Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges.
The World Bank’s Africa Region Gender Innovation Lab (GIL), located within the Africa Region Chief Economist’s Office, conducts impact evaluations to generate evidence on how to close gender gaps in earnings, productivity, assets, and agency, and then uses this evidence to support the design of innovative, scalable interventions to address gender inequality across Africa. The impact objective of GIL is to increase the take-up of effective policies by governments, development organizations, and the private sector in order to address the underlying causes of gender inequality in Africa, and through that promote growth.
Institutional Context: The Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) is housed within the Africa Region Gender Impact Evaluation Unit (AFEGI), mapped to the Africa Region Chief Economist’s office. The Lab conducts its work across two World Bank regions (Africa Western and Central (AFW) and Africa Eastern and Southern (AFE)).
Impact Objective: The Africa Gender Innovation Lab has a clear and actionable impact objective: to increase take-up of effective policies that can address the underlying causes of gender inequality in Africa, particularly in terms of women’s economic and social empowerment, and through that promote growth. The Lab aims to do this by strengthening knowledge, in particular by producing and delivering a new body of evidence and developing a compelling narrative, geared towards policymakers, on what works and what does not work in promoting gender equality. This new evidence will deepen capacity for gender-informed policymaking throughout Africa, including policies created and enacted by governments, as well as common practices and program models of private firms, civil society, and development agencies.
Regional Orientation: Africa GIL’s work is focused exclusively on Sub-Saharan Africa, where the team is currently working in more than 20 countries with the aim of building an evidence base with lessons for the region.
Sectoral Emphasis: Africa GIL is focused on conducting rigorous research to generate evidence on how to close gender gaps in earnings, productivity, assets, and agency. GIL’s work is grouped into six thematic areas: agricultural productivity; private sector development; land and property rights; social protection; social norms and gender-based violence; and youth employment. Cross-cutting areas include occupational segregation, socio-emotional skills, care, engaging men, and measurement.
Impact Evaluations: The Lab is currently working on more than 80 impact evaluations, with additional work in the pipeline, and requires a core team of DC-based staff to coordinate this work. The Africa GIL also conducts inferential research, synthesis analyses, and qualitative research to complement its impact evaluations.
Influencing Policies and Practices that Matter for Gender Equality: Africa GIL engages in rigorous research by partnering with high-profile, large-scale, innovative and/or potentially influential projects and project partners on its impact evaluations. The Lab then uses its results, which are disseminated in papers, presentations, policy briefs, blogs, and in other ways, to influence how development projects and policies are conceived and run. Africa GIL aims to help direct funding to the most effective programs and policies, increase the availability of good data to inform programs and policies that target gender inequalities, and increase the use of evidence to inform program and policy decisions.
Duties and Accountabilities
The Analyst will work under the supervision of the Africa Gender Impact Evaluation Unit Leader, Michael O’Sullivan. Key responsibilities will include:
Provide support to impact evaluations of ongoing interventions, including with the designing of baseline and follow-up surveys, undertaking data analysis, and writing relevant reports.Provide technical support on the design and implementation of selected impact evaluations.Prepare large community, household, firm and farm-level data sets for analysis.Inspect, perform logic and consistency checks on, clean, merge, and transform raw data.Work with survey firms to troubleshoot data problems and ensure that data collection and entry follow specified protocols.Conduct descriptive and econometric analysis of data.Provide inputs (tables, graphs) for inclusion in impact evaluation reports, academic articles and policy briefs.Draft written summaries of analysis and academic literature, as needed. Conduct statistical power calculations and assist in survey sample design.Assist as needed in the design of interventions and impact evaluations, including in the preparation of concept notes.Support the monitoring and oversight of interventions being tested under GIL impact evaluations.Assist with data documentation and the public release of data.
Selection Criteria
Minimum of Master’s degree in international development or related field;
Minimum of four years of relevant professional and/or academic experience in private sector, gender and impact evaluations;
Fieldwork experience in Sub-Saharan Africa executing impact evaluations, including survey design and implementation;
Good understanding of the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs and farmers in Africa;
Excellent analytical and quantitative skills including a strong econometrics background, and the ability to use STATA;
Strong project management skills;
Behavioral competencies that facilitate dialogue with country partners and country teams, including listening skills, capacity development skills, and ability to adapt advice to the local institutional realities;
Commitment to teamwork, knowledge-sharing, and ability to influence across organizational boundaries;
Demonstrated track record of working with economic data and analytical tools and models to conduct economic analyses and produce user-friendly written outputs; understands underlying statistical concepts.
Teamwork, collaboration, and inclusion – Commitment to teamwork, knowledge-sharing, and ability to influence and network across organizational boundaries. Collaborates with team members and contributes productively to the team’s work and output, demonstrating respect for different points of view. Demonstrated ability to lead, manage, and motivate teams and group efforts across organizational boundaries.
Client orientation - Takes personal responsibility and accountability for timely response to client queries, requests, or needs, working to remove obstacles that may impede execution or overall success.
Drive for results – Able to take personal ownership and accountability to meet deadlines and achieve agreed-upon results and has the personal organization to do so.
Knowledge-sharing, learning, and communication – Actively seeks knowledge needed to complete assignments and shares knowledge with others, communicating and presenting information in a clear and organized manner. Strong written and oral presentation skills required. Strong ability to distill relevant recommendations/lessons for clients and target audience.
Business judgment and analytical decision-making – Analyzes facts and data to support sound logical decisions regarding own and others’ work.
Fluent in English required and strong command of French preferred
Willing and able to undertake frequent international travel.
