Purpose of Job:
The Principal Research Economist (OCE) conducts independent, high-quality and policy-relevant economic research and provides intellectual leadership on her or his area of expertise to EBRD management and other departments. She or he also contributes to the preparation of EBRD flagship publications such as the annual Transition Report and is responsible for the management of one or more large-scale firm or household surveys (such as BEEPS or LiTS). She or he manages an independent research agenda, presents research at relevant conferences, publishes in well-ranked academic journals, and actively engages in dialogue with academia. The Principal Research Economist fulfils a mentoring role vis-à-vis analysts and interns and reports directly to the Director of Research.
Background:
OCE consists of a team of around 16 economists and analysts. It contributes to the operational, policy and strategy work of the Bank and provides intellectual leadership on the structural transformation of the countries in which the EBRD invests. OCE is responsible for research on critical economic issues relevant to the transition regions, macroeconomic analysis in support of the Bank’s country work, and relations with academia. It also leads the design and implementation of large-scale surveys (such as the BEEPS (Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey), BEPS (Banking Environment and Performance Survey), and LiTS (Life in Transition Survey) surveys); rigorous impact studies; and the production of major external publications, including the annual Transition Report.
Facts/Scale:
• The Principal Economist is a research economist with a specific area or areas of expertise. She or he works on multiple projects individually or as part of teams that typically consist of 1-2 economists and an analyst or intern from Research (OCE).
• The Principal Economist has no formal reports.
• The Principal Economist independently interfaces with a strong network of outside academics (e.g. as a co-author) and cooperates well with EBRD staff in OCE and other departments, such as the Gender and Inclusion Team, the Legal Transition Team, and the Evaluation Department.
Accountabilities & Responsibilities:
• Undertake, present, and publish high-quality academic research.
• Provide intellectual leadership both inside and outside the Bank on relevant research issues, including through the organisation of and attendance at lectures and conferences.
• Provide guidance and leadership to analysts and interns as needed.
• Establish and maintain strong links with outside academics and policy makers.
• Contribute to, and if necessary take the main responsibility, for the generation of key products, such as chapters in the Transition Report or occasional sector- or country-specific reports.
Knowledge, Skills, Experience & Qualifications:
• Ph.D. or Ph.D. candidate in Economics or Finance from a leading university.
• A track record of research in fields relevant to EBRD, in the form of a very strong thesis, draft thesis chapters, and/or academic publications in areas such as applied micro, development economics, finance, industrial organisation, economic growth, labour economics, international trade, environmental economics, or corporate finance.
• Proven ability to independently undertake empirical analysis. In-depth experience with Stata, R, Python or similar programs or programming languages.
• An ability to relate research to policy issues and operational issues pertinent to the Bank.
• Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written, at the standard required for professional publication, official documents and official representation.
- Curriculum vitae
- Job market paper
- Additional paper (optional)
- Additional paper (optional)
- Other material (in one file) (optional)
- Cover letter
- Video presentation of job market paper (optional)
- Letters of reference: 3