Post of duty: IDB Headquarters, Washington D.C. - USA
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
The Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Division, a part of the Institutions for Development (IFD) Sector Department of the Inter-American Development Bank, is focused on supporting member countries in productive development financing and related fields โ including broadband access.
Productive and social systems are rapidly plunging into a new world powered by the Internet. In this new world, digital connectivity infrastructure has become a necessity for progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals, becoming a resource to improve people's lives, the quality of institutions, and the prosperity of economies; in a strategic tool to enable the functioning of companies in the face of crises such as the one caused by COVID-19; in an enabling human right to health, education, work, and public services. Considering that IDB is committed to deploying and using digital connectivity in the Region to achieve universal connectivity and shift from basic to meaningful connectivity โ by which people not only have ready access to the Internet but can use it regularly and effectively to improve their lives.
LAC Region faces lacks in digital infrastructure that has consequently a 47% of the population (280 million people) with no Internet access, and Internet bandwidth is 75% below the average of OECD countries, which impacts the type of services. But it also faces deep gaps in the use of that digital infrastructure; around 40% of the population under some network coverage does not acquire the service, and the main obstacle to the meaningful use of the Internet and digital infrastructure is the need for digital skills. In LAC, just over 70% of the population still needs to gain basic digital skills, double that of OECD member countries. Also, the Region faces different digital divides, among which the digital gender gap stands out; it reaches 20 % in several countries.
On the other hand, we recognize that the challenge is increasing due to the dynamism of digital technologies, such as 5G, and the investment gap that our Region has with respect to other regions since the investment per capita in the OECD countries is $160 five times more than in LAC where it totals $32.
To drive those issues, the IDB supports its member countries in developing broadband plans and digitalization strategies, including deploying infrastructure, meaningful use policies, strategic regulations, and capacity building.
What youโll do
- Support the agenda on digital infrastructure meaningful use and digital inclusion with a territorial, gender, and diversity approach. It considers, at least, (i) Demand promotion (analysis and promotion), (ii) Literacy (development of basic, intermediate, and advanced digital skills), (iii) Technical skills (for design, operation, and maintenance of data centers and infrastructure for the distribution of digital data), (iv) Affordability measures, (v) Sectorial adoptions (mainly for access to services and development of different production systems), (vi) Specific policies (measures to promote Internet safety, cultural acceptance, and widespread use).
- Support the execution of the Strategy for the development of digital skills in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Support or participate in identifying, conceptualizing, and preparing operations where digital infrastructure deployment and use can deliver a strong development impact, to solve and mitigate country problems, such as climate change, socioeconomic gaps, accelerated processes of citizen migration between countries, and low competitiveness in rural areas and productive sectors.
- Participate with the rest of the digital infrastructure team in the design of specific components on use and support the execution of the ongoing operations.
- Build and boost relations with donors to manage grants and technical cooperation opportunities to promote meaningful connectivity interventions.
- Support policy dialogue with governments to improve the institutional capability of clients according to the sector trends. The incumbent will support the development of country strategies and programs (identifying priority action lines to leverage the agenda of meaningful connectivity) and will promote a deeper understanding of
- relevant digital infrastructure use (readiness notions, principles, objectives, and most effective organizational structure in a convergent environment).
- Built and coordinated a multi-stakeholders alliance (governments, companies, international organizations, Universities, NGOs, and others) to promote the meaningful use of the Internet through digital skills development.
- Mainstream digital infrastructure meaningful use with gender and diversity approach into loan and grant operations, technical cooperation, and knowledge to support high-impact digital connectivity projects.
- Liaise and coordinate with other sectors (including agriculture, health, education, energy, financial services, and transportation) and vice-presidencies within the IDB Group (IDB, IDB Invest, and IDB Lab) on matters related to
- infrastructure to distribute, interconnect, store, and process digital data (deployments, enabling skills, policy, and regulatory frameworks).
- Support the identification, design, supervision, and execution of digital skills components into loans, technical cooperation, and knowledge products.
- Support the development of a knowledge agenda on digital topics that continues to position IDB and CMF as regional knowledge leaders, participating in IDB's or external events and preparing press interviews and blogs.
What you'll need
ยท Education: Master's degree in social sciences, political science, economics, public policy, international affairs, or a related field relevant to the role's responsibilities. Broad knowledge of telecommunications issues is required.
ยท Experience: You can prove relevant experience in Governments and/or IFIs related to the key responsibilities of the position during the last 9 years of your professional career in areas such as: (i) public policy effectiveness, digital transformation, and digital skills, adoption and use of broadband; and (ii) telecommunication sector trends, financing, governance, main infrastructure deployments and its contribution to the provision of specific services and Region development. Also, a proven track record in running and coordinating teams and advising leadership in public organizations, as experience in LAC public sector and multilateral financial organizations is essential. A pertinent publication record is highly desirable.
ยท Languages: Proficiency in Spanish and English, spoken and written, is required. Additional knowledge of French and Portuguese is preferable.
Key skills
ยท Learn continuously
ยท Collaborate and share knowledge
ยท Focus on clients
ยท Communicate and influence
ยท Innovate and try new things
Technical Competencies
1. Technical Sector Dialogue: Engages in policy dialogue based on solid knowledge of the sector, development challenges of client countries, and IDB policies, strategies, and guidelines.
2. Sector Development: Takes actions to promote sector priorities based on country and regional needs and key IDB priorities.
3. Economic and Sector Work: Develops and applies economic and sector analytic work to support the preparation of country, sector and regional strategies and country dialogue, loan operations and technical assistance programs.
4. Project Analysis and Design: Conceptualizes, prepares and participates in the approval of projects (loans and technical cooperation), in coordination with other team members and the respective authorities.
5. Change Management: Formulates and implements integrated change proposals to contribute to sector modernization and transformation in borrowing countries.
6. Project Supervision: Effectively supports the execution of projects and programs to maximize their results.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation: