We improve lives

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 Sector Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IFD/CMF), is focused on supporting member countries in productive development financing and related fields – 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 universal and meaningful connectivity – by which people not only have ready access to the Internet but can use it regularly and effectively to improve their lives. 

In El Salvador fewer than 10% of rural households have an Internet connection, limiting their capacity to participate and access the benefits of broadband and the continuity of public services during the pandemic. In El Salvador, 65% of public schools do not have connectivity, and only 40% of health centers have this service; (b) the penetration of fixed broadband (9.7%) and mobile broadband (77%) in El Salvador is the lowest in Latin America and is far from the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (37.2% and 136.2%, respectively), hindering access to online health and education services. This is due to: (i) limited level of digital infrastructure and institutional capacity; and (ii) low level of digital skills and a gender gap; (c) 42% of people under 25 and 54% of those over 66 do not have an Internet connection, and of the people who do, more than 90% have a low-speed plan that does not support online education and/or healthcare solutions. The main determinants are the high prices for services and insufficient connectivity infrastructure, especially in rural areas; and (d) the lack of the ability to use the Internet aggravated the effects of COVID-19. The World Economic Forum (WEF) gives El Salvador a digital skills score of only 3.2 points out of 7, ranking the country 131st in the world. The main determinants are: (i) the illiteracy rate and the school attendance rate among women; (ii) the low level of digital training; and (iii) the low level of training and certification of women in information and communication technologies (ICT) (the percentage of women ICT graduates is 4.62% compared to 16.5% for men).

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 you’ll do

• Support the digital infrastructure team on technical dialogue, as well as with its current and future portfolio of operations with a geographical focus in operations in El Salvador.
• Support the agenda on universal and meaningful connectivity with a territorial, gender, and diversity approach.
• Support or participate in identifying, conceptualizing, and preparing operations where universal and meaningful connectivity 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 new projects, as well as in the supervision of the execution of the ongoing operations related to universal and meaningful connectivity, with a geographical focus on operations in El Salvador.
• Build and boost relations with donors to manage grants and technical cooperation opportunities to promote universal and meaningful connectivity interventions. 
• Build and boost relations with other multilateral development institutions, particularly with the World Bank, as part of the current Memorandum of Understanding between both institutions to seek complementary synergies for coordinated interventions aiming at maximizing developmental impact, particularly those related to universal and meaningful connectivity with a geographical focus on operations in El Salvador.
• 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 universal and meaningful connectivity.
• Mainstream universal and meaningful connectivity with gender and diversity approach into loan and grant operations, technical cooperation, and knowledge to support high-impact projects with a geographical focus on operations in El Salvador.
• 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 universal and meaningful connectivity with a geographical focus on operations in El Salvador.
• Support the identification, design, supervision, monitoring, and execution of digital connectivity and data infrastructure loans, technical cooperations, and knowledge products in coordination with the Team Leader and the Operations Team of the Post of Duty.
• Support the development of a knowledge agenda on digital connectivity and data infrastructure that continues to position IDB and IFD/CMF as regional knowledge leaders, participating in IDB”s or external events and preparing press interviews and blogs.

What you”ll need

• Education: Master’s degree in engineering, business administration, political science, economics, public policy, international affairs, or a related field relevant to the role”s responsibilities. Broad knowledge of universal and meaningful connectivity issues is required.  
• Experience: At least 10 years of relevant experience in governments, multilateral financing institutions, think tanks, academia, consultancy firms and/or non-governmental organizations related to the key responsibilities of the position in areas such as: public policy effectiveness, digital transformation, telecommunication sector trends, financing, governance, public policy, main digital infrastructure deployments and its contribution to the provision of specific services and Region development. Also, a proven track record of advising leadership in public organizations, public sector and/or multilateral financial organizations for the LAC region is preferable
• Languages: Proficiency in Spanish and English, spoken and written, is required. Additional knowledge of French and Portuguese is preferable.

Key skills

Requirements

•    Citizenship: You are either a citizen of El Salvador or a citizen of one of our 48-member countries with residency or legal permit to work in El Salvador 

•    Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.

Type of contract and duration

National consultant Full-Time, 12months (up to 36 months)

What we offer

The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employee’s life. These benefits include:

• A competitive compensation package.
• Leaves and vacations: 2 days per month of contract + gender- neutral parental leave.
• Health Insurance: the IDB Group provides a monthly allowance for the purchase of health insurance.
• Savings plan: ​​​​​​​The IDB Group cares about your future, depending on the length of the contract, you will receive a monthly savings plan allowance.
• We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• Hybrid and flexible work schedules.
• Development support: We offer learning opportunities to boost your professional profile such as seminars, 1:1 professional counseling, and much more.

Our culture

At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at [email protected]  to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.