What are the responsibilities and job description for the Short Term Consultant - Data Scientist/Economist for Economic Research position at The World Bank?
Application Deadline - 17th Feb - 2025
Interested candidates should send their CV, writing sample, and sample STATA/Python/R code to Yan Liu yanliu@worldbank.org before 6PM, February 17th, 2025. Only Shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
I. Digital Transformation Vice Presidency and the Analytics and Research Team
The World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world’s largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. The WBG’s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity reflect a new global landscape: one in which developing countries have an unprecedented opportunity to end extreme poverty within a generation.
Digital technologies are increasingly central to our economic and social lives. They have proven to be a powerful tool to help unlock economic growth and opportunity, tackle development challenges, ease access to services, and improve lives. The Digital VPU will help create strong foundations for the digital economy to thrive. Working in collaboration with other teams across the World Bank, we deploy a range of products, services, and partnerships to advance global knowledge around key digital development topics and to support countries to define and implement their vision for digital transformation through:
• Financing to governments in the form of grants, loans, guarantees, and risk management products to support digital investment projects and implement policy reforms.
• Advisory services, including targeted policy guidance, technical assistance, and capacity building.
• Knowledge products including data and diagnostics to provide actionable insights at regional, country, and local levels, research and thought leadership to expand the global knowledge base, as well as thematic operational toolkits.
• Convening services that bring together key stakeholders, from both public and private sectors as well as international and non-governmental organizations involved in advancing global digital development.
The Analytics and Research (AR) Team is under the Development Effectiveness Unit of the Digital Transformation VPU. The AR team consists of a team of economists and data scientists, with a mandate to (1) address critical knowledge gaps through data collection, harmonization and curation, high quality research and publications in collaboration with DEC, global & regional Chief Economists’ offices; (2) inform policy dialogue and operations through the updated Digital Economy Country Diagnostics framework in collaboration with other units and GPs; (3) provide cross support to regional and country ASAs and operations on digital transformation. The AR team is looking for a Short-Term Consultant to be based in Washington DC (USA).
II. Project Background
The AR unit is planning a series of research on digital jobs, digital skills, and the labor market effects of digital transformation and AI using Lightcast data, labor force survey data, population census, firm level data, and other unconventional big data sources. Main deliverables include a global flagship report “Digital Transformation of Jobs Report” (targeted publication around late 2026), background paper(s), analytical notes on the labor market effects of digital transformation, a global data dashboard on the demand and supply of digital skills and digital jobs, and country digital jobs diagnostics in various regions.
III. Duties and Accountabilities
The STC’s work will cover, but not limited to, the following areas:
• Contribute to the measurement of various aspects of digital transformation. Help compile and clean various data on digital transformation, update and maintain the Digital Transformation Database.
• Analyze regional and country digital transformation trends and contribute to the regional digests of “Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025”.
• Analyze a wide range of labor market datasets, including but not limited to Lightcast data, labor force survey data, firm level data.
• Conduct literature review, prepare descriptive statistics, conduct econometrics and big data analysis, compelling visualizations, and summarize analytical findings.
• Contribute to the Digital Transformation of Jobs Report, analyze how digital transformation is affecting the sectoral, occupational, spatial, and organizational composition of jobs. Study the quantity and quality of new jobs created by digital transformation in developing countries, and the distributional impact of digital transformation in the labor market.
• Prepare customized country digital skills and digital jobs reports. Translate analytical findings into concrete policy insights and recommendations to inform operations.
Deliverables
o Inputs to the Digital Transformation of Jobs Report.
o Lead or contribute to background papers, analytical notes, data dashboards.
o Digital skills and digital jobs reports for certain countries.
IV. Time Schedule
The contract will start around Mar 1, 2025 and end June 30, 2025. For the duration of a total of about 70 days. The contract can be extended in FY26 upon satisfactory performance.
V. Qualifications
The Consultant should be able to offer all, or at least most, of the following qualifications and experience:
• Master’s degree in economics, statistics, data science, or other relevant field. PhD is preferred.
• At least 3 years directly relevant experience in economic research and data analysis. Proven experience in analyzing big data and strong programming skills is required. Proficiency in at least one of these statistical and programming software (STATA, R, Python) is required. Experience in Lightcast data analysis is a strong plus. Experience with Azure Databricks is a strong plus.
• Familiarity with machine learning and AI techniques in big data analysis and text analysis is a strong plus.
• Excellent conceptual and analytical skills, including ability to think strategically and innovatively about the role of ICT/digital technologies for socio-economic development and for transformation in other sectors of the economy.
• Excellent data visualization skills, using charts and other data presentation techniques appropriately to communicate data, technical information, or complex concepts to non-specialists.
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in English.
The consultant will work report to Yan Liu (yanliu@worldbank.org), TTL of the project. The consultant will work closely with other members of the AR team and DT VPU colleagues as needed.
