Economics and Operational Research Intern - Bahamas Country Office

About this position

The COF/Offices Internship Program is a paid opportunity for university students from member countries to learn about development work and corporate management of the Bank, and to acquire work experience at the professional level through on-the-job learning.  

The Caribbean Country Department (CCB) of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Group is responsible for the promotion and development of country/regional strategies and programming. The Department supports the conceptualization, processing and negotiation of regional and country-specific projects and programs; leads and maintains the relations of the Bank with member countries; supports the implementation of country-specific and regional operations; promotes and coordinates the use of funds administered by the Bank; and helps to monitor the project-related fiduciary activities of Bank borrowers and beneficiaries.

You will work with the Bahamas Country Office (CBH), which is responsible for the promotion and development of Bank country strategies, programming, and execution of the different instruments (Loans, Grants, Technical Cooperations, among others) in The Bahamas, as well as knowledge and capacity- building work that will contribute to country dialogue and the country’s development goals.

CBH is looking for a dynamic student to contribute to the IDB’s economic work on The Bahamas, and general work of the country office, particularly with economic-operational research, database management and analysis, survey-based data management and analysis, as well as supporting administrative matters, as deemed necessary by the Country Representative.

The team will consist of the Country Economist and the intern (and others as required by specific projects). The consultant will also work closely with other CCB economists on research and cross-cutting projects, as well as other specialists from the country office.

What you’ll do

Data Collection Activities

• Interviews and Focus Groups
• Since one of the current projects involves qualitative data collection, the consultant will assist in conducting interviews and focus groups. This includes scheduling sessions, preparing interview guides, and taking notes during discussions.

Data Management

• Data Entry and Cleaning:Enter collected data into databases or spreadsheets accurately. The consultant will also clean the data by identifying and correcting errors or inconsistencies.
• Data Organization and Storage:Ensure that data is well organized and securely stored, including creating a logical file structure, labeling datasets appropriately, and backing up data to prevent loss.

Data Analysis Support

• Preliminary Data Analysis:Conduct preliminary data analysis, including generating descriptive statistics, visualizing data, and identifying patterns and trends.

Reporting and Documentation

• Drafting Reports:The consultant will contribute to drafting project reports and documentation, including summarizing findings, creating charts and graphs, and ensuring reports are well structured and coherent.
• Presentation Preparation:The consultant will assist in preparing presentation materials for stakeholders, including creating slides, developing handouts, and supporting presentation rehearsal.

Administrative and Logistical Support

• Meeting Coordination:The consultant will assist in coordinating meetings, including scheduling, sending invitations, and preparing agendas. They may also take meeting minutes, follow up on action items, and support other ad-hoc requests from the RPA team.
• Project Documentation: Ensure that all project documentation is up to date and well organized, including maintaining records of meetings, correspondence, and project deliverables.

What you'll need

• Education: Active undergraduate (Bachelor's) student with a background in economics, statistics, computer science, public administration, or a related field at an accredited university. Graduation date must not be prior to the last day of the internship.  
• Languages: Proficiency in English is required. A working knowledge of Spanish, one of the Bank’s additional official languages, is preferred.  
• Soft Skills: Result-driven, collaborative, innovative, client-oriented, strong communicator, self-motivated, eager to learn, with strong time management skills.  
• Key Skills: Learn continuously, collaborate and share knowledge, focus on clients, communicate and influence, innovate and try new things. 
• Technical skills: Research design and literature review, quantitative data analysis, data cleaning and management, process mapping, statistical reporting, clear written and oral communication, and technical documentation. 

Requirements

• Citizenship: You are a citizen or a legal resident of Bahamas  
• Active student: Enrolled in an undergraduate (bachelor’s) or graduate (master’s or Ph.D.) program as of the starting date of the internship program. The graduation date should be after the Internship period.
• Consanguinity: Not have family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB or IDB Invest. 
• First job at the IDB Group: Be a first-time participant in an Internship Program held by the Bank or Inter-American Investment Corporation (“Corporation” also known as “IDB Invest”). In addition, you have not been a former staff member, Complementary Workforce (“CW”), contractor for the Bank or the Corporation, or have previously provided services to the Bank or the Corporation through a contractor or under any other contractual modality. 

Notes

• Submit your resume, cover letter, academic transcripts (official or unofficial), and university letter certifying your student status when applying. 
• If you submit an unofficial academic transcript at the time of applying, you will be requested to present an official academic transcript if moving forward in the process. 
• Academic transcripts and university letters should be issued within the last three months.  
• For graduate students a minimum of 50% of coursework must be completed at the time of applying. 
• For undergraduate students a minimum of 50% of coursework must be completed at the time of applying
• Applications without the requested documentation will be disqualified.  
• Save each file in a PDF format with your name and subject.  
• DO NOT send copies of your degree certificates or other courses. 
• You must be able to work 40 hours weekly during the indicated dates. 

Type of contract and duration

• Type of contract: Consultant / Intern  
• Length of contract: 5.5 months 
• Dates of the contract: October 16, 2026 to April 1, 2027
• Location: Nassau, Bahamas