Group Chief Economist

The Group Chief Economist leads the Economics Department at the EIB Group, providing economic vision and analysis to guide the Group's strategic direction. This senior leadership role involves advising senior management, representing the Group externally, and leading a team of economists to support the EIB's investment policies and EU objectives.

Responsibilities

• Define and steer the EIB Group’s economic work programme, ensuring relevance to business priorities and EU policy objectives.
• Provide authoritative economic analysis on investments by the EIB Group.
• Ensure consistent, high-quality economic inputs into EIB Group strategic documents, flagship products and operational priorities.
• Serve as a trusted adviser to senior management on economic developments, investment, policy priorities and implications for EIB Group activity.
• Provide analysis and briefings for senior leadership, including for high-level meetings and key decision points.
• Embed economic analysis into strategic choices, in close collaboration with Group Strategy and the Permanent Representation of the EIB Group to the EU in Brussels.
• Act as the EIB Group’s lead expert economic spokesperson, representing the EIB Group at conferences, policy dialogues, and high-level events.
• Develop and maintain a strong network with European institutions, the financial sector, think tanks, academia, International and multilateral institutions and relevant policy fora.
• Contribute to shaping EU policy debates with rigorous analysis and practical evidence, from the perspective of the EIB Group.
• Lead and develop a high-performing, diverse team of economists and other experts, fostering excellence, collaboration and professional growth.
• Promote a culture of impact, linking analytical work to operational relevance, strategic influence and communication effectiveness.
• Manage resources responsibly and ensure efficient delivery.
• Be a team player, keen to work across different functional areas, actively fostering cross fertilization and avoiding silo approaches.

Requirements

• University degree (minimum an equivalent to a Master and ideally a PHD) preferably in economics or equivalent
• Minimum 15 years of relevant professional experience, including leading economic departments in a government, international institution, multilateral development bank, public or private bank or investment company, research institute, or equivalent environment with ideally 10 years of managerial experience.
• Be a recognized thought leader with intellectual leadership, evidenced by a strong publication record and proven record of delivering policy-relevant analytical work with demonstrable impact on strategy, operations, or policy debates.
• Demonstrated experience in managing and coaching staff, ideally in multicultural environments or international organisations (e.g. contribution to: determining team resources and skills; establishing objectives; assessing performance; delegating and supervising tasks; guiding, motivating, coaching and providing feedback).
• Ability to reinforce the EIB Group analytical and publication framework, including strong leadership in change management and development of the function across institutional boundaries.
• Strong understanding of the EU policy ecosystem and the investment policy agenda; familiarity with investment banking is an advantage.
• Ability to communicate in a clear, impactful and inspiring manner as the face of the EIB Group on the European and global economic scene, and established credibility in external engagement, including with senior policymakers and stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across the EIB group with multiple stakeholders (e.g., the EIB and EIF Boards, Management Committee, other departments and directorates), building internal relationships to align the activities of the Economics Department with the EIB Group strategic objectives and fostering cooperative and efficient decision-making
• Outstanding leadership skills and demonstrated ability to think strategically, translate priorities into effective plans, champion innovation and change, and build/strengthen institutional capacity.
• Strong track record in organizing, delegating, and managing staff, complemented by excellent interpersonal, negotiating, influencing, and communication skills.

Skills

• Economic Analysis
• Policy Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Team Leadership
• Staff Management
• Change Management
• Publication Framework Development
• Intellectual Leadership
• Stakeholder Engagement
• EU Policy Knowledge
• Investment Policy
• Multicultural Team Leadership
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Negotiation Skills
• Influencing Skills
• Communications Skills
• Research and Publication
• Economic Vision Development

Languages

English