Chief Counsel, Legal Advisory Services & Knowledge

Job #:
req38125

Organization:
World Bank Group

Sector:
Legal

Grade:
GH

Term Duration:
4 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
9/1/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

VPU Position Context

The World Bank Group (WBG) is one of the world's largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries. It uses financial resources and extensive experience to help our client countries to reduce poverty, increase economic growth, and improve quality of life. To ensure that countries can access the best global expertise and help generate cutting-edge knowledge, the WBG is constantly seeking to improve the way it works. Key priorities include delivering measurable results, promoting openness and transparency in development, and improving access to development information and data. In the context of the WBG's broad development agenda, the Legal Vice Presidency (LEG), under the Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel (SVP-GC), is responsible for providing legal advice and support to internal and external WBG clients on operational, advisory, financial, administration and institutional matters.

By virtue of this unique role, LEG acquires an exceptionally broad range of skills, knowledge and perspectives that enable it to bring technical capacity, ideas and solutions to the development and implementation of initiatives that advance the WBG's mission. In addition, LEG acquires and develops an enormous amount of knowledge and experience that is integrated into the WBG's pursuit of its mission. Effective and sustainable development is inextricably linked to the rule of law and strong public institutions that comprise a "legal ecosystem" of policies, laws, rules and regulations that are applied fairly, efficiently, consistently, transparently, ethically and with accountability.

Position: Chief Counsel, LEGLA

Chief Counsel - Legal Advisory Services & Knowledge. The Chief Counsel oversees and manages the Legal Advisory & Knowledge unit (LEGLA) and its staff. Launched in mid-2025, LEGLA delivers specialized legal advisory, knowledge and capacity-building products and services to member governments, agencies and institutions of law; private sector entities; bilateral, multilateral national and multinational organizations; civil society, academia, policy-makers and other stakeholders. The products and services of LEGLA cover a wide range of law and regulatory issues and reforms aimed at advancing the mission and strategic priorities of the WBG. LELGA's work is determined, organized and conducted in coordination with the Knowledge Bank, the Verticals (People, Prosperity, Planet, Infrastructure, Digital and related Cross-Cutting areas), and the Regions/CMUs. LEGLA is also the focal point for the WBG's Global Forum for Law, Justice and Development.

The Chief Counsel reports directly to the WBG SVP-GC and serves as core member of the LEG Management Team and the Groupwide legal management team, comprising legal management of the World Bank, IFC and MIGA Legal (Group Legal Management).

Responsibilities and Accountabilities

The Chief Counsel's duties and accountabilities include the following:

Strategic Planning and Coordination
• In coordination with the Knowledge Bank, the Operations units of WBG (including the Regions/CMUs) and the legal units across the Group Legal functions of the WBG, develop and keep updated a strategy and an implementation plan for LEGLA's work, pipeline and priorities; produce and maintain systems for selecting initiatives and work; and for ensuring that every LEGLA initiative is informed and structured with well-defined, data-driven, evidence-based and measurable outcomes or results.
• Ensure that every LEGLA initiative and every working team responsible for that initiative adheres to defined processes, creates as well as maintains a workplan for that initiative, and tracks and reports on the same.
• Continuously consult and coordinate with Mangers and staff across the World Bank Group Legal Functions on the production and dissemination of legal knowledge, advisory and capacity-building initiatives in order to support such initiatives, whether or not they are run or managed by LEGLA.
• In coordination with LEG's WFP liaison as well as LEG's overall budgeting efforts, develop, plan and implement a practical and efficient funding strategy to support the work of LEGLA and its initiatives.
• Manage and support LEGLA staff in their work, the cultivation of their careers, and support staff's professional growth and development;
• Promote and enhance the WBG's visibility - and LEGLA's participation - in relevant international forums to proactively contribute to shaping the normative landscape relevant to WBG's mission, strategics and operations, including the WBG's Knowledge Agenda.
• Conceive, consult and help implement forums and events in furtherance of LEGLA's and LEG's objectives, including the Law, Justice and Development (LJD) series of conferences and forums, and convene appropriate groups of officials, judges, academics and development partners in furtherance of the WBG's Knowledge Agenda and the work of LEGLA.

Oversight and Quality Assurance
• Oversee each initiative under LEGLA and ensure that its design, approval, staffing, coordination with other units and overall implementation and results are:

o Evidence-based, results-oriented and demand-driven; including timebound action plans with specifically identified intermediate milestones and deliverables;

o Cover areas in which the Group Legal Function has expertise and offers a value-addition or comparative advantage;

o Aligned with WBG's strategic priorities (e.g., the policy agenda to create business-friendly environments that attract private sector investment and finance or otherwise contribute to the goals and objectives of the Knowledge Bank and Operations units across WBG).

o Designed to support data-driven, evidence-based and measurable outcomes;

o Scalable or enable scalable approaches and solutions.
• In case of country-specific engagements or initiatives, ensure that they are led and supported by the Region and/or CMU, are country-owned, including requisite stakeholders' inputs, coordinated through the respective Regional Chief Counsel or Assistant General Counsel and/or lawyer in or covering that country, and are designed and implemented in line with relevant country engagement priorities (i.e., the Systematic Country Diagnostic, Country Partnership Framework or Country Engagement Note) for the requesting country.
• Oversee and facilitate the integration of the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development into LEG's knowledge and the wider Knowledge Bank agenda.
• Oversee and manage the World Bank Group Law Resource Center including the Law Library, the Legal Records and the Legal Help Desk, and the LEG Intranet.

Other Responsibilities

The Chief Counsel shall take on such other or different responsibilities and assume such tasks and reporting lines as may be determined from time to time by the WBG SVP-GC.

Selection Criteria
• An LLM degree, J.D. or equivalent, and admitted/qualified to practice law in at least one jurisdiction.
• At least 12 years of relevant post-qualification legal experience.
• Demonstrated ability for strategic thinking, project management and driving projects and initiatives and diverse working groups toward project completion; ensuring that the working groups covering LEGLA initiatives work consistently, effectively and consistently towards milestones and objectives; and an ability to hold self and other accountable for performance and results.
• Expertise and knowledge of World Bank Group and International Financial Institutions preferred; in-depth experience with knowledge products and the World Bank Group collaboration model as well as demonstrated familiarity with WBG operations, strategic objectives and priorities, including those of the Knowledge Bank.
• Proven leadership on a wide variety of advisory engagements and/or production of global or regional public goods with a record of intellectual leadership and accomplishments that demonstrate an ability to provide senior management, internal and external clients with technically excellent, innovative, timely and practical advice and solutions.
• Exceptional communications skills, both verbally and written.
• Demonstrable experience and skills in handling budgets and human resources matters, policies and programs, and issues relating to the management of staff and supporting staff's career goals and ambitions.
• Exceptional people management skills and a demonstrated ability, and experience in, working with or leading a large team with a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences, achieving a collaborative mindset and creating an enabling environment that delivers results.
• Exceptional leadership skills, including leading transformative change, and advanced coaching, mentoring and advisory skills, as well as the ability to ensure effective transfer of knowledge and experience across a large, diverse, and complex organization.
• Receptivity to feedback and constructive criticism.

Values, Leadership and Managerial Competencies
• Demonstrated commitment to the Core Values for WBG as well as decency, excellence, diligence, hard work and a sense of urgency, coupled with a proven track record of fostering a strong and healthy culture of diversity, inclusion, trust, openness, and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to be sensitive to issues around race, gender, ethnicity, inclusion, and intersectionality.
• Ability to take informed risks and make tough decisions in a timely and transparent manner resulting in transformative impact for clients.

WBG Managerial Competencies
Note: Thisinternal requisition is open to WBG and IMF staff only (including short-termand extended term consultants/ temporaries). External candidates are requestednot to apply. In case an external candidate applies, their application will notbe considered.

WBG Culture Attributes:

1. Sense of urgency: Anticipate and quickly respond to the needs of internal and external stakeholders.
2. Thoughtful risk-taking: Challenge the status quo and push boundaries to achieve greater impact.
3. Empowerment and accountability: Empower yourself and others to act and hold each other accountable for results.

World Bank Group Core 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.

Learn more about working at the World Bank and IFC including our values and inspiring stories.