Program Analyst for Creating Sustainable Businesses in the Knowledge Economy Program

Deadline extended: March 8, 2010

Background

infoDev (www.infodev.org) is a research, capacity building and advisory program, coordinated and served by an expert Secretariat housed in the Global ICT Department (GICT) of the World Bank Group. It helps developing countries and their international partners use innovation and information and communication technologies (ICT) effectively as tools for poverty reduction and sustainable social and economic development. infoDev is a thought leader in technology-enabled small business incubation. infoDev’s global incubation network reaches close to 300 business incubators, more than 20,000 small and medium enterprises and has helped create over 200,000 jobs across 87 developing countries.

From 2010-2012, infoDev will implement an ambitious work program, entitled “Creating Sustainable Businesses in the Knowledge Economy”. This new public-private partnership between infoDev, the Government of Finland and Nokia, will launch a range of activities including establishing regional mobile applications laboratories, using social networking platforms to link mobile entrepreneurs, launching a program to help technology-enabled small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain overseas market access, running international working groups on ICT and agribusiness entrepreneurship, facilitating access to appropriate financing instruments for technology entrepreneurs and preparing SourceBooks as guides on how ICTs and innovation systems can be best used in agriculture projects. The program will address a mix of global activities with country and regional activities in Africa, Asia and eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA).

The project management team includes the infoDev Program Manager, a Task Team Leader (TTL) and an Operations Officer. Other infoDev team members working on communications, financial management and procurement will also provide hands-on assistance to the program. The Program Manager will provide on-going strategic guidance and oversee relations with the donors to the program. The TTL will have overall responsibility for the successful implementation of the program. The Operations Officer will coordinate the work of the program on a day-to-day basis and will have direct responsibility for some of the components.

Scope of Work

infoDev is seeking to hire a short term consultant (STC) to assist the project management team in implementing the program. The STC will report on a day-to-day basis to the Operations Officer and via the Operations Officer to the TTL. Specifically, the STC will be tasked to:

Support the Operations Officer with the review and selection of nominations of participating SMEs and business incubators in the SME market and finance programs;
For training and capacity building activities under the program, coordinate pre-training assessments, analyze post-training assessments, and coordinate the updating and printing of all collateral training materials;
Prepare and process grant agreements, withdrawals, deliverables, financial reports, and audits and engage other World Bank departments on all matters pertaining to grant management;
Work as part of a team to handle procurement for various program components;
Help organize and prepare for all trips, workshops and events under the program, including all training, donor relations and outreach and awareness-raising activities. This may include travel as part of the infoDev team for these trips, workshops and events;
In collaboration with the Communications Officer, coordinate the updating, translation and printing of all communications and outreach materials, brochures and collaterals pertaining to the program, as well as facilitate the dissemination, publication and awareness-raising around knowledge products produced under the program. This shall include online dissemination, outreach and communications done via the infoDev website;
Coordinate the recruitment of short term and extended term consultants for the program, including posting and disseminating job advertisements, setting up interviews and processing recruitments;
Prepare progress reports, basic correspondence, write-ups, minutes of meetings, powerpoint presentations and any other documentation or materials required by senior management, the program steering committee, the infoDev Program Manager, or the donors;
Conduct outreach, stakeholder awareness and engagement within the World Bank Group (WBG) for the program;
Conduct outreach, stakeholder awareness and engagement with external partners for the program;
General administration of the program and other tasks that may be required by the project management team.

Qualifications Required

A Master's Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline
Familiarity with World Bank procurement and hiring processes
Highly systematic with keen attention to detail
Capacity to manage multiple complex tasks in parallel
Problem-solving orientation
Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with staff, clients and partners at junior and senior levels
Ability to engage effectively with donors, partners and stakeholders, so as to create a positive impression of infoDev
Positive, energetic and ambitious work attitude, willingness to work within a team environment

Duration of Assignment

The position is initially for 1 year, which may then be extended depending on the availability of funds. The candidate should be able to start the assignment on April 1, 2010. Please note that Short Term Consultant (STC) assignments are limited to 150 days per Fiscal Year which is from July 1 to June 30.