Inter-American Development Bank

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

Background: We are looking for a motivated economist willing to join a group of specialists to work in the Bank’s Water and Sanitation Division. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, you will identify, prepare, analyze, monitor and evaluate -- from an economic point of view (cost-benefit analysis) -- financing requests for projects with and without sovereign guarantee and technical assistance in the following areas: water resources management, potable water and wastewater, waste management and flood control.

The team: Our Division conceptualizes, prepares, supports the execution and supervises the IDB’s operations related to water and sanitation. We seek to ensure universal and sustainable access to high-quality water, sanitation and solid waste management services to contribute to the sustainable economic growth of our member countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and a better quality of life for their citizens.

Our Division works with the country departments to design and execute financial and non-financial programs and evaluates the development results of such interventions. It also performs quality improvement functions for social development projects and programs, including guiding, crafting and preparing Bank products’, execution, and analysis and mitigation of risks.


What you’ll do:

•Conduct economic due-diligence analysis for financing proposals, identify, prepare and participate in the development of studies and strategies in the areas mentioned above.

•Lead and participate in the execution and supervision of projects and activities.

•Provide technical advice in the areas of expertise and other related Bank activities to borrowers, country offices, and government and non-government agencies.

•Participate as member of multidisciplinary teams in the conceptualization and development of creative technical, institutional, and financial responses to the needs of national, regional and local governments, as well as private companies.

•Lead or be a member of inter-disciplinary teams dealing with the planning, design and analysis of regulation, tariff structure and subsidies policies.

•Provide guidance or mentoring support to less senior Economists.

•Work independently in response to requests from senior staff members; completed work is reviewed by senior staff for quality, compliance, and soundness of opinions.

•Participate and lead knowledge products (working papers, technical notes, policy briefings, etc.) that collects the Bank experience and produce new knowledge.


Skills you’ll need:

Education: Master’s degree in Economics. PhD is a plus.

Experience: You should have at least five years of experience in economic and policy analysis related to infrastructure projects, preferable in water resource management, water and sanitation, and waste management. You should have validated experience of cost-benefit analysis and in the application of methodologies related to demand curve estimation, contingent valuation, hedonic prices, and others. Experience in tariffs and subsidies schemes for public services is very desirable.

Languages: Spanish is required and oral and written proficiency in at least one Bank's official language (English, French, and/or Portuguese).


Opportunity Summary:

Type of contract: Staff position
Length of contract: 3 years’ fixed-term
Starting date: TBD
Location: Washington, DC

Requirements: You must be a citizen of one of the IDB’s 48 member countries and have no family members currently working at the IDB Group.

Our culture: Working with us you will be surrounded by a diverse group of people who have years of experience in all types of development fields, including transportation, health, gender and diversity, communications and much more.

About us: At the Inter-American Development Bank, we’re devoted to improving lives. Since 1959, we’ve been a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social, and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. We do more than lending though. We partner with our 48-member countries to provide Latin America and the Caribbean with cutting-edge research about relevant development issues, policy advice to inform their decisions, and technical assistance to improve on the planning and execution of projects. For this, we need people who not only have the right skills, but also are passionate about improving lives.

The IDB offers a competitive benefits and compensation package.

The IDB is committed to diversity and inclusion and to providing equal opportunities in employment. We embrace diversity on the basis of gender, age, education, national origin, ethnic origin, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, and HIV/AIDs status. We encourage women, Afro-descendants and persons of indigenous origins to apply.