Division Chief - Agriculture and Rural Development

Job Description

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Division Chief - Agriculture and Rural Development

City: Washington DC

Company: IDB

Posting End Date: 5/31/2026 11:59 PM EST

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

We are seeking a strategic, results-oriented, and experienced leader to serve as Chief of the Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD) Division of the Productivity, Trade, and Innovation (PTI) Sector. As Division Chief of ARD, you will lead the design and implementation of high-impact operations, knowledge products, and policy dialogue initiatives aimed at strengthening agricultural productivity, advancing rural development, promoting food security, and fostering climate-resilient and sustainable growth in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As ARD Division Chief, you will report directly to the Manager of the PTI Sector.

What you'll do

• Lead the design and execution of the Bank's operations and programs in the areas of agriculture; sustainable and resilient rural development; and food security, ensuring quality, innovation, and development impact, while also providing strategic direction and oversight to expand the Division's loan program and increase its volume.
• Lead ARD's knowledge agenda, ensuring the high-quality production and effective dissemination of analytical work to support operations, policy dialogue, and development impact.
• Provide technical leadership and lead high-level client engagement and policy dialogue with governments, private sector stakeholders, and development partners.
• Lead the preparation of thematic framework documents, analytical work, and knowledge products to guide the Bank's interventions in agriculture, sustainable and resilient rural development, and food security, and ensure alignment of ARD's portfolio with Country Strategies.
• Develop strategies, guidelines, operations, policy analyses, dialogues, and applied sectoral economic work.
• Lead, develop, and manage multidisciplinary and multicultural teams across Headquarters and Country Offices, fostering an inclusive and high-performance culture.
• Promote cross-sector collaboration across the IDB Group, including IDB Invest, IDB Lab and key PTI areas (Trade and Investment Division, Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division, and Private Sector, Synergies and Trade Unit) to enhance impact and coherence of interventions and strengthen strategic partnerships with public, private, and academic institutions to scale innovation and development impact.
• Provide technical support to PTI Sector Manager and the front office in key areas, including agriculture; sustainable and resilient rural development; and food security.
• Provide technical and operational leadership to foster synergies with the private sector-particularly with companies engaged in the Americas Business Dialogue, Connectamericas and other private sector mechanisms-through policy advocacy initiatives; as well as with the IDB's private sector to promote technical and operational synergies.
• Represent the Bank in relevant regional and international initiatives, public forums, conferences and seminars as speaker, panelist, and participant.

What you'll need

Education: Master's degree (required) or PhD in Agriculture, Economics, Rural Development, Public Policy or related fields.

Experience: At least 10 years of relevant international experience in agriculture, rural development or related sectors (preferably in LAC), including leadership roles.

Languages: Proficiency in English is required and proficiency in Spanish is highly desired. Additional knowledge of Portuguese and/or French is considered a plus.

Requirements

Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. We may offer assistance with relocation and visa applications.

Consanguinity: You have no family members working at the IDB Group.

Please note that for this position, the final candidates will be required to successfully pass a background check to the satisfaction of the IDB Group, as a pre-employment condition, which will be conducted by third parties.

Type of contract and duration

International staff contract, 36 months initially, renewable upon mutual agreement.

What we offer

• A competitive compensation package, including an annual base salary expressed on a net-of-tax basis.
• Leaves and vacations: 24 days of paid time off + 8 personal days + sick leave + gender-neutral parental leave.
• Health Insurance: IDB Group provides employees and eligible dependents with a robust medical benefits program that covers medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and prescription drugs.
• Pension plan: defined benefit pension plan that provides financial security and support employees in planning for their future.
• We offer assistance with relocation and visa applications for you and your family when it applies.
• On-site position with the occasional flexibility of teleworking.
• Health and well-being: Access to our Health Services Center that provides preventive care and health education for employees.
• Development support: We offer tools to boost your professional profile, such as mentoring, 1:1 professional counseling, training and learning opportunities, language classes, mobility options, among others.
• Other perks (country specific): Lactation Room, Daycare Center, Gym, Bike Racks, Parking, spouse career support, and others.

Our culture

At the IDB, we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work while finding their purpose. Our people consistently strive for excellence, and we recognize and celebrate the impact of their contributions.

In our efforts to drive innovation, we intentionally include all voices, cultivate a sense of belonging and champion fairness. We welcome individuals from underrepresented groups to join us and share their unique perspectives.

We ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job interview process. If you require an accommodation to complete this application, please email us at accommodations@iadb.org.

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