Principal/Chief Research Economist–Macroeconomic Modelling and Forecasting at African Development Bank

Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager Macroeconomic Policy, Debt Sustainability and forecasting, the Principal/Chief Research Economist will:

• Develop and lead research programs and projects focusing on macroeconomic issues of particular relevance to the Bank’s RMCs and its High 5 agenda. This involves:
• Initiate, oversee and contribute to research projects focusing on macroeconomics issues using established and proven quantitative techniques/methods.
• Lead the preparation of Flagship publications and knowledge products such as the African Economic Outlook; African Development Report; books, reports, etc.
• Lead the design and construction of a suite of structural macro-econometric models; Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium, Global Vector Autoregressive Analysis and other simpler Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average models.
• Provide senior management and regional member countries with comparative research analysis, socio-economic data and macroeconomic projections of the most widely used socio-economic parameters relating to Africa’s economies and Bank Group operations.
• Deliver inputs in collaborative research and knowledge management activities carried out jointly with regional and international organizations, research and capacity building institutions in Africa, development research centers and universities.

2. Provide technical and analytical inputs into the work of Operations Complexes. This involves:

• Provide support and input to regional, investment and technical assistance project teams on macro-economic issues related to country/regional context, macroeconomic trends, country, region or sector -specific analysis. This entails among others Providing input into Country Strategy Papers and budget support operations;
• Carry out simulations and forecasts based on the models developed and lead in the disseminating results and provide advice to the Bank’s senior management and regional member countries to strengthen policy dialogue.
• Represent the Division in country teams and interdepartmental working groups within the Bank; review operations documents.

3. Participate in the Bank’s dissemination efforts of its analytical and research products with the view to help build capacity of RMCs and position the Bank’s as a though leader.

• Support the dissemination of knowledge products such as African Economic Outlook; African Development Report; books, reports, etc.
• Organize internal Research Seminars and/or International Conferences such as the African Economic Conference on Development Policy Issues.
• Contribute to the training and capacity development activities in the Bank and in regional member countries.
• Publish research output in the Bank’s working paper series and reputable peer reviewed journals.
•  Organize and contribute to international and regional conferences, seminars and workshops.

4. Act as a mentor for junior staff and support management

• Write briefs for Senior Management on economic development issues  and review  policy documents.
• Prepare funding request proposals to mobilize research funds from other organizations and agencies.
• Assist in the management of the division’s HR and financial affairs and mentor more junior staff

Selection Criteria

• Hold a minimum of a Master’s degree in Economics, Economic modelling, Macroeconomics; Econometrics, Development Macroeconomics; Applied Statistics, or any relevant field. A PhD in economics is a strong advantage.
• Have a minimum of seven (7) years ((for PL3 position) and a minimum of six (6) years (for PL4 position) of professional experience in development policy research and analysis with focus on Africa or low-income countries.
• Working experience in macroeconomic modelling and macroeconomic research is a strong advantage.
• Strong publications record in reputable peer review journals.
• Having experience in international financial institutions, or private sector experience will be an added advantage.
• Extensive practical knowledge of advanced econometric methods and ability to handle, process and analyze large time series datasets using packages such as Matlab, R, Stata, and Eviews.
• Ability to lead the identification of appropriate methods and techniques to conduct cutting edge empirical research and present the results.
• Capacity to come up with innovative research ideas and techniques to improve research outcomes.
• Willingness to learn and take advice from the supervisor and peers.
• Capacity to work independently and meet tight deadlines.
• Communicate and write effectively in French or English, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of standard software: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.