Economist, Social-Economic Impact (Based in Beijing, China)

Job Description

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank whose mission is financing Infrastructure for Tomorrow in Asia and beyond—infrastructure with sustainability at its core. We began operations in Beijing in 2016 and have since grown to 110 approved members worldwide. We are capitalized at USD100 billion and AAA-rated by the major international credit rating agencies. Collaborating with partners, AIIB meets clients’ needs by unlocking new capital and investing in infrastructure that is green, technology-enabled and promotes regional connectivity.

The Economics Department of AIIB has three key responsibilities: (a) strengthening the development of projects and policy-based lending in the Bank, (b) developing the Bank’s thought leadership on infrastructure and development finance, and (c) building the Bank’s external practice ecosystem to complement internal capacity to support the Bank’s operations. The department leads the Bank’s economic analysis, providing thought leadership through its annual flagship publication, Asian Infrastructure Finance, and a broad range of applied research.

The Economics Department is looking to hire an Economist (Social Impact) to support AIIB’s operations and thought leadership on socioeconomic issues. The Economist will focus on various aspects of social and inclusive development, including health, poverty, inequality, labor markets, social protection, and gender. Successful candidates will conduct research on the social and inclusive-development aspects of infrastructure development and integrate these dimensions into the operational work of the AIIB, including both project lending and policy-based finance.

• Work closely with other departments in the Bank to integrate social and inclusive dimensions as well as their intersection with climate change and nature into project design and reform matrices supporting policy-based lending operations.
• Conduct economic analysis on health, poverty, inequality, labor markets, social protection, and gender in order to provide inputs about the appraisal, monitoring, and impact assessment of Bank-financed projects and policy loans.
• Collaborate with other departments to further AIIB’s gender and economic inclusion agenda, both upstream and downstream.
• Support the Economics Department to advance research and thought leadership on socioeconomic issues and their intersection with climate change and nature, including through flagship reports, policy briefs, and technical reports.
• Support the Head of Ecosystem on outreach, events, stakeholder engagements, and ad-hoc matters to build up the external research ecosystem.
• Support the Chief Economist on D&I matters, economic inclusion, and gender economics. This includes research work as well as stakeholder engagements.
• Represent the Bank in technical discussions and policy forums related to health, poverty, inequality, labor markets, social protection, and gender.

• Advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in economics, development economics, public policy, or other related degrees, with a focus on social development, poverty analysis, health economics, or social protection economics.
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience in large international organizations, universities, research institutions, think-tanks, consultancy, or financial institutions.
• Expertise and experience in development economics or relevant disciplines (e.g., health economics, inclusion economics, sustainable development). Experience in the design and implementation of project-level socioeconomic assessments, cost benefit analysis, and related work. An academic research record in development economics or policy-relevant publications would be a plus.
• Proven application and track record of professional expertise in publications, policy analysis, or contributions to development operations and economic analysis of the social aspects of development and/or infrastructure programs and projects, including in sectors such as energy, transport, water, health, climate mitigation and adaptation, and urban development.
• Knowledge of social and economic challenges in developing and emerging economies.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a proven track record of working independently and in a team setting and to adapt and work under tight deadlines and in a multicultural environment.

AIIB is committed to diversity, transparency, and inclusion. We believe our strength comes from having a team with the right diverse skills, experiences, and abilities selected through a merit-based competitive process. We actively encourage applications from people from both within and outside AIIB members, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, race, disability, or sexual orientation.

Join AIIB’s mission to promote sustainable infrastructure investments and to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia and beyond.

Previous experience and qualifications will determine the grade and job title at which successful applicants will enter AIIB.

About the Organization

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is a multilateral development bank whose mission is Financing Infrastructure for Tomorrow in Asia and beyond—infrastructure with sustainability at its core. We began operations in Beijing in 2016 and have since grown to 110 approved members worldwide. We are capitalized at USD100 billion and AAA-rated by the major international credit rating agencies. Collaborating with partners, AIIB meets clients’ needs by unlocking new capital and investing in infrastructure that is green, technology-enabled and promotes regional connectivity.