World Bank RA Position

The Global Macroeconomics Team in the Development Economics Prospects Group is responsible for monitoring and analyzing the global economy and advises senior management on the implications of global economic events for developing countries. As part of this overall work program, the team produces a twice-yearly forecast of the global economy – in addition to a wide variety of regular and ad hoc reports.

In support of this work program, the team maintains a large-scale international high-frequency data system using an SQL back-end, Eviews as mid-ware and Excel among other programs as a front end.  It also operates and actively develops an annual forecasting model covering the national income accounts (GDP) and balance of payments (BOP) data for more than 150 countries.

Duties and Accountabilities

The Team is looking for a high-energy detail-oriented short-term consultant to assist in undertaking analytical work related commodity pass-through as well as on Sub-Saharan African economies.

The successful candidate will be expected to become familiar with the operations of the automated data system that feeds into the high-frequency database and updates the macroeconometric database, so as to assist colleagues in their maintenance.

S/He will also be expected to use the databases to undertake analyses under the supervision of a senior economist. A solid background in economics, including the manipulation of large data sets and basic quantitative methods would be essential for these ad hoc assignments.

A solid understanding of excel, and one or more econometric packages such as Eviews STATA, Troll, FAME, or AREMOS is essential. 

The time frame for the appointment as an STC would be starting immediately and through the end of the fiscal year (June 30), with some possibility for extension.

Selection Criteria

The ideal candidate will typically have:

·    Master’s degree in Economics with experience working with large time-series databases.

·    Experience programming, either with an  economic time-series in a macro econometric modeling language such as Eviews, Stata, Troll, FAME or AREMOS or with a more traditional programming language (C, Pascal, Fortran),  would be a great asset.

·    Demonstrated working knowledge of software products and problem solving/troubleshooting skills.

·    Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and to build effective working relationships with clients and colleagues.

 
Contact Prof. Reynolds for information on how to apply.