greater impact.
3. Empowerment and Accountability – Engaging with others in an empowered and accountable manner for impactful results.

World Bank Group Core Competencies

The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

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.

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.