Description

Do you want to build a career that is truly worthwhile? 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 http://www.worldbank.org.

Background & General Description

The Governance Global Practice (GGP) brings together professionals in procurement, financial management, taxation, regulatory policy, transparency, digital governance, law and development, anticorruption and social accountability to develop innovative, integrated solutions to pernicious institutional problems. The GGP utilizes a problem-driven diagnostic approach, combining global comparative knowledge of reform successes and failures with keen understanding of the institutional challenges and opportunities of developing countries. The GGP engages on core and cross-cutting themes including Public Financial Management; Subnational/decentralization; State Owned Enterprises/Corporate Governance; Tax Administration; Fiduciary Assurance; Public Administration Reform; Justice and Rule of Law, GovTech, Anticorruption, Coalition Building for Reforms.

Public Administration Global Unit

The Public Administration Global Unit of the Governance Global Practice focuses on helping countries build capable, effective, accountable, transparent and inclusive institutions that deliver citizen-centric services, facilitate private-sector growth and build trust in Government. The Global Unit provides knowledge on the following five thematic areas: public administration reform, justice and rule of law, GovTech, anticorruption, and coalition building for reforms. Each of these areas is organized as a global program led by a Program Manager. All five programs have four key functions: knowledge and innovation; data and analytics; operational work; and convening and partnerships.

1.The Global Public Administration Reform Program focuses on the delivery of services, the provision of infrastructure, and the effectiveness of regulations. Public administrations have an impact on fiscal sustainability and the competitiveness of the overall labor market given that the public sector is a large employer. Public administration reform entails: (i) Improving the government policymaking process through better coordination institutions and the development of a whole-of-government approach; (ii) Increasing the capacity of the government’s internal machinery of organizations and personnel through reforms of government structures and systems for designing and implementing policies; and improving leadership and peronnel management practices that influence the ability, motivation, and accountability of public sector workers; and (iii) Ensuring that public sector employment and compensation incentivize performance, are fiscally sustainable and do not distort the overall labor market. 

2.The Justice and Rule of Law Program works on using justice institutions in achieving the WBG’s twin goals to end poverty and promote shared prosperity. When justice institutions operate effectively, accountability increases, trust in the government grows, and citizens and businesses can invest with confidence that their rights will be protected. Justice underpins the political process by protecting individuals’ rights, facilitating collective action, and enabling credible commitment. Justice reform entails strengthening justice institutions, including by reforming the legal framework, reengineering processes to improve workflow efficiency, improving case management, and strengthening human resources; and building capacity. It also includes promoting legal empowerment, including by strengthening legal aid systems, establishing advisory and mediation services and conducting legal literacy campaigns. 

3.The GovTech Global Program convenes key stakeholders to promote the use of foundational and frontier digital technologies with the goal of transforming the way governments operate, deliver services and interact with citizens. Using a whole-of-government approach to digitization, GovTech puts people at the center by promoting simple, accessible and efficient government. The GovTech Global Program focuses on three mutually reinforcing categories of activities: (i) Analytical work to develop a catalogue of successful use cases of disruptive technologies to expand knowledge on impacts, failures, and opportunities (ii) Global public goods development to support knowledge exchange, proof of concepts and prototypes to meet specific development challenges (iii) Regional and country engagements focusing on the upstream advisory and financing of GovTech investments.

4.The Anticorruption Program covers a wide range of anticorruption and integrity activities in supporting client countries in strenthening their capacity on reducing vulnerabilities, enhancing detection, and reinforcing deterrants. Special attention is given to four anticorruption thematic areas: public procurement, accountability institutions, illicit financial flows and beneficiary ownership transparency, and the use of technology. The Program also includes the recently launched Anticorruption for Development Global Partnership, including over 50 organizations from civil society, academia, Government, the private sector, and other international development organizations. 

5.The Coalitions for Reforms (C4R) Program promotes and supports the use of political economy tools and collective action approaches, such as leadership development, coalition building, and strategic communications,  to support reforms and programs of client governments, the World Bank, and their partners. The C4R program aims to build a global partnership of experts and stakeholders, both within and outside the World Bank, that can provide practical, analytical or financial support to this agenda. A goal of the C4R program is to be a hub to consolidate knowledge, collect and archive data, and foster innovation to leverage the role of coalitions and collective action to effectively and sustainably enact the reforms necessary to achieve the World Bank’s twin goals.

The Public Administration Unit houses the 2022 launched Governance and Institutions Umbrella Program (G&I) Multi-Donor Trust Fund. The G&I focuses on supporting World Bank client countries to improve public sector performance and institutional reform, increase the application of digital and technology solutions in the public sector, and enhance transparency and accountability. 

The Unit also houses the GovTech Global Partnership (GTGP) Multi-Donor Trust Fund which is being phased out. The GTGP supports countries in adopting digital solutions for Government services, citizen engagement and Government core operations, among other through effective knowledge sharing and convening, capacity building, tools, global public goods and other. 

Region & Country Context: This is a position with the global unit.

Duties and Accountabilities:

The main duties of the Consultant will be to lead the positioning and the engagement of the Public Administration Unit vis-à-vis partners, donors and other stakeholders through the organization of high-profile global events and other activities.
In particular, the Consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Organize two Global Forums in FY24 and two Global Forums in FY25.
• Support each Program in organizing a number of working groups with relevant partners.
• Lead the establishment of new partnerships with international organizations and donors.
• Help position the programs vis-à-vis the World Bank’s operational counterparts.
• Prepare presentations and other materials for the programs and events, to be used in internal meetings (with regional colleagues) and externally.
• Help manage the relationship with donors, including regular reporting on activities and results.
• Design plans for leveraging the knowledge produced by the Unit, including reports, briefs, etc.
• Help craft an overarching narrative for the unit as well as individual narratives for each program.
• Assist with outreach and communications activities. 
• Develop a framework to capture results and turn them into stories to illustrate our work in action.

Selection Criteria

• A Master’s degree in Public Affairs, International Development, Political Science, Economics, International Relations, or a related field.  
• A minimum of least 8 years of relevant experience, preferably within World Bank units.  
• Experience in designing and delivering high-profile global events.
• Knowledge or professional experience working on governance. 
• Ability to think strategically, connect the dots easily across a range of topics to develop a broader coherent approach. 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English, including the ability to prepare publishable quality reports.
• Successful track record in leading projects, from the design to the implementation phase.
• Ability to negotiate with internal or external clients on sensitive and delicate issues.
• Strong organization skills. 
• Being a self-starter and having the ability to work in teams and to lead when necessary. 

World Bank Group Core Competencies

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Note: The selected candidate will be offered a one-year appointment, renewable at the discretion of the World Bank Group, and subject to a lifetime maximum ET appointment of three years. If an ET appointment ends before a full year, it is considered as a full year toward the lifetime maximum. Former and current ET staff who have completed all or any portion of their third-year ET appointment are not eligible for future ET appointments.