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Regional Context
The Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region comprises 30 extremely diverse, predominantly middle-income countries, with a population of nearly 500 million people. ECA countries face structural and legacy issues, including an incomplete transition to a market economy and declining productivity, weak institutional capacity, dependence on fossil fuels, limited physical and digital connectivity and, in many instances, aging populations. Recent shocks (COVID-19, conflicts, weather shocks and natural disaster) have further exacerbated these challenges, with significant impacts on the level, inclusiveness and sustainability of growth and overall living standards.
The World Bank Group is working closely with client countries in the region to address these issues, with increasing focus on productivity growth and job creation, energy security and water management, human capital and economic inclusion, and physical and digital connectivity. The region has a strong lending pipeline and a large portfolio of projects spanning a number of sectors. In addition, knowledge is critical to the Bank’s value proposition to client countries in the ECA region.
The Agriculture and Food (AGF) unit (SCAAG) in the ECA Region is organized under the umbrella of the ECA Planet department that also incorporates the water and environment teams. The unit’s work program covers seven ECA Country Management Units and is led by a Practice Manager. The focus of the team’s work going forward is on the future of agri-food systems, including inclusiveness, diversification of economies, jobs, agricultural competitiveness and linking farmers to markets, leveraging the private sector, climate-smart agriculture, digital agriculture, financial innovation, resilience, and fragility and conflict as well as the broader sustainable development agenda.
Duties & Accountabilities:
The World Bank Group is recruiting a Senior Agriculture Economist based in Vienna, Austria. The Senior Agriculture Economist will report to the SCAAG Practice Manager based in Vienna, Austria and support the delivery of the work program, assurance of quality, interaction with internal and external clients and partners, including the government, private sector, civil society, and development partners.
The primary responsibility of the Senior Agriculture Economist will be to provide technical, operational, and strategic leadership on food safety for the development and implementation of the unit’s work program in the ECA region. In doing so, s/he will work closely within the SCAAG team and with the respective Country Management Unit (CMU) Teams. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Provide thought leadership on food safety and food trade-related aspects in the ECA region and effectively communicate them to country teams, including the SCAAG team, CMUs, and broader WBG country teams.
• Lead or contribute to policy dialogue on food safety and food trade and interactions with clients, development and other partners, and alert management (both country and sector) to issues requiring attention.
• Lead and co-lead preparation and supervision of operations as Task Team Leader of operations managed by SCAAG and projects supporting agriculture, agribusiness, agri-food systems, and rural development led by other Global Practices, or agribusiness engagements led by the International Finance Corporation (IFC). Ensure that projects and contributions are delivered at high levels of quality and in a timely manner.
• Lead or contribute as core team member to analytical products and initiate and maintain productive engagement with the client and stakeholders (including multilateral and bilateral donors) on strategic program development and policy reforms relevant for the transformation of agriculture, agribusiness, agri-food systems, and rural economies in the ECA region.
• Work with staff of the Global Practice, other Global Practices, IFC, and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) to identify opportunities for addressing agri-food development issues in the ECA region as part of the broader World Bank core diagnostics, Country Partnership Frameworks, country policy dialogues, CCDRs, investment operations, budget support operations, and other multi-sectoral projects.
• Remain current with relevant major pieces of analytical work in the profession. Participate in strategic analytical work in the region and work with teams engaged in analytical work relevant to SCAAG’s work program in the ECA region.
• Represent the World Bank in fora involving the community of development partners. Provide support, either explicit or implicit, to the work of the development partners in food safety.
• Develop strong client relations and stakeholder partnerships, including with other Global Practices, IFC, and MIGA, on operational matters and policy dialogue.
• Contribute to the rollout of the AgriConnect initiative in the ECA region from a food safety perspective. AgriConnect is a WBG initiative to transform smallholder farming, create jobs, and strengthen global food security.
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