Description
The World Bank Group is one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries; a unique global partnership of five institutions dedicated to ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity. With 189 member countries and more than 120 offices worldwide, we work with public and private sector partners, investing in groundbreaking projects and using data, research, and technology to develop solutions to the most urgent global challenges. For more information, visit www.worldbank.org.
The Human Development (HD) Practice Group (PG)
The Human Development Vice Presidency (HDVP) at the World Bank Group includes the Global Practices of Education; Health, Nutrition, and Population; and Social Protection and Jobs; additionally, the HDVP houses the Gender group. As such, HD is central to the World Bank Group’s goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and raise shared prosperity.
Over the past few years the World Bank’s Human development sector has been delivering a scaled-up program with an active portfolio over $71.3B with engagements in 121 countries. New commitments in FY21 are expected to reach a total $21.2B by FY end. Human capital development, has taken a central role for the WBG, as a result of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.
Social Protection & Jobs Global Practice
Social protection systems help individuals and households, especially the poor and vulnerable, cope with crises and shocks, find jobs, improve productivity, invest in the health and education of their children; and also promote productive aging and protect aging populations. Social protection programs are at the heart of boosting human capital for the world’s most vulnerable. They empower people to be healthy, pursue their education and income generating opportunities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. For more information: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/socialprotection
Global Solutions Groups (GSGs) aim to promote the flow of knowledge across regions and countries for more effective country engagements and to contribute to the international dialogue. GSGs play a key role in identifying innovations that have potential as global public goods, support their implementation at scale, and promote cross-regional learning. GSGs also help coordinate engagements across regions, and respond to corporate requests and mandates. In SPJ they include: Social Assistance; Ageing and Pensions; Labor and Skills; and Delivery Systems.
The facilitation of each GSG is in the hands of a small team, complemented by an extended GSG team and Communities of Practice from the regions. GSG core staff are expected to allocate 50 percent of their time to provide cross-support to the regions, both in the form of short country engagement work – to brainstorm on innovations (particularly those with potential as global public goods), facilitate connections and cross-regional fertilization, peer review, provide targeted technical assistance and/or as core team member in country engagement tasks. The core GSG staff work closely together with the other GSGs to leverage synergies across topics.
The Ageing and Pensions GSG focuses on policies and programs to address the challenges and opportunities offered by the demographic transition. The longevity/ageing agenda aims to promote longer, healthier and more productive lives. As populations age due to increased life expectancy and decreased fertility rates, governments are faced with challenges such as preventing old age poverty through predictable income and adequate and sustainable pension systems, providing social and care support to the elderly, and ensuring adequate healthcare. The Global Lead coordinates the activities of the global Ageing and Pensions team on global knowledge products, and policy advice and operational support to regions; and establishes collaborations with other Global Leads within SPJ, as well with other Global Practices, to address intersectoral challenges.
Specifically, GL duties and accountabilities include:
Area 1: Strategic Leadership of the GSG
o Lead the GSG core team and the Bank-wide community on Ageing and Pensions
o Provide intellectual and technical leadership; define and lead key knowledge products to be developed by the GSG
o Position the World Bank within the global dialogue on Ageing and Pensions
o Develop annual business plans with the leadership team and broader GSG community
o Work with GSG and management to secure additional funding for knowledge work
o Build relationships with internal partners to promote effective collaboration across Global Practices and GSGs
o Build relationships with external stakeholders and players to forge partnerships, draw on external knowledge and expertise, and support resource mobilization
o Serve as an active member of the SPJ leadership team
Area 2: Community Building, Learning and Knowledge Sharing in the GSG
o Organize and coordinate work on corporate requirements and support to country teams, through briefing materials, PPTs, references to pertinent country experiences, data sets, literature reviews, cross-support, etc.
o Organize and lead the GSG community, identifying and bringing together affiliated staff, maintaining roster of expertise on core topic areas, leveraging skills and knowledge across the GP, convening GSG staff, and building knowledge bridges across countries and regions
o Provide substantive leadership for learning such as regular BBL seminars, core courses, Core Knowledge Exchanges and HD Week sessions related to GSG topics
o Mentor and support technical staff in deepening their expertise
o Convene training, clinics, and dissemination activities to ensure that best practices are widely known and discussed
Area 3: Lead, Guide, or Contribute to Specific Global Knowledge Activities
o Identify critical data and knowledge gaps and develop approaches to fill them
o Strengthen knowledge engagement throughout the GP
o Lead or contribute to activities and products related to the GSG areas
o Support development of cutting-edge knowledge in core topic areas
Area 4: Provide Advisory Support Country Engagements, Leveraging Synergies to Global Knowledge Agenda
o Provide timely advisory services on country engagement activities, including through cross-support
o Support quality enhancement for selected country engagement activities
o Serve as a peer reviewer and/or QER advisor on high-profile / high priority activities, and otherwise ensure that the technical peer review mechanism works effectively by maintaining roster of expertise on key topic areas and advising on choice of peer reviewers
o Convene expert panels to provide advice on complex operations, development challenges, and engagements
o Contribute on a more in-depth basis to selected country engagement activities as determined in periodic work planning exercises, ideally with synergies between the country and global activities.
Selection Criteria
In addition to the standard World Bank competencies with respect to knowledge, leadership, innovation and results, the following are characteristics we look for in the successful candidate:
• Deep technical knowledge in pensions and solutions to aging
• Passion for the work of the World Bank and the SPJ sector
• Excellent track record in leading analytical and project work in the topic of GSG
• Ability to make connections in substance and teams across topics, GSGs, sectors, organizations
• Enthusiasm for promoting technical space for knowledge exchange – and for promoting technical expertise of others as core focal points in the GSG
• Energy and enthusiasm for community building, learning, knowledge sharing, and mentoring
• Leadership through influence of ideas rather than the authority of position or budget
• Track record of leading large teams and delivering complex tasks
• Excellent communications skills in English – formal and informal, oral and written, for technical and lay audiences
• Fluency in other working languages of the World Bank is highly valued
• Background in a range of country contexts (regions, income levels, stability/fragility, shape of SPJ systems) is highly valued
World Bank Group Core Competencies
WBG Managerial Competencies
The World Bank Group offers comprehensive benefits, including a retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; and paid leave, including parental leave, as well as reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity and inclusive employer with a dedicated and committed workforce, and do not discriminate based on gender, gender identity, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability.
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