Job Description
Country Economist Haiti (Specialist/Sr Specialist)
City:  Washington DC
Company:  IDB
Posting End Date:  08/03/2025

We improve lives

The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.

About this position

We are looking for an experienced Economist to join Haiti Country Office Team. As a Country Economist, you will develop a wide range of functions that contribute to the achievement of economic growth and social development of the country, providing economic monitoring and analysis of development needs and results within the context of the IDB's mandate.

You will be a member of the Country Team who reports directly to the Regional Economic Advisor (REA), working closely with the IDB Representative in Haiti, under the Country Department for Central America, Haiti, Mexico, Panama and Dominican Republic (CID). CID is responsible for the promotion and development of Bank country strategies and programming in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

You will be based in Washington DC. However, candidates will be allowed and encouraged to travel to Haiti frequently, and those that could move to Haiti for longer stays will be given priority in the selection process. Furthermore, please note that this position may be transferred to Haiti in the future, depending on operational needs. If this occurs, specific IDB rules related to non-family posts will apply.

What you’ll do

Dialogue with the country

  • Analyzes and monitors the macroeconomic development of Haiti by raising knowledge for the Bank and supports the identification of risks and opportunities. Keeps up to date with the main problems at the microeconomic level that inhibit the functioning of certain markets/sectors (labor market, banking sector).
  • Keeps up to date with the main social trends of the country, such as poverty, internal migration and displaced populations, crime, urbanization, political economy, etc.
  • Identifies research topics for the Bank's Country Development Challenges (CDC), Country Engagement Notes, Country plans, or Country Strategy and for the design and implementation of the Bank's program in the country and identifies critical areas for the Bank's dialogue with the country and the agenda needed to sustain this dialogue.
  • Coordinates the evaluation, preparation and monitoring of progress and results of the Country Strategy. Articulates and participates in the dialogue with counterparts (MEF, Central Bank) on policies and reforms in strategic areas identified by the Representative; supports dialogue with the private sector and other relevant counterparts.
  • Provides technical support to relevant counterparts in different areas, as required and supported by the Country Representative.
  • Keeps abreast of the activities of other multilateral agencies and donors in the country and supports coordination with them.

Knowledge management

  • Generates knowledge that provides growth solutions for the country and the region.
  • Identifies the needs of the Country and the Counterparts in economic terms, including sectoral issues. Keeps updated on the trend of the country, the opinion of authorities and other institutions.
  • Develops and coordinates a program for the generation, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge for the country.
  • Identifies best practices and knowledge products relevant to the IDB internal and external to the IDB. Provides country-level knowledge inputs to other sectors of the Bank.
  • Participates in economic forums to contribute and capture knowledge on factors affecting countries and maintains external networks to access and expand knowledge.
  • Accompanies sectoral specialists to put into context studies coordinated by them, ensuring that policy recommendations or sectoral and multisectoral actions reflect the reality of the country.
  • Designs an annual work plan on economic issues of the country aligned with the plan for the region.
  • Remains up-to-date on the generation of knowledge from other relevant institutions in the country and external.

What you'll do:

Internal corporate management

  • Represents the Bank in discussions that address institutional initiatives at the strategic level.
  • Contributes with the local vision to transversal regional initiatives.
  • Prepares periodic reports on the macroeconomic outlook, and prepares inputs for several reports on the economic, political and social situation in the country.
  • Manages with the Coordinator the relevant activities of the country's work plan.

Programming

  • Prepares the documents for macroeconomic safeguards of the institution and coordinates with the REA the process of approval of the documents.
  • Supports in the identification of operational risks and opportunities.
  • Participates and provides strategic and analytical inputs for programming dialogues.
  • Supports country programming processes and their alignment with the Country Strategy.
  • Ensures the consistency of operations with the country's challenges and the logic of intervention based on the available information about the country.

Design and Execution

  • Reviews the viability and alignment of lending operations and technical cooperation with the bank's program priorities in the country.
  • Participates in the project cycle of the operations contributing on the quality of the projects, central and / or strategic issues and the results matrix schemes.
  • Analyzes trends of lessons learned in the economic, social and political/institutional area at the close of operations.

What you'll need

  • Education: PhD in Economics.
  • Experience: Minimum five (5) years of relevant experience in economic research, economic monitoring, analysis of economic information, econometrics, impact evaluations and fiscal sustainability. Years of PhD studies count towards years of relevant experience. Proven knowledge of standard debt analysis techniques, balance of payments current account and sustainability analysis is a requirement for this position. Experience in policy issues and development problems in the countries of the region. It will be that you have experience working in or with the IDB or other MDBs, as well as good management of econometrics software (STATA, R, MATLAB, etc.).
  • Languages: Proficiency in French, English and Spanish.

Key Skills

  • Learn continuously  
  • Collaborate and share knowledge  
  • Focus on clients  
  • Communicate and influence  
  • Innovate and try new things 

Requirements

•    Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. We may offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your eligible dependents.

•    Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement.

What we offer

The IDB Group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee’s life. These benefits include:

  • A competitive compensation package, including an annual base salary expressed on a net-of-tax basis.
  • Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender- neutral parental leave.
  • Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program that covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
  • Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and support employees in planning for their future.
  • We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
  • Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
  • Health and well-being: Access to our Health Services Center that provides preventive care and health education for employees.
  • Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile, such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.
  • Other perks: Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, Spouse Career Program, and others.

Our culture

At the IDB Group, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.

About the IDB Group

The IDB Group, composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the IDB Lab, offers flexible financing solutions to its member countries to finance economic and social development through lending and grants to public and private entities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

About IDB

The Inter-American Development Bank is devoted to improving lives. Established in 1959, the IDB is a leading source of long-term financing for economic, social, and institutional development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The IDB also conducts cutting-edge research and provides policy advice, technical assistance, and training to public and private sector clients throughout the region.

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