THE WORLD BANK COUNTRY OFFICE IN KAZAKHSTAN (ASTANA) is seeking a

Public Sector Reform Specialist 

The World Bank Country Office in Astana is seeking a dynamic, highly qualified Public Sector Reform (PSR) Specialist for a short-term position to start on or about February 20, 2009 until June 30 with the possibility of extension of the contract.  The PSR Specialist will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the World Bank's portfolio in public sector. His/her tasks will include ensuring a constant dialogue with government counterparts on PSR issues, assisting in the preparation and supervision of the World Bank's PSR work program, supporting World Bank teams visiting Kazakhstan, and providing inputs to program papers, mission memos, reports, etc. on PSR topics in Kazakhstan. 

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Support the preparation, implementation and supervision of the World Bank's PSR projects and programs, by liaising with the Project Management Units and/or the relevant ministries responsible for implementation, following up on project related issues with counterparts, informing the task managers of issues that need urgent attention;
• Monitor public sector development trends in Kazakhstan by:
  - Preparing short policy and technical notes on specific PSR topics;
  - Reviewing the press, setting up a database of relevant PSR statistics and providing up-to-date information on PSR to WB task team members upon their request;
  - Commenting and providing feedback to WB papers, notes, memos;
• Contribute to the in-country dialogue on public sector issues, by maintaining a continuous policy dialogue with mid-level government officials in ministries and agencies and managing relations with other audiences involved in public sector development issues;
• Assist in organizing missions to Kazakhstan, proposing and coordinating meetings, briefing mission members, taking minutes;
• Support international and supervise local consultants working in Kazakhstan;
• Closely coordinate with WB staff in other sectors;
• Assist the WB's External Affairs unit in preparing press releases, conferences, workshops.

A detailed work program will be agreed with the successful candidate shortly after his/her appointment.

Qualifications Required:

• Advanced degree (Master's or equivalent] in a field such as Economics, Finance, Public Policy, Business Administration or other fields relevant to public sector development;
• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience at the local, national and/or international levels requiring interaction with Government;
• Experience in taxation and/or customs spheres is desirable;
• Proficiency in MS Office programs (PowerPoint, Excel); familiarity with data analysis programs (Stata, SPSS) desirable;
• Strong presentation and networking skills and ability to build effective working relations with counterparts in Government, donor agencies, private sector representatives and World Bank colleagues;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Russian; knowledge of Kazakh language an advantage;
• Ability to work independently and under pressure.

Interested qualifying candidates should submit a detailed Curriculum Vita with a Cover Letter and a list of References in English by February 12, 2009 to astana_office@worldbank.org citing Ref: Public Sector Reform Specialist.