Manager of the Productivity, Trade and Innovation Sector Department

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 exciting environment.

The new IDB Group Institutional Strategy identifies productive development and innovation through the private sector as one of its operational focus areas. Productivity growth in Latin America and the Caribbean has fallen behind international benchmarks. Productivity is currently estimated to be about half of its potential, which explains to a large degree the region’s inability to close the GDP per capita gap with respect to more advanced regions. Moreover, low productivity as a region is accompanied by high heterogeneity among firms, with few of them on the technological frontier, and many in the traditional sector with low productivity and high levels of informality that fail to adopt new technologies. Productivity, trade policies, and innovation correct market failures and coordination problems that limit economic activity and welfare potential. When properly designed and coordinated, these interventions bolster productivity growth and economic growth, more generally.

About this Position

We are looking for a strategic, people leader and highly motivated individual to head our Productivity, Trade and Innovation Sector Department (PTI) under the Vice Presidency for Sectors and Knowledge. The PTI Manager will report to the Vice President for Sectors and Knowledge.

As Manager, you will lead a team of individuals committed to helping the IDB Group conceptualize, prepare, support implementation, and supervise Bank’s operations and knowledge work in the areas of work under the responsibility of its three divisions and one unit: (i) trade and investment; (ii) competitiveness, technology, and innovation; (iii) agriculture and rural development; and (iv) private sector, synergies and trade. You will foster the synergies at the bank to promote private and public sector complementarities to foster development in the region. You will also oversee the preparation of sector policies, strategies, operational guidelines, and programs in these areas; the development of relevant research and analytical work, including best practices and case studies; and the provision of specialized technical support to borrowing member countries.

What you’ll do

• Promote synergies with IDB invest and IDB Lab to foster private sector led sustainable and inclusive development in LAC.
• Lead, manage, and mentor a multidisciplinary and diverse team, located in Washington, DC and in the Bank’s country offices in Latin America and the Caribbean, to support the IDB Group’s mission.
• Oversee the design, preparation, execution and supervision of sovereign guaranteed financial operations and non-financial products in all areas of trade and investment; competitiveness, technology and innovation; agriculture and rural development; and private sector, synergies and trade; and lead the evaluation of the development results of such interventions.
• Perform quality enhancement functions for PTI sector programs in alignment with the Bank’s fiduciary and social and environmental safeguards policies.
• Work with other sectors to ensure a multi-sector approach to Bank operations.
• Provide thought leadership and direction to the Department. Lead the annual planning, implementation, and supervision of the Department’s work program. Monitor the quality of outputs, achievement of long-term goals, and annual objectives.
• Develop and oversee an applied research agenda for the Department, assuring high quality standards, and coordinate the dissemination of knowledge products on PTI’s areas and issues. Ensure that the applied research agenda provide inputs for the identification of development priorities, the design and execution of evidence-based operations, and policy dialogues with member countries.
• Advise Senior Management on the development of strategies, policies, and guidelines for the Bank in PTI’s areas.
• Support the development and implementation of country strategies and programs in PTI’s areas.
• Provide technical guidance to borrowers, implementing agencies, Country offices and other units of the Bank in matters related to programs and projects in execution.
• Lead technical dialogue with governments and relevant authorities of borrowing member countries to propose and design reforms, as well as with private sector.
• Foster public-private partnerships to advance the region’s development agenda and lead trade and investment business forums and initiatives, facilitating dialogue and collaboration among collaborators.
• Provide technical advice and support to the preparation of non-sovereign guaranteed operations led by IDB Invest and IDB Lab in the Department sector areas and promote synergies with them.
• Set annual goals and expectations for personnel in the Department, mentor and provide feedback to optimize performance.
• Represent the Bank at public forums, conferences and seminars as speaker, panelist, and participant.
• Foster joint private and public sector bank wide initiatives such as BID for the Americas, networks and other.