Senior Operations Officer

Job #:
req38509

Organization:
World Bank Group

Sector:
Digital Development

Grade:
GG

Term Duration:
Open-Ended Staff (OPEN-OP)

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
ENGLISH

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
10/20/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

VPU Context: Digital technologies offer a unique opportunity to transform development through digital solutions. The Digital and AI Vertical Vice Presidency (VPU) and its global and regional teams support client countries in building their capacities for digital transformation and AI use. WBG recently published its Digital and AI Strategy and implementation plan which includes four pillars: access, affordability, ecosystem and AI readiness and guided by the ten solutions of the implementation plan recently approved by the Board.

Unit Context: The Development Effectiveness (DE) Unit plays an important role in advising the Vice President and leadership team on all matters pertaining to strategic planning and management, program management including trust fund oversight, monitoring and evaluation, stakeholder engagement, knowledge management, in collaboration with Regions and Verticals, and outreach to external partners. The Unit supports VPU's engagement on corporate priorities including Knowledge Compact, Operations Efficiency and Effectiveness, Corporate Scorecard and other initiatives aimed at achieving speed, scale and impact. This role will primarily support the trust fund management function of the DE Unit.

Duties and accountabilities:

The DE Unit manages several multi-donor digital and AI trust fund programs that support the implementation of the Digital & AI Strategy. The incumbent will provide support in the management of these and work in a team to ensure the funds are used strategically and efficiently. This position requires strong knowledge and experience in trust fund management and donor interaction, familiarity with digital technologies and artificial intelligence and the ability to work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

Working in a small team and reporting to the DE Manager, the key responsibilities of this role include end-to-end management of select trust fund programs, including, but not limited to:
• Administration: Drafting Administration Agreements, processing calls of funds, and leading on new TF design, governance structure, and proposal processes in coordination with corporate units.
• Fundraising Support: Contributing to annual Fundraising Initiative Notes (FINs) and the Strategic External Fundraising Framework (SEFF), and supporting trust fund fundraising efforts with existing and new partners
• Call for Proposals Management: Setting eligibility and selection criteria, holding information sessions with TTLs, reviewing proposals and M&E frameworks, clearing grants, and compiling workplans for donor endorsement.
• Portfolio and Financial Oversight: Maintaining the portfolio database of active grants, conducting quarterly expenditure reviews, monitoring burn rates, and proposing fund reallocations as needed.
• Monitoring and Evaluation: Supporting TTLs in designing and updating project-level M&E frameworks, holding clinics on M&E matters, aggregating results for the trust fund annual reports, and maintaining a results dashboard.
• Annual Review: Consolidating TTL inputs, ensuring narrative consistency across reports, triangulating results with M&E frameworks, and preparing financial reporting.
• Annual Partners Forum: Developing agendas and strategic topics, preparing and overseeing materials, managing logistics, and drafting summaries with follow-up on action items.
• Communications and Knowledge Management: Implementing Trust Fund Communication and Visibility Plans, including branding, website maintenance, results stories, newsletters, and organizing knowledge events such as webinars and BBLs in partnership with donors.

Donor Relations: Maintaining active bilateral dialogue with partners, mapping and engaging prospective donors, and supporting mid-term and end-term program reviews.

Selection Criteria
• Master's degree in economics, public policy, private sector development, technology, or another relevant field and at least 8 years of relevant experience
• Demonstrated experience in multi-donor trust fund program management, including administration, financial oversight, and reporting
• Strong knowledge of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, results measurement, and results aggregation
• Excellent analytical skills, including experience conducting financial reviews, monitoring burn rates, and managing portfolio databases
• Experience designing and managing competitive grant or call-for-proposals processes, including eligibility screening and selection
• Experience developing or contributing to fundraising strategies and donor engagement, including with bilateral and multilateral partners
• Strong written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to produce high-quality reports, briefs, and donor-facing materials
• Familiarity with communications and visibility requirements for donor-funded programs, including branding and digital presence
• Demonstrated ability to think and work across WBG practices, sectors and regions - and in providing technical advice to operational team, including as peer reviewer
• Ability to build and sustain key stakeholder relationships with government and other key stakeholders
• Solid understanding of the WBG Digital & AI Strategy; experience working in digital and AI projects is an advantage

As the World Bank Group continues to evolve, we value candidates who:

• Demonstrate the ability to collaborate effectively across teams, disciplines, cultures, and institutional boundaries.
• Responsibly leverage digital and AI-enabled tools to enhance productivity, learning, and decision-making.
• Bring experience working in fragile, conflict-affected, and violent (FCV) contexts and are encouraged to highlight relevant experience in their application materials, where applicable.