Short-term Assignments for Specialized Experts
We work with countries to strengthen their economic institutions by providing technical assistance and training (TA) to local officials and experts on critical economic issues. This helps countries strengthen their economy and create jobs. Expert advice is delivered in-country and at our Washington, HQ in conjunction with our network of regional capacity development centers and through in-person and online courses.
To help deliver on our capacity development work, we draw on a roster of experienced senior professionals from around the world to undertake short-term assignments in member countries to provide subject matter expertise. In these roles, you will be able to make a direct impact on the economic well-being of our member countries as well as help them design and implement policies that will reduce their vulnerabilities to economic threats and contribute to a more robust and stable global economy.
What Would I Do
IMF short-term TA assignments usually involve participation in Headquarters-led diagnostic missions of one to two weeks, or standalone assignments of up to one month. The missions are designed to provide hands-on advisory assistance to local authorities. Occasionally, experts are sought for longer-term assignments in a country. The following departments recruit Short term Experts (To learn more about the detailed expertise needed and application instructions, click on the department title to navigate to the relevant section on this page.)
The Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD) provides TA in fiscal policy and management including:
The Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM) provides TA in central banking and financial system stability including:
The Legal Department (LEG) provides TA in:
The Statistics Department (STA) provides TA in compilation, management dissemination and improvement of statistical data
The Institute for Capacity Development (ICD) provides training that builds capacity in the following areas essential to effective macroeconomic management:
Some courses have an economy-wide focus, others address areas of macroeconomic management, such as public finances, monetary and exchange rate policy, and the financial sector, with the consideration of issues in these topic areas set in their broader macroeconomic context. The course catalog can be found at https://0-www-imf-org.library.svsu.edu/external/np/ins/english/training.htm
Who Should Apply
For inclusion on the IMF expert rosters, you should have extensive relevant operational and/or policy-making experience, usually in senior government positions or academia. In some instances, a mix of public and private sector expertise could be beneficial.
- International exposure and familiarity with “best international practices” are key assets. Experts should have good analytical skills, well-developed oral and written communication, and fluency in English.
- The ability to conduct technical discussions and to write reports in English to a high standard and under tight deadlines is essential.
- Additional language skills frequently needed are: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, and Russian.
- Experts must have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to:
- Work as part of a team
- Maintain effective and cooperative relations with national authorities
- Establish and maintain relations with other TA providers and donors
- Handle sensitive issues with discretion in a multicultural environment
Experts who are full-time civil servants must be released by their authorities for the full duration of a mission (the normal mission duration is about 2 weeks in a given country) and be provided with adequate time to prepare for the mission and to travel to/from the mission site.
Advance notice of the IMF’s need for a specific expert participation in a TA mission will generally be approximately 6 to 8 weeks, although circumstances will on occasion require shorter or longer lead times. Stand-alone short-term expert assignments are normally 2 to 4 weeks and generally require more than one visit to the country.
How to Apply
Experienced professionals with the prerequisite senior level skills in one of the above areas are invited to email their CV to the relevant department (see details below). We will review your CV against the general qualifications and subject expertise criteria needed for inclusion on the IMF experts roster. If included on an IMF expert roster, you will be contacted to discuss interest and availability, if a suitable assignment arises matching your skills and expertise.
To learn more about the detailed expertise needed to participate in delivering TA, please contact the specific department you are qualified for by clicking on the following links:
Experts needed by the Fiscal Affairs Department
Experts needed by the Institute for Capacity Development (ICD)
Experts needed by the Legal Department
Experts needed by the Monetary and Capital Markets Department
Experts needed by the Statistics Department
Fiscal Affairs Department (FAD)
If you have expertise in the following areas, you are invited to send your CV to FADEXPERTS@imf.org
Expenditure policy
Specific expertise is required in one or more of the following areas:
Public financial management
At least ten years of practical experience in a senior line or advisory position within a ministry of finance, or a related budgetary institution, international consultancy and/or academia, and relevant experience in design and implementation of PFM reforms in one or more of the following PFM fields:
Tax policy
Extensive experience in senior positions in the ministry responsible for tax policy analysis or formulation (typically the Ministry of Finance) of the member country, or a comparable advisory position; or research and teaching experience in tax policy from a reputable academic institution and/or consulting work against a background of exposure to policy issues. Experts should also have:
- ○ Natural resource taxation with a knowledge of commercial arrangements in the resource industries
- ○ Corporate taxation (including, for example, experience in: the use of tax incentives for investment, alternative corporate tax systems, international taxation)
- ○ Personal income taxation (including, for example, recent developments in the use of flat taxes and dual income taxation, taxation of small businesses)
- ○ Value-added taxes (including, for example, best international practices in designing the VAT, the use of VATs at multiple levels of government, VAT treatment of small businesses)
- ○ Real property taxes and their design
- ○ Natural resource taxation (covering the design of fiscal regimes for petroleum and minerals, encompassing all royalties, taxation, production sharing, state participation, and pricing mechanisms)
- ○ Tariff policy and customs unions
- ○ Revenue forecasting techniques and practice
- ○ Taxation of the financial sector
- ○ Tax issues typically arising in developing countries
Revenue administration
Extensive experience in senior positions in the headquarters office of the tax and/or customs department of your country is required. Exposure to tax systems outside the expert’s home country is a highly-valued asset. Experience in managing major reform and modernization projects, as well as a sound understanding of tax and customs policies and procedures is also a requirement. Specialized expertise in one or more of the following tax administration areas would be desirable:
Candidates should be familiar with best international practices in tax and/or customs administration and be able to provide guidance on the legislative aspects of revenue administration as well as on strategic planning, organizational, and management issues. A good understanding of the effective use of information technology in modern tax and customs administrations is also important, although it is not expected that FAD’s revenue administration experts will also be IT experts.
Institute for Capacity Development (ICD)
If you have expertise in the following areas, you are invited to send your CV to ICDEXPERTS@imf.org. Please explicitly address qualifications that are related to each of the bullet points below.
ICD is interested in identifying experts with strong credentials in macroeconomic analysis and policy making: both in theory and in practice. Most courses require broad-based skills in these areas, but there is also a need for specialists, especially in finance, and monetary and exchange rate policy, who can address issues within the broader macroeconomic context.
Courses are usually delivered at one of the ICD’s seven regional training centers, but experts are also hired to deliver courses at other locations. Assignments typically involve two weeks full-time engagement at the course site, plus preparation prior to the course (which can typically be done in the expert’s country of residence). Because of the need to keep up with the continually evolving ICD curriculum, experts must be available for at least two assignments per year. The course catalog identifies which courses are taught by the ICD.
Experts engaged in delivering ICD training courses must have:
Additional skills needed for certain courses include:
Legal Department (LEG)
If you have expertise in the following areas, you are invited to send your CV to LEGEXPERTS@imf.org.
LEG is interested in identifying experts with five or more years of experience in the areas of:
Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT)
Experts should have extensive experience gained in:
Your professional qualification can be in law, business, international relations, economics or financial affairs. Specialized expertise in one or more of the following AML/CFT practice areas is desirable:
Banking law
Experts should have a university law degree in the private, public, or academic sectors and extensive professional legal experience with providing legal advice and drafted legal instruments in the consideration of international standards and best practices and advising on these matters from a public policy perspective in the following areas:
Experts should also be adept at engaging with high-level officials and organizing training and seminars for judges, government lawyers, officials of central banks and financial supervisors.
Multi-lingual proficiency as well as knowledge of IMF-supported programs and initiatives such as Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) and Financial Sector Assessment Programs (FSAP) are also highly desirable.
Fiscal and tax law
For the fiscal area, experts should have substantial experience with budget law or public debt law. For tax law, experts typically have:
Insolvency law
Experts should have:
Foreign exchange law
Experts engaged by LEG to provide advice in the area of foreign exchange legislation should have substantive experience, preferably of more than 10 years, in the design and drafting of foreign exchange laws and regulations. In particular, these experts should have developed such expertise through their holding of senior positions (e.g., senior legal counsels/advisors) at the legal departments of their national/regional central banks or monetary authorities, where they have directly worked in the design and drafting of such type of legislation, or, through their tenure as members of academia or professors of public international law with expertise in monetary-central banking and foreign exchange systems laws.
Monetary and Capital Markets Department (MCM)
If you have expertise in the following areas, you are invited to send your CV to MCMEXPERTS@imf.org.
MCM hires experts in the areas of:
Experts need to have significant current or recent experience with a national central bank, regulatory agency, ministry of finance, debt management office, or sovereign wealth fund. MCM is currently seeking to add experts only in a few specific areas as the pool of financial sector experts on the roster is currently quite large and deep.
Monetary and foreign exchange policies and operations
Experts must have extensive experience with one or more of the core area of central bank policy or operations, including:
Financial markets, instruments, and infrastructure
Experts must have extensive experience with the development or regulation of money, securities, and foreign exchange markets from the perspective of a central bank, ministry of finance, or market regulator. Ideally, experts will have experience with these issues in different countries at different levels of financial market development and sequencing of market development.
Financial system regulation and supervision
Experts should have extensive experience in a supervisory agency with off-site and/or on-site supervision, in one of the following core areas:
Public asset and liability management
Experts must have extensive experience with one or more of the core areas of public asset and liability management:
Experts are likely to have worked at senior levels within a ministry of finance, central bank, debt management office, or sovereign wealth fund. In some instances, a combination of public sector experience and previous experience in the private sector debt capital markets would be particularly advantageous, however, experts would not be recruited while still in full-time employment in the private sector.
Systemic issues and crisis management
Experts should have substantial practical experience in a senior line or advisory position within a central bank or regulatory agency putting in place infrastructure to help avoid or minimize the impact of financial systems crises. This could include the design of deposit insurance schemes and contingency plans. In addition, MCM looks for experts with extensive experience in resolving real-world crises, including through financial institution restructuring and resolution.
Statistics Department (STA)
If you have expertise in the following areas, you are invited to send your CV to STAEXPRecruitment@imf.org.
STA is interested in identifying experts in the following areas of balance of payments statistics:
Balance of Payments Statistics
Experts should have extensive experience in the compilation and dissemination of balance of payments and international investment position statistics. Candidates should be familiar with surveys and other methods of data collection. Expertise in the compilation of foreign direct investment statistics, external debt, reserves, and remittances is highly-valued. Experts should have good knowledge of the international methodological standards, such as the fifth and sixth editions of the Balance of Payments Manual .
Government Finance Statistics
Experts should have:
Monetary and Financial Statistics
Experts must have:
- ○ Monetary and financial statistics and/or
- ○ Financial soundness indicators
- ○ Macroeconomic and monetary policies
- ○ Use of monetary data
- ○ Prudential and supervisory principles of the financial system
- ○ Accounting rules
National Accounts Statistics
Experts should have:
Price Statistics
Experts should have extensive experience in:
Data Dissemination
Experts must have: