Procurement Specialist

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? Working at the World Bank Group provides a unique opportunity for you to help our clients solve their greatest development challenges. The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty, increasing shared prosperity and promoting sustainable development. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. Please visit www.worldbank.org. VPU Context: The World Bank Group serves 33 client countries in Latin America and the Caribbean Region (LCR). Clients range from large rapidly growing sophisticated middle-income clients to IDA countries to small Caribbean states to one fragile state, and to varying degrees face three key challenges – low productivity and growth, low quality jobs and low resilience to shocks. The region is tackling these challenges with a strong WBG approach, underpinned by selectivity and complementarity between the value added of public and private arms, and in strong partnership with relevant regional development partners. A. The challenge of low growth. After recovering lost output, the region is returning to pre-pandemic low growth and productivity scenario. After a solid post-pandemic rebound in economic activity (7.2% and 3.9% growth in 2021 and 2022 respectively), GDP growth returned to the pre-pandemic low growth around 2.2% in 2023 and 2024, with a medium-term outlook of 2.5%. With an average Gini co-efficient of [0.52] LAC remains also one of the most unequal regions in the world. It is a region where the bottom 50% earn 27 times less than the top 10%. It also represents stark differences in opportunity, a child born today in the poorest 20% quintile in LAC will on average be 17 percentage points less productive than a child born in the richest 20%. B. The challenge of quality jobs: the need for better quality jobs is paramount, with 6.2% unemployment rates, these low levels mask a deeper issue of job quality. Reflecting stagnating living standards, labor earnings have only grown by 1% or less per year in most countries over the past decade, and some 19% of workers in the region are earning incomes below the poverty line. • Investing in foundational infrastructure critical to job creation , LAC needs to invest at least 3.1% of GDP in infrastructure investments per year, yet it only invests 2%, which is significantly lower than the world average of 5.4% of GDP. This underinvestment in physical infrastructure, including in key infrastructure sectors (including resilient transport, water, energy etc.) is holding back potential for better jobs. The region is supporting clients by supporting selective transformative infrastructure projects (e.g. urban mobility, regional transport and connectivity). On human infrastructure challenge, firms in the region continue to cite skills shortages (55% of firms in LAC vs 45% in MIC regions) as a key barrier to growth and job creation. A child born in LAC is expected to reach only 56 percent of their productive potential. Three out of four 15-year olds fail basic math proficiency and cannot read adequately the soft side involves supporting clients revamp their education and health sectors. The region is supporting clients to revamp their education and health care sectors. • The LAC region also needs to foster a predictable, business-enabling policy and regulatory environment. These include ensuring macro stability, eliminating restrictive business regulations in product and factor markets, and improving access to finance, especially long-term capital. Labor market regulations in LAC are noted to be on par with the most restrictive labor market regimes among OECD countries. Further, enforcement of competition policy needs to be supported due to high levels of market concentration in LAC markets: the 50 largest firms in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile have revenues greater than 30% of GDP. At 55% of GDP, domestic credit to the private sector remains much lower than EAP (178%). • Private capital needs to be appropriately incentivized to support the provision of public goods and investments in key sectors, especially those that have the highest potential to enable and/or create better quality jobs. However, at only 19.8% of GDP, gross capital formation remains lowest among all regions (EAP is at 38% and South Asia at 30%). Private capital mobilization in the region is being held back by shallow capital markets, lack of long-term finance, high cost of capital, regulatory and institutional barriers (including in PPP frameworks). Based on country contexts, the WBG will support investments in productive clusters (energy/mining, value added manufacturing, agribusiness, tourism, etc) across the public-private spectrum. The challenge of vulnerability to shocks. Building resilience of the countries to shocks, including natural disasters, through contingent financing and other innovative risk management platforms at country and regional levels is critical given the high exposure to climate–related disasters and natural hazards. The Central America and the Caribbean have recurrent hurricanes that have impacts on GDP significantly higher than the regional average of 1.7%. Several countries are experiencing deep, long droughts, increasingly intense storms, and floods that disrupt economic activities and affect livelihoods, with impacts on the most vulnerable populations. Procurement: The Latin America and Caribbean Region (LAC) Procurement Unit seeks to recruit a full-time Procurement Specialist (locally recruited). The position will be based in Kingston, Jamaica. The term of the respective contract is four (4) years, as per the Bank policy. The mission of the procurement unit in LAC is twofold: (i) to support and oversee procurement under Bank-financed operations carried out by Borrowers and implementing agencies across the region, and (ii) to engage in policy dialogue and capacity building to strengthen public procurement systems and promote value for money, efficiency, integrity, and fit-for-purpose procurement approaches. The ELCRU unit is highly decentralized with staff in all Country Management Units (CMUs) of the region. ELCRU staff is also present in Washington DC, with the front office of the Procurement Manager and most of the staff serving the Caribbean. With a total of 42 staff, the ELCRU unit supervises a portfolio of more than twenty (20) billion dollars, ranging from infrastructure to social projects. The procurement team works closely with clients and Bank teams to ensure that procurement under Bank-financed projects is carried out in accordance with the applicable legal agreements, procurement regulations, and fiduciary requirements. The team supports project preparation, implementation support, contract management, supervision, and institutional strengthening, while also advising on market approaches and procurement risk management. The Procurement Specialist will be full members of the ELCRU team and will provide services to the Latin American and Caribbean Region. The position will support the Caribbean Region and specifically the Jamaica portfolio. The Procurement Specialist will directly report to the Practice Manager for the LAC region, who delegates coordination responsibilities to the Procurement Coordinators, who are Senior Procurement Specialists, decentralized in the field. Scope of Work: • Manage procurement activities for assigned operations, providing technical and fiduciary support throughout the project cycle, while seeking guidance on complex or sensitive issues when required. • Apply appropriate procurement methods, market approaches, and risk-based strategies to both routine and complex procurement assignments. • Advise Borrowers on procurement strategy, market engagement, procurement planning, and contract packaging, including the use of fit-for-purpose and value-for-money considerations. • Support the preparation, update, and monitoring of procurement plans and related procurement documentation, including use of the Bank’s procurement systems and tools, as applicable. • Review and advise on the technical, commercial, and legal aspects of procurement at all stages of the project cycle, in coordination with relevant colleagues, including legal, governance, and technical specialists, as needed. • Provide operational advice to clients and Bank staff on procurement concepts, policies, procedures, and implementation arrangements for goods, works, non-consulting services, and consulting services. • Participate in implementation support and preparation missions, assess procurement implications of project design, evaluate Borrower institutional capacity, and contribute to the development of appropriate procurement arrangements and mitigation measures. • Contribute to analytical work, assessments, and policy dialogue related to public procurement systems, institutional capacity, and procurement reform. • Support the resolution of procurement issues, complaints, and implementation bottlenecks through timely advice and sound professional judgment, in accordance with applicable policies and procedures. • Design and deliver training, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building activities for Bank teams, Borrowers, and other stakeholders on procurement policies, procedures, and good practice. • Prepare a range of procurement-related documents and reports. • Build effective working relationships with clients, counterparts, and internal stakeholders, taking into account sector context, institutional arrangements, and country systems. • Provide guidance and training to STEP Focal Points in the Country Office, when needed. • Work implies frequent interaction with Managers and Technical Specialists in the work unit and staff from other agencies, donors, consultants, and borrowers.