Senior Programming Specialist

Job #:
req36325

Organization:
World Bank

Sector:

Grade:
GG

Term Duration:
2 years 0 months

Recruitment Type:
International Recruitment

Location:
Washington, DC,United States

Required Language(s):
English

Preferred Language(s):

Closing Date:
5/8/2026 (MM/DD/YYYY) at 11:59pm UTC

Description

At COP27 and CMA4, the Conference of theParties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) and the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of theParties to the Paris Agreement (CMA) established funding arrangements to assistdeveloping countries particularly vulnerable to climate change. This decisionestablished the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) to assistdeveloping countries vulnerable to the economic and non-economic impacts ofclimate change, including extreme weather and slow onset events.

At COP28 and CMA5, the COP/CMA formallyapproved the Fund's Governing Instrument, designating it as part of theUNFCCC's financial mechanism and placing it under the guidance of both COP andCMA. The decision authorized the Fund's Board to sign a Hosting arrangementwith the World Bank as the host for the FRLD Secretariat as well as a Trusteeagreement with the World Bank as the interim trustee for four years.

The FRLD Secretariat, ledby the Executive Director (ED), is an independent Secretariat,accountable to the Board, and is responsible for executing the day to dayoperations of the Fund in accordance with the decisions of the Board. The Secretariatis composed of 5 divisions led by Program Managers that report to the Office ofthe Executive Director: Board Affairs and Governance; Programming and CountryEngagement; Knowledge, Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning; ResourceMobilization, Communications and Partnerships; and Budget and FinanceManagement.

The Programming and CountryEngagement (PACE) division under the FRLD Secretariat is the programming andtechnical core of the Secretariat, responsible for leading the development andoperationalization of funding modalities and instruments,and managing the pipeline and portfolio of the FRLD in close engagementwith countries and access entities. Key functions include (1) developingprogramming modalities and instruments for the start-up phase (BarbadosImplementation Modalities, BIM) and long-term operations of the Fund; (2)conducting the review of funding requests submitted to the Fund; (3) managingthe pipeline and approved portfolio throughout the stages of the funding cycle,in close coordination and engagement with countries and access entities; (4)supporting the development of the simplified mechanism for determiningfunctional equivalency of countries and entities; (5) representing theFund, on matters related to programming and country engagement, in global andregional dialogues and conferences; and (6) collaborating with the entities inthe funding arrangements to ensure complementarity and coherence.

The PACE team is led by a ProgramManager who is supported by programming and subject-matterspecialists in fields related to loss and damage and climate and developmentfinance.

Purpose of the Role

Specialist within the PACE team in the FRLDSecretariat. Under the leadership and guidance of the Program Manager, the keyfunctions of the Senior Programming Specialist include: i) effective andcoherent implementation of the programing modalities and instruments for thestart-up phase (Barbados Implementation Modalities, BIM), ii) pipeline andportfolio management, including quality assurance of funding request reviews,operating procedures and tools, and iii) developing modalities and frameworksfor the long-term operations of the Fund.

TheSenior Programming Specialist will report to the Program Manager of the PACEteam and will collaborate closely with the wider PACE team as well as othersacross the wider Secretariat.

Key Responsibilities

The key responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

Pipeline and Portfolio Management
• Coordinate the completeness check, conformity review and technical review of funding requests submitted to FRLD
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of the Secretariat assessment reports prepared for submission to the Board, ensuring consistency and full alignment with the assessment methodology and guidelines.
• Monitor the implementation status/progress of the approved portfolio and consolidate key findings/issues identified
• Assess effectiveness and operational rigor in the execution of Fund modalities and regularly report to the Program Manager on the status
• Monitor internal timelines and deadlines for all key areas of work
• Regularly monitor the status of risk mitigation measures at the portfolio level, and, where needed, escalate key issues to the Program Manager.
• Develop internal SOPs, guidelines and manuals, including coordinating with other teams in the Secretariat, where relevant.

Policies and Systems
• Lead the development of the long-term modalities and instruments of the Fund, including drafting of Board papers, ensuring lessons learned from the BIM are incorporated into the design of the long-term model.
• Quality assure all documents before approval/clearance by the Program Manager, ensuring high quality and technical rigor and full alignment with the Governing Instrument and decisions of the Board.
• Conduct regular internal trainings on operationalizing the modalities, instruments and policies adopted by the Board
• Liaise with other teams in the Secretariat to ensure coherence, including providing programming related inputs, where required.
• Serve as PACE focal point for the development of knowledge and communication products, in collaboration with KMEL and RMCP teams
• Support the Program Manager in developing key performance metrics and provide regular updates on the status to the Program Manager.
• Conduct ad hoc assignments as tasked by the Program Manager.

Country Engagement
• Support the Program Manager in engaging with partner countries and access entities to support bottom-up, country-led and country owned programming
• Lead the preparations for the Program Manager's external engagements in representing FRLD, including preparing briefing notes, talking points and presentation slides.

Board meeting and consultations
• Support the Program Manager with preparations for Board meetings, including ensuring programming and country engagement related Board papers are delivered in a timely manner.
• Lead the preparations for consultations with the Board and Observers, including delivery of high quality presentation materials, talking points, summary of key issues, etc.
• Coordinate with the Senior Governance Specialist to support the drafting of decision text required for Board meetings.

Selection Criteria

Education and Experience:
• An advanced degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in international relations, environmental studies, or a related field, with preference for focus on loss and damage, climate change adaptation and/or disaster risk management
• At least 8 years of relevant professional experience in programming and operations, including but not limited to working in international and/or regional institutions, UN, or multilateral climate funds.
• Expert knowledge of loss and damage, climate change and/or disaster risk management
• Proven track record in drafting complex technical and operational papers, as well as quality assuring papers to ensure high quality and rigor.
• Demonstrated experience designing and reviewing proposals for funding as well as implementing projects and budget support operations in the field
• Experience in pipeline and portfolio management
• Experience working with or within a variety of international financial institutions (e.g. World Bank, UN agencies, climate funds) is highly desirable.
• Experience working in developing countries across multiple regions is preferred

Skills and Abilities:
• Excellent drafting and analytical skills, with ability to synthesize complex technical information/data and operational principles into clear and concise papers.
• Strong judgment, risk awareness, and ability to assess trade-offs in programming and operational dimensions.
• Effective communication skills (written and oral), able to present and train diverse audiences (with or without technical expertise) in concise and accessible language.
• Proven coordination skills and ability to work collaboratively within and across teams.
• Strong ability to work under time pressure, manage multiple assignments, meet tight deadlines and work across different time zones.
• High level of attention to detail in producing high quality products/papers
• Good understanding of organizational and operational effectiveness as well as ways to address challenges and risks
• Capacity to work in a matrix, cross-functional environment and adapt to evolving institutional and policy priorities.
• Proficiency in one or more UN languages beyond English (French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese) is an asset.