Back Communications Officer, Knowledge Hub

Communications Officer, Knowledge Hub Job #: req33129 Organization: World Bank Sector: Communications Grade: GF Term Duration: 3 years Recruitment Type: Local Recruitment Location: Riyadh,Saudi Arabia Required Language(s): English, Arabic Preferred Language(s): Closing Date: 5/26/2025 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

 Description

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is undergoing a transformation in its economy and society towards the achievement of its Vision 2030, a long-term plan to expand the economy and reduce its dependency on oil revenues. Key pillars of Vision 2030 include diversifying the economy, enhancing the private sector role, investing in strategic sectors such as tourism and entertainment, empowering Saudi youth, and fostering innovation and technological advancement. At the same time, the World Bank Group (WBG) is reigniting its role as a Knowledge Bank by renewing and strengthening its global knowledge role in view of the ongoing data and technological revolution. In its reinvented role, the World Bank Group strives to take knowledge to a new level and place it front and center, with the emphasis on ending poverty on a livable planet.

In December 2024, the World Bank Group and the Government of KSA signed a partnership agreement to establish a WBG-Saudi Arabia Knowledge Hub (K-Hub). The K-Hub will act as a platform to facilitate the generation, dissemination and exchange of specialized knowledge and good economic practices.  It will act as a vehicle through which KSA can share its experience in areas of expertise within the neighboring regions and more globally, while also benefitting from the experience of other countries in areas of strategic relevance. The aim is to offer centralized access to information in focus themes, transferring countries’ successful reforms, fostering innovative ideas, supporting evidence-based policymaking, and improving the effectiveness of development efforts across areas of focus. It will also provide a centralized effort for capacity building in key technical skills. serving as a platform for knowledge generation and exchange.  The WBG has established similar hubs in many countries, for example in Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea, among others. The WBG-Saudi Arabia K-Hub has a global outreach, with focus on particular regions depending on the country’s priorities. Regions of particular interest in the initial phases of its establishment are the MENA region and Africa. The Steering Committee, which is set to meet regularly, will determine and review priorities.

The K-Hub is a WBG initiative, led by IBRD and building on its expertise in establishing similar platforms, with endorsement and participation from the International Financial Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA). As such, it builds on the institution’s global positioning to ensure visibility of KSA's success areas, and benefit from other countries' experience to inform and inspire KSA’s transformational journey.The K-Hub will start with an initial focus on two overarching themes, Competitiveness and Diversification, which will have a range of more focused sub-themes, agreed upon with the Saudi counterparts. As seen in other WBG hubs, these can naturally expand over time to include other relevant themes, or even other pillars. The following four sub-themes have been selected for the first phase of the knowledge hub program: (i) Business Environment Reforms; (ii) Innovation Policy and Quality Infrastructure; (iii) Productivity Growth and Firm Capabilities; (iv) Exports Diversification, Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation; (v) Cross Cutting Theme: Data Modernization (Quality, Availability/Access). Communication Officer for the K-Hub 
The World Bank is seeking a dynamic communications professional to take on a wide range of communication activities in support of the K-Hub work in Saudi Arabic.   The Communication Officer will be part of the K hub team, reporting to the Division Director, with an indirect report to the External Affairs Manager for the region, working in close collaboration and coordination with staff in the wider regional external affairs department and in alignment with regional and corporate communication strategies.  The Communication Officer should be skilled across a range of communication functionals with abilities to work across projects and teams in a multicultural and multinational working environment.

Duties and Accountabilities

Selection Criteria

This position reports to the K-Hub manager, with indirect report to the Manager of External Affairs for the region.  The ideal candidate should have:
Education/Experience: • Master’s degree with 5 years of experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience in a relevant field, for example, journalism, media communication, development, political affairs or business. Strategic communications: • Experience in strategic communication planning and branding, especially in a global or multicultural context.• Proven track record with media relations, preparing spokespeople for media engagement, managing reputational risks and issues, and messaging.• Strong teamwork, flexibility, and adaptability, and ability to successfully navigate complex issues and challenges.• Ability to think strategically and coordinate with high-level stakeholders such as public officials, civil society leaders, and senior management.• Understanding of the Saudi Arabia context, its Vision 2030 and the country’s transformation plan. 
Writing and editing: • Exceptional writing and editing skills, drafting complex communications products in accessible ways for a range of audiences. • Experience of working with technical subject matter and an ability to produce outputs that can be understood by a general but knowledgeable audience. Websites & social media: • Experience managing online and social media presence. • Have advanced proficiency in Microsoft Windows applications, including Excel, Word, and Power Point, and the World Bank's standard technology packages.• Have demonstrated ability to learn and adopt new technology quickly and use it effectively.• Knowledge of CMS tools would be an advantage.• Experience of graphic design and branding would be a strong advantage.  Events:  • Experience in event management, including preparation of materials, pre-event promotion, and post-event knowledge sharing.  Institutional experience:  • Familiarity with World Bank operations and knowledge of similar international organizations is a strong advantage. Experience working with governments on development projects/programs is an advantage.