Job Description
Operations Officer - 111014
Basics
Job #: 111014
Title: Operations Officer
Job Stream: Operational Services
Location: Rabat, Morocco
Background / General description:
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region faces a crisis of unemployment concentrated among youth and women. Overall unemployment averages around ten percent, but youth unemployment exceeds 24 percent in some countries and above 40 percent for educated youth. In Egypt, 28% of population is between the ages of 15 and 29, and over 850,000 youth enter the workforce every year. Recent events across the region have amplified the social and economic disconnect between skills, jobs, and opportunity. While unemployment can be traced to a number of root causes, including labor market rigidities and an investment climate that has stifled dynamism and competitiveness of the private sector, the educational system contributes significantly to the problem. Educational enrollment rates and expenditures in the MENA region are high relative to other regions (with secondary school expenditure averaging around $2,000 per student in MENA, compared with $1,600 in East Asia), but the quality of the output of educational systems is low. Education systems appear to fail to teach relevant skills. In fact, unemployment rises with tertiary education, and wages do not reflect a positive return to further investment in education. The time between graduation and first job is very long, and first jobs are often of low quality; one in three are in the informal sector. In April 2011, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) co-published a report entitled Education for Employment: Realizing Arab Youth Potential. This report lays out the challenges and presents some solutions that aim to address the root causes of the educational shortcomings and lack of job opportunities that prevail in the Arab world. In response to this report, IFC and IsDB are developing a program – the Education for Employment initiative (e4e) – which will confront some of these challenges the report identifies. e4e was launched by Queen Rania of Jordan and the leaders of the World Bank, IFC and IsDB in April, 2011. IFC is now looking to appoint a small and dedicated team to implement the e4e initiative. This will be a highly motivated and focused multidisciplinary team, charged with the responsibility of working across the World Bank Group and with all relevant stakeholders in the region and internationally, to design and implement investment and advisory solutions that improve the quality of education available in the Arab world.
Duties and Accountabilities:
The primary responsibility of the Operations Officers is to provide advisory services to third party stakeholders, particularly government entities and industry leaders. Key tasks envisaged include, but will not be limited to:
Advise third party stakeholders on design of e4e regulation, acting as a bridge between the government and private sector on the regulatory environment and investment climate
Act as liaison and facilitate meetings between local, regional, and international stakeholders (e.g., bilaterals and multilaterals)
Provide expertise on regulatory frameworks and investment climate
Provide support and guidance to IFC investment officers on issues related to areas of expertise
Identify non-financial IFC resources (advising, convening) that could be channeled to promote program success
Support , as needed, with execution of e4e projects
Selection Criteria:
Requirements
Experience working with government and industry leaders in the Arab region
Deep knowledge of regional regulatory frameworks (including regulations on education and on the investment climate)
Fluency in English (Arabic and French are desirable)
Education: Masters degree or higher Supplementary experience/knowledge
Experience working in the field of post-secondary or VET education Competencies
Leadership ability to bring into existence the vision of the e4e strategy
Ability to facilitate alignment between various stakeholders on e4e strategy
Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and follow through
Strong communication (both verbal and written) and interpersonal skills
Proven ability to work in a team and multicultural environment, with minimal supervision and to deliver high quality work within deadlines
Hands-on and action-oriented approach
Enthusiasm for and commitment to development work
Willing to travel to remote areas
Field experience in developing countries is a plus
