Agribusiness Development Specialist

**About the World Bank Group

The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, working to end extreme poverty and promote sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners to achieve our goals.

Agriculture's Crucial Role in Global Development

In a world where food production must increase by at least 35% to meet the needs of a rising global population, agriculture plays a vital role in ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. The World Bank Group supports agricultural innovation, climate-smart agriculture, efficient food production and distribution systems, environmentally and socially sustainable production practices, and strengthening agricultural policy and institutions.

Middle East and North Africa Region: A Key Agricultural Hub

The Middle East and North Africa (MNA) Region has a significant agricultural sector, providing jobs, contributing to the economy, and ensuring food security. However, the sector faces challenges related to climate change, population growth, scarce natural resources, competitiveness, and job creation. The World Bank Group supports the transformation of the agriculture and food sector through policy reforms, private sector-led agricultural commercialization and modernization, improving the quality of jobs in the agri-food sector, and fostering the adoption of climate-smart and digital agriculture development.

Tunisia: An Agricultural Powerhouse

Tunisia's agri-food sector contributes significantly to the country's GDP, rural jobs, and total employment. The main agricultural exports include olive oil, dates, and fisheries, making Tunisia one of the world's top exporters of olive oil.

About the Job

We are seeking a Senior Agriculture Economist based in Tunis, Tunisia. The successful candidate will provide technical, operational, and strategic leadership for the development and implementation of the Agriculture and Food GP's work program in the region. This includes leading and coordinating the AGF GP's engagement in Tunisia, enabling close coordination with activities led by EFI, INF, HD, and other SD GPs, and IFC. The candidate will work closely with the PLANET Program Leader and the CMU to ensure the agriculture and food sectors are adequately represented in the Tunisia program and in other Maghreb countries.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the AGF GP's engagement in Tunisia and enable close coordination with activities led by EFI, INF, HD, and other SD GPs, and IFC.
• Work closely with the PLANET Program Leader and the CMU to ensure the agriculture and food sectors are adequately represented in the Tunisia program and in other Maghreb countries.
• Lead/co-lead preparation and supervision of operations managed by SMNAG and projects supporting agriculture and food systems led by other GPs, including DPOs, PfRs, and IPFs.
• Ensure that projects and contributions are delivered at high levels of quality and in a timely manner.
• Lead, or contribute as core team member to, analytical products in Tunisia and in the Maghreb CMU.
• Initiate and maintain productive engagement with clients and stakeholders on strategic program development and policy reform issues relevant for the transformation of agriculture and food systems and rural economies in MNA.
• Work with the Program Leaders, staff of the AGF GP, and other GPs to identify opportunities for addressing agricultural issues in the MNA region as part of the broader World Bank core diagnostic, Country Partnership Frameworks, country policy dialogues, CCDRs, investment operations, budget support operations, and other multi-sectoral projects, including regional operations.
• Provide thought leadership on relevant developments for MNA's agri-food sector and effectively communicate them to internal and external audiences.
• Represent the World Bank in fora involving the community of development partners.
• Lead or contribute to policy dialogue on agricultural and rural development issues and interactions with the client, development, and other partners.
• Remain current with relevant major pieces of analytical work in the profession.
• Participate in strategic analytical work in the region and work with teams engaged in analytical work relevant to SMNAG's work program.
• Develop strong client relations and stakeholder partnerships, including with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), on operational matters and policy dialogue.
• Contribute to mentoring more junior staff in the Maghreb CMU.

Requirements

To be considered for this position, you should have:

• A Master's or PhD in Agricultural Economics, Economics, Agribusiness, or a relevant economic development discipline.
• At least eight years of relevant working experience in areas related to agriculture economics, rural development, and agribusiness.
• Solid technical skills in agri-food and rural development policy and proven familiarity with the food security, agribusiness, and climate-smart agriculture international agenda.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging with clients and partners and working across boundaries.
• Demonstrated solid experience in managing complex projects with demonstrated high-quality results.
• Strong analytical skills and solid experience in leading policy dialogue on critical issues of relevance for transformation of agricultural and food systems and rural economies.
• Knowledge of agricultural policies in other countries (US, EU, etc.) and experience in repurposing agricultural support would be particularly relevant to support policy dialogue and overall business development.
• Experience with agri-digital development (support to agritechs and start-ups, capacity strengthening of the agri-digital ecosystem, digitalization of public policies, etc.).
• Understanding of agriculture policies, strategies, institutions, and regulations and experience in and ability to support findings/policy recommendations with relevant technical evidence.
• Demonstrated experience in translating analytical work into policy recommendations, high-level engagements, and project identification.
• Proven team skills with the ability to function in a demanding, fast-paced, multi-sectoral, and multi-cultural environment.
• Solid track record in leading analytical work and field operations with a diverse set of clients and developing innovative solutions to address complex sector or operational issues.
• Commitment to teamwork and ability to interact effectively and collegially with peers at all levels and from diverse backgrounds.
• Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and team skills with ability to find balanced, pragmatic, and implementable solutions.
• Ability to work across various subject areas and multi-disciplinary teams while being diplomatic and sensitive to cultural, political, and gender issues.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French, including the ability to present complex issues to World Bank management and senior government representatives, as well as to non-specialist audiences.
• Ability to frequently travel domestically and regionally.
• Knowledge of Arabic would be an additional plus.