Senior Economist/Sr Agricultural Specialist (Supply Chain Risk Assmt) Job Vacancy in Washington

Background / General description

Risk and uncertainty are inherent in agriculture and commodity supply chains. Given the pervasiveness of risks, farmers, agro-enterprises, international agencies, and governments are increasingly seeking effective and sustainable strategies and approaches to mitigate, transfer, or cope with these inherent risks. Using the full range of risk management strategies and tools, the Agricultural Risk Management Team (ARMT) of the Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) department of the World Bank provides clients with technical assistance and capacity building services to assist them to manage their risks. Additionally, ARMT collaborates with other departments and units within the World Bank to provide comprehensive solutions. ARMT is promoting the agenda of holistic risk management and attempting to mainstream agricultural risk management into the wider World Bank’s operations. ARMT’s current work program involves: • Agriculture sector risk reviews and risk management frameworks. • Supply chain risk assessments. • Weather risk assessment . • Price risk assessment . • Capacity building and training. • Forum for Agricultural Risk Management in Development (FARMD). • Enhancing risk management capacity within sustainable production initiatives.

Duties and Accountabilities

ARMT is presently comprised of several full-time staff and a cohesive team of short and longer-term consultants. The team’s work is supported by donor trust funds. To support ARMT’s risk management mainstreaming program and to contribute to other areas of ARD’s work, the services of an experienced professional are being sought with the following duties and responsibilities: • Manage ARMT’s portfolio of supply chain risk assessment in the context of the World Bank analytical and operational work and other complementary programs. This will involve identifying suitable opportunities, coordinating efforts with pertinent project/country counterparts, recruiting/organizing/managing assessment teams, coordinating with relevant stakeholders, ensuring the operational relevance of assessment results, and preparing syntheses which bring out lessons and broader findings from the different assessments. • Build capacity of the World Bank staff and other development partners in conducting supply chain risk assessment s and incorporating risk elements in their existing and planned operations. This will involve developing and delivering training programs in supply chain risk assessment , refining the assessment methodology, preparing assessment guidelines, distilling lessons learned from the different assessments and sharing them with relevant stakeholders. • Conduct analytical work and provide operational advice pertaining to government policies and regulatory measures that influence risk and risk management in commodity supply chains, especially in relation to traditional export sectors and staple food crops. • Provide technical guidance to WB staff and external clients on alternative approaches, institutional arrangements, and good practices in relation to selected themes in agricultural supply chain development and risk management. • Contribute to the design and implementation of ARMT’s training program (for external clients and WB staff) on specific risk management themes. • Lead/participate in field missions, involving some combination of risk assessment , intervention design, and/or supervision/evaluation activity in specific countries and regions. • Work closely with other staff to identify and implement partnerships with internal WB units or external organizations to pursue joint work in agricultural risk assessment , risk management capacity building, and related areas. • Handle selected administrative tasks associated with ARMT’s work and its relationship with key donors. • Contribute to other aspects of ARMT’s program of technical assistance and knowledge management as demand for its services evolves.

Selection Criteria

• Advanced degree in (agricultural) economics, development studies, public administration, anthropology, business, or suitable other discipline. • At least eight years of pertinent professional experience is required. • Clear understanding of all types of agricultural risk management solutions, not merely financial ones. • Experience in conducting supply chain risk assessment s in several commodities and countries. • Proven capacity to analyze complex issues and to communicate results in a clear and effective manner for various types of stakeholders. • Experience with the design and implementation of agricultural/rural development/financial system projects preferred. • Experience in designing, delivering and managing programs aimed at transferring technical capacity to regional and local stakeholders. • Prior work experience in developing countries is essential. • Understanding of the structure and modalities of the World Bank. • Excellent team building and communication skills; ability to work within multi-disciplinary teams. • Fluency in English required. The World Bank Group is committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, culture and educational background. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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Closing Date: Sunday, 15 January 2012