Arce has spent most of his working life as a public official beginning in 1987 at the Central Bank of Bolivia where he has spent a large part of his professional career. From 1992 to 2005, Arce worked in the International Operations Management of the Central Bank of Bolivia as Deputy Manager of Reserves. Between 1994 and 1995, he would be promoted to the position of head of the Department of Information and Publications, of the Research and Analysis Sub-management, under the Management of Economic Studies of the Central Bank of Bolivia.